Owners of the popular smartphone Redmi Note 7 often face a situation where the voice assistant is activated accidentally in your pocket or simply interferes with its obsession. Standard firmware MIUI deeply integrates Google services and Xiaomi's own development, which makes the management of these functions not always obvious to the average user. Disabling Google Assistant or Mi AI requires understanding the structure of the menu, since there is no single button "turn everything" in the system.
The need to deactivate can be dictated by the desire to save battery power or increase privacy, because the microphone constantly listens to activation commands. In this article, we will discuss in detail all possible ways to block voice functions, from standard system settings to deeper methods of managing applications.
You'll learn how to reassign the power button so it stops calling the assistant when you press it long, and how to completely remove service updates if standard methods don't help. Completely removing Google App updates is the only way to guarantee that the assistant will stop working in the background on older versions of Android without root rights. Let's take a look at each method in detail so you can choose the most suitable for your use case.
Differences between Google Assistant and Mi AI
Before you start setting up, it’s important to be clear about what tool you’re dealing with, because there are two different assistants in the MIUI shell. Google Assistant is a full-time service from Google that’s built into the Android operating system and is responsible for finding, managing your smart home and executing common commands. It’s closely linked to the Google app and the Chrome browser.
In turn, Mi AI (or Xiao AI in Chinese versions) is Xiaomi’s own development, which often duplicates the functions of a competitor, but is sharpened under the brand ecosystem. On global versions of firmware for Redmi Note 7, it is the Google assistant that is most often active, but in some regions or custom builds, a brand assistant can also be found.
⚠️ Note: Disabling the Google Assistant system component may affect the OK, Google function and voice input in the Gboard keyboard.
The differences between the two are not just speech recognition algorithms, but activation pathways. If Google Assistant is most often called by a corner swipe or a long home button, Mi AI can be tied to a special button or shell gestures, and understanding this difference will help you choose the right deactivation instruction.
Disconnection through the settings of the Google application
The easiest and safest way to remove the annoying element is to use the built-in settings of the Google app itself, which does not require deleting system files and allows you to return everything back at any time. To start, open the list of all the apps on your Redmi Note 7 and find the icon with the letter "G" or Google name.
Once you start the app, click on your profile avatar in the top right corner of the screen. In the menu that opens, select Settings, then go to Google Assistant, and that's where all the key switches that control voice assistant behavior are concentrated.
- 📱 Find the "Popular Settings" section and select "Phone".
- 🔘 Turn the Google Assistant switch to the inactive position.
- 🎙️ Turn off the “Hey Google” or “OK Google” option to stop your phone responding to your voice.
Once you do this, when you try to swipe or voice the assistant, the system will simply ignore the command or suggest you reconfigure the service, the most common method that Google recommends for temporary or permanent failure of the feature.
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If the assistant continues to start after turning off the settings, try also clearing the cache of the Google application in the "Applications" section -> "All Apps" -> "Google" -> "Memory" -> "Clean".
Control of the power button and gestures
One of the most common causes of accidental activation is the setting of the power button. Redmi Note 7 owners often unknowingly turn on a feature that calls Google Assistant when pressing the lock button for a long time, especially when the phone is in your pocket or case.
To change this behavior, go to the basic Settings of your smartphone. In the list, find the Additional Features section (in some versions of MIUI it may be called "Advanced Settings"). Next, select the Power Button or Press and Hold the Power button.
Here you'll see a list of available actions. The default is often "Google Assistant." You'll need to change this setting to "Nothing" or "Switch Off Menu" if you want a long tap to trigger the standard reboot menu. It's also worth checking your gesture settings.
| Action. | Where to find on the menu | Recommended value |
|---|---|---|
| Long press of the power button | Additional functions → Power button | Nothing/Switch-off menu |
| Swipe from the corner of the screen | Settings → Google → Assistant | Disconnected. |
| Voice activation | Settings → Google → Okay, Google. | Disconnected. |
Changing the power button settings not only removes the assistant, but also makes smartphone use more predictable. You will no longer accidentally open a search by trying to just turn off the screen.
Radical method: Removing updates
If standard switches don’t work or Google Assistant keeps popping up, you can resort to a more radical method – rolling the application back to the factory version. Google’s system application can’t be removed completely without superuser rights, but you can remove all its updates by returning the “naked” version, in which the assistant’s functionality is often stripped down or not activated by default.
To do this, go to Settings of your Redmi Note 7 and select the App section. Click All Apps and find the Google app in the list (usually it has a colored "G" logo).
At the bottom of the screen, you'll see the Remove Updates button, and the system will alert you that all data will be deleted, and the app will return to the version installed at (the factory).
⚠️ Note: After the updates are removed, Google widgets, newsfeed and some voice search features will stop working.This is a temporary solution, as the system can start updating the app again in the background.
To secure the result and prevent automatic return of functionality, it is recommended to immediately prohibit auto-update of this application through the Play Market store.Look for the Google app page in the store, click on three dots in the corner and uncheck the "Auto Update" box.
☑️ Checklist for full lockdown
Setup Mi AI and Chinese services
While global markets are dominated by Google, some versions of the MIUI for the Redmi Note 7 may feature built-in Mi AI. This is true for devices bought at Chinese sites or re-flashed by enthusiasts. The principle of disconnection is similar here, but the paths in the menu are different.
Usually, Mi AI settings are in the Additional Features section or are put into a separate application called "Mi AI" or "Xiao AI." If you see such an application, log in and find the profile settings, there should be an option to log out or completely disable the service.
Often Mi AI is activated via the Security or Explorer app. Check the settings of these system utilities for voice search related items. Removing or disabling these components may require the use of special tools such as ADB if the standard interface does not provide such an option.
For users who do not use Chinese services, the presence of Mi AI is simply an unnecessary waste of resources, and its shutdown will positively affect the autonomy of the Redmi Note 7, whose battery is already not characterized by record capacity in modern realities.
What to do if the “Remove Updates” button is inactive?
Using ADB for Advanced Users
For those who are not afraid of the computer and command line, the most effective method is the use of the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) debugging bridge, which allows you to “freeze” or completely remove the package responsible for the assistant, even if the MIUI interface hides this possibility.
You'll need to turn on the developer mode on Redmi Note 7. To do this, quickly click on the build number in the About Phone section seven times. Then activate Debugging over USB on the Developer menu that appears.
Connect your phone to your computer, install the drivers and the ADB platform. In the command line, type the following command to disable the Google Assistant package:
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.apps.googleassistantThis command doesn't delete files physically, but it makes them invisible to the system and the user. The assistant stops running, consumes memory and battery. If you want to return it as it was, use the command:
adb shell pm enable com.google.android.apps.googleassistant⚠️ Attention: Use ADB Introducing incorrect commands can lead to unstable operation of the system or loss of other important functions.
This method is considered the “gold standard” for customizing Android, and it allows you to remove not only the assistant, but also other preinstalled applications that can not be removed in the usual way.
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Use of the ADB-Pm Disable-user commands are the most reliable way to disable system components without obtaining root rights and risk of “bricking” the device.
Possible problems and solutions
Even after you've done all the steps, you might have some nuances, like when you have a major MIUI update, you might reset your settings and the Google Assistant will turn on again, and you might have to do it again, and some third-party apps might have voice controls that conflict with the system.
Sometimes users complain that the assistant turns on on its own, which can be a sign of problems with the touchscreen (phantom presses) or sticking buttons. Check the safety glass and case - they should not press the volume or power buttons.
If nothing helps, consider installing a third-party launcher that doesn’t integrate with Google services or allows you to flexibly customize gestures. However, on the Redmi Note 7, this could result in the loss of some of the shell functionality.
Remember, completely disabling the assistant is a trade-off between privacy and convenience: You lose the ability to quickly dictate messages or search for information with voice, but you get a cleaner, faster system.