Disabling Assistant on Xiaomi Mi 9: the complete guide

Xiaomi Mi 9 has powerful functionality that includes various voice assistants. However, not all users like when the device is activated by a random touch or voice command. Often owners of the flagship are faced with the fact that Google Assistant or built-in Mi AI interfere with the work of the gadget, causing irritation.

The need to disable these features may be dictated by the desire to save battery power or simply improve privacy. On Android, which runs the MIUI shell, settings can be scattered across sections. Complete shutdown requires sequential action in the menu settings of the applications.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can deactivate voice services, and learn how to remove the assistant button and disable the response to “OK, Google,” which will allow you to have complete control over your Mi 9’s behavior.

Differences between Google Assistant and Mi AI

Before you make changes to your system, it’s important to understand what kind of service you’re dealing with. Xiaomi smartphones can run two different assistants. Google Assistant is the search giant’s standard service integrated into Android, and is responsible for smart home, information retrieval, and application management.

At the same time, Mi AI is a proprietary development of the manufacturer, tailored to the MIUI ecosystem. This assistant often has deeper rights to access the phone's system settings, but may be less useful for Russian-speaking users in regions outside China.

Users often confuse these services by trying to configure one while the other is active. For complete peace of mind, it is recommended to check the settings of both services, this is especially true for global versions of firmware, where both options are preinstalled.

Disabling Google Assistant through Settings

The easiest way to remove an annoying voice assistant is to use a regular settings menu, which is a non-super-user-friendly method that is safe to guarantee the device, and you need to find the Google services section.

The sequence of actions may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI. Usually the path is as follows:

• 📱 Open the "Settings" app on the main screen.
• 🔍 Find and select “Google” in the list of system settings.
• 🤖 Click on the “Settings for Google Apps” or “Search, Assistant and Google Now” button".
• 🗣 Select Google Assistant from the list of options offered.

When you go to the assistant menu, find the switch that activates the service, which can be simply called "Assistant" or "Enable." Put the slider in an inactive position. The system can request confirmation of actions, warning you of loss of functionality.

setting up voice activation and_hotkey_

Even if the basic functionality is disabled, the phone can respond to voice commands or a long press of the power button. To (radically) solve the problem, you need to disable activation by events. In the Assistant settings menu, find the "Hey Google" or "Voice control" section.

This will prevent the microphone from constantly listening for key phrases, and it is also worth checking the button settings. On the Xiaomi Mi 9, you often use a long pressing of the on button to call the assistant.

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If you can’t find the button settings in the general menu, search by settings by entering the “power button” or “buttons”.

To change the behavior of the physical button:

• ⚙️ Go to "Settings" →"Additionally" →"Buttons and gestures".
• 🔘 Find the option “Run Google Assistant” (or similar).
• ❌ Select the option "No" or "Disabled".

Now, a long press on the lock button will perform a standard action, such as turning off the phone, instead of running voice search.

Managing permissions and access to data

Sometimes a simple switch isn't enough, because some system processes can reactivate a service. A deeper method is to restrict the rights of an application. It won't delete the service, but it will deprive it of its ability to function fully. Go to the Apps menu and search it on Google's list.

Inside the app menu, go to "Permissions" where you can revoke access to microphone, location and contacts, without a microphone, the voice assistant can't physically hear you, but beware: this can affect the voice recorder or other voice-entry applications.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling microphone access for Google system services may cause the Safe Device or voice dial function to malfunction.

There's also a button on this menu called "Remove Updates," and if you press it, it will roll back to the factory version, and then you can try to turn it off with the "Off" button, which will become active, and this is an effective way to combat intrusive services.

Comparison of disconnection methods

There are several approaches to the problem, and each has its pros and cons, and the choice of method depends on how deeply you want to integrate into the system and whether you are willing to put up with the side effects.

As you can see from the table, the (easiest) path is to adjust the buttons and the main switch, and radical measures like removing updates should only be used in extreme cases where standard methods don't work.

Hidden settings via ADB (for advanced)

For users who are not afraid of the command line, there is a method of disabling through the ADB (Android Debug Bridge. This way you can hide or freeze an application even without root rights, if it's marked as system. You'll need a computer and a driver installed. ADB.

Connect the Xiaomi Mi 9 to your PC in USB debugging mode. In the command line, type a command to search for an assistant package. Usually called com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox. To turn off, you use a command:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox

This command forcibly stops the service for the current user. To get it back, replace the disable-user with enable. Be very careful when you type in packet names, an error can lead to system instability.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB-Disabling critical system components can lead to a cyclical smartphone reboot.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

In conclusion, we will consider the most popular questions that arise owners Xiaomi Mi 9 when trying to configure voice control.

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The optimal balance between functionality and no stimuli is to turn off voice activation and change the power button, without completely deleting system files.