How to permanently disable TalkBack on Xiaomi Redmi 9: 5 proven ways

Xiaomi Redmi 9 is one of the most popular budget smartphones, but its owners often face the unexpected inclusion of the TalkBack feature.This voice tool is designed for people with visual impairments, but accidental activation can turn using the phone into real torture: each tap is accompanied by voice acting, gestures work differently, and the interface becomes uncomfortable.

In this article, we will look at all the possible ways to disable TalkBack on Redmi 9, from standard methods through settings to radical solutions like reset to factory settings, focusing on situations where the touch screen does not respond to touch due to active special capabilities mode, and explain how to get out of this state without losing data.

If you're here after the phone starts talking after you press volume buttons or a random combo click, don't panic. 90% of TalkBack problems are solved in 2-3 minutes, if you know the right sequence of actions, let's start with the simplest way.

1. Standard TalkBack Disconnection through Settings

If the touch screen is working normally (just voiced all the actions), the fastest way is to turn off the function through the menu.

1. Unlock your phone. If the screen is locked, use it. PIN-Code or pattern lock – TalkBack does not block unlocking.
2. Make a double tap on the Settings icon (a single touch will only highlight the item, but won't open it).
3. In the settings menu, find the Special Features section (may be called Special Features or Convenience).
4. Scroll the list to the TalkBack item and double tap the switch to turn it off.
5. Confirm the action in the window that appears, again using double tap on the OK button.

If you've stayed active after that, try restarting your phone -- sometimes TalkBack will freeze when it's on. To restart, press the power button for 10 seconds.

Check if the Safe Mode mode is activated (some settings are blocked).

Make sure you have enough battery power (below 15% the system may limit features)

Try disabling TalkBack via Quick Settings (swipe down from the top edge of the screen)

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Important: Some MIUI firmware may have different paths to settings. If you don't find TalkBack, use the settings search (the magnifier icon in the upper right corner).

2. Disable TalkBack with gestures (if the sensor is not working)

The most common problem is that TalkBack was activated by accident, and now the touch screen doesn't respond to the usual taps, because in voice mode, all gestures change:

• 👆 Single touch – highlights an element but does not activate it.
• 👆👆 Double touch - the equivalent of a regular tapu.
• 👆👈 Touching + swipe left/right - scrolling lists.
• ✌️ Two fingers down – swipe down (for example, to open the notification bar).

To disable TalkBack in this case:

1. Unlock the phone (use double tap to enter) PIN-code).
2. Make a swipe with two fingers down from the top edge of the screen to open the notification bar.
3. Find the TalkBack icon (usually it appears in quick settings after activation) and double-task it.
4. If there is no icon, swipe two fingers up to open the full settings, then find Special Options (double tap to open).

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If you can’t swipe with two fingers, try using three fingers – in some versions of MIUI, this is an alternative gesture for scrolling.

If the gestures don’t work, move on to the next way – disable through physical buttons.

3. Disable TalkBack with Volume and Power buttons

This method works even if the touch screen is completely locked TalkBack.The bottom line is that on Xiaomi Redmi 9 (as on most Android devices) you can control some special features through hardware buttons.

Follow the following steps:

1. Press the power button + volume button for 3-5 seconds at the same time.
2. Wait for vibration or sound signal – this means that the availability mode has worked.
3. Release the buttons. The phone should say, "Special Opportunity Mode is off" (or similar message).

If this method does not work, try an alternative combination:

• 🔊 Hold the volume button for 5 seconds → Press the power button 3 times.
• 🔄 Press both volume buttons for 10 seconds (may cause a reboot, but sometimes resets special features settings).

Warning: Do not confuse this method with hard reset, which erases all data.

4. Disable TalkBack through Recovery Mode

If previous methods didn’t work, you can try disabling the feature through Restore mode, which doesn’t require root rights, but requires a phone to restart.

Instructions:

1. Turn off the phone by pressing the power button for 10 seconds.
2. Press the power button + volume button at the same time until the MI logo appears (this is the Recovery Mode login).
3. In the recovery menu, select Wipe & Reset (use volume buttons for navigation and power button for confirmation).
4. Next, select Wipe All Data (this is not a complete reset, but only a clearing of the special features cache).
5. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.

Important: On some versions of MIUI Recovery Mode, you can’t turn TalkBack off directly, in which case this method will only clear the cache, but it doesn’t guarantee that the function will be disabled.

If TalkBack is activated again after the reboot, it may mean that:

• 🔄 The feature is enabled at the Google account level (synchronized between devices).
• 📱 The phone has third-party software that forcibly includes special features.
• 🔧 The firmware of the phone is modified (for example, customized). MIUI buggy).

5. Radical methods: reset to factory settings

If all previous methods failed, the last option is a complete reset of the phone, which will delete all data, including apps, photos and settings, so use this method only as a last resort.

How to reset:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the power button + volume button to enter Recovery Mode.
3. Select the Wipe Data option → Factory Reset.
4. Confirm the action (usually you need to select Yes and press the power button).
5. After resetting, the phone will reboot to its original state.

Note: Before resetting, be sure to remove the memory card (if installed), as some versions of MIUI format it.

If you decide to reset, do not restore data from the backup after the reboot - this can activate TalkBack again if the problem was in sync with your Google account.

6 How to Prevent TalkBack Inadvertently Included in the Future

To avoid this problem, set your phone up so that TalkBack doesn’t turn on accidentally:

• 🔒 Turn off quick gestures for special features: go to Settings → Special facilities → Special features gestures and deactivate all options.
• 📱 Remove TalkBack shortcut from Quick Settings panel: swipe down from the top edge of the screen → press on the pencil (editing) → Find TalkBack and drag it to Unused».
• 🔄 Update the firmware: in new versions MIUI Fixed bugs with spontaneous inclusion of special features. → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 🛡️ Set a password for settings: some shells (for example, MIUI 12+) You can block access to the settings section. Use this feature for Special Options.

If you often have TalkBack turned on because of defective volume buttons (for example, they are pinched or oxidized), we recommend:

• 🛠️ Clean the buttons with compressed air or alcohol (carefully without disassembling the phone).
• 📲 Take your phone to Xiaomi’s service center for diagnosis.

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The most common reason for accidentally turning on TalkBack is to simultaneously clamp the volume buttons (for example, when the phone is in your pocket). To avoid this, turn off special feature gestures in the settings.

7. Alternative solutions: if nothing has worked

In rare cases, TalkBack may wilt due to system failures or conflicts with other features.

• 🔄 Firmware rollback: If the problem has appeared after the update MIUI, Try to return the previous version via Fastboot (computer and cable required) USB).
• 📱 Custom firmware installation: For example, LineageOS or Pixel Experience do not have bugs with TalkBack, but require unlocking the bootloader.
• 🛠️ Contacting the service: If the phone is warranty, the failure may be due to a hardware malfunction (for example, damage to the sensor or motherboard).

Attention: Installing custom firmware resets the warranty and can lead to a phone blink if something goes wrong. Use this method only if you are an experienced user or under the guidance of a specialist.

If you suspect that TalkBack is being turned on because of a virus or malware, follow the following steps:

1. Install an antivirus (such as Dr.Web or Malwarebytes) and scan the system.
2. Check the list of installed applications in Settings → Applications for suspicious programs.
3. Turn off the installation of applications from unknown sources in Settings → Security.

FAQ: Frequent questions about TalkBack on Xiaomi Redmi 9