How to disable the voice assistant on the phone Xiaomi Redmi

Owning a modern Xiaomi or Redmi smartphone opens up a host of smart features that are designed to make it easier to interact with your device. However, it often happens that one of the most intrusive features, the voice assistant, starts to annoy the user. Accidental activations when you take your phone out of your pocket, constant prompts, or just a desire to use a third-party solution like Siri or Alice, can be the reason why you want to completely deactivate the built-in service.

The process of disabling is not always obvious, as the MIUI and HyperOS shell manufacturers often hide these settings in the depth of the menu or combine them with other system functions. Voice input can be tied to a physical button, gestures or search bar, which requires a comprehensive approach to customization. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to disable so that you can customize your gadget exactly as you like.

It's worth noting that completely removing system components without rooting is impossible, but we can limit their functionality as much as possible, avoiding accidental launches and freeing up device resources that are often consumed by background speech recognition processes. We'll look at both standard methods through settings and more advanced control options.

The main methods of disabling Google Assistant

The most common scenario on Xiaomi smartphones is the work of a Google assistant. To stop activating it by double pressing the power button or swiping from the corner of the screen, you need to refer to the appropriate section in the settings of the application itself. Open the settings menu of your device and find the item responsible for the work of Google Assistant.

In the menu that opens, you'll select a section that's usually called "All Assistant Settings" or "Google Assistant settings." Here we're interested in the "Phone" tab. That's where the switches that are responsible for activation methods are hidden. Find the "Google Assistant" option and turn the slider to the "off" position. This action will prevent the system from responding to voice commands "OKay, Google" and block the start button.

If you use newer versions of the HyperOS shell, the path may be slightly different, so go to Settings → Apps → App settings → Google. You can also find switches that control the behavior of embedded services. It's important to understand that disabling the assistant does not delete the Google search engine, but only deactivates its voice component.

Once you do this, the system will stop responding to voice commands, but if you use a headset or headphones, they may also have their own activation settings that you will have to turn off separately through the Accessory Management app or in the Bluetooth partition.

Setting up a physical power button

One of the most annoying features for many users is activating the assistant with (long press) or double pressing the on button. In older versions of MIUI, this was standard behavior, and it could only be changed through hidden settings. In modern versions of firmware, this option is put into an explicit button management menu.

To change the behavior of the button, go to Settings → Additional settings → Advanced button settings (the path can vary depending on the model, sometimes it is Special features). Here you will see the item "Run Google Assistant." By default, it often stands in "Push 0.5 sec" mode. Change this value to "Do nothing" or reassign the action to call Task Manager if this option is available.

Note that on some global firmware versions, this setting may be tightly tied to the Google ecosystem, in which case, even by selecting Nothing, the system may try to start the assistant under certain conditions, such as when the screen is unlocked, in which case only completely disabling the service itself, as described in the previous section, will help.

⚠️ Warning: Changing the settings of the power button may affect the way you call the off menu. MIUI The assistant calls for a long press, and to turn off the phone you need to press the button along with the volume button.

If you are used to using the button to quickly access the camera or flashlight, make sure that the new settings do not conflict with these features.

Disable Xiao AI (Mi AI) on Global and Chinese Versions

Unlike the global versions, Xiaomi’s Chinese firmware is equipped with its own intelligent assistant, Xiao AI. On global devices, it can also be present as a system plugin that periodically offers its services or takes up space in memory.

To deactivate Mi AI, look for an app called "Mi AI" or "Xiao AI" in the settings menu. If there is no standard settings menu, you can try to find it by searching for settings. There is often a Voice Wakeup switch inside the app that you need to turn off. It is also recommended to clear the application data to reset the accumulated voice models.

To clean up the system more deeply, you can use the adb command if you have the right tools on your computer, which will hide the system application from the list of active processes, although the files will remain in the system section. The concealment command usually looks like pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.voiceassist.

Managing search bar and widgets

Often, the voice assistant is activated not through a button, but through the search bar on the desktop or in the lock screen. In the shells of Xiaomi, the widget Google Search or built-in Mi is responsible for this. Deleting this widget from the home screen does not disable the function completely, but eliminates accidental touches.

To adjust the behavior of the search bar, click on it or press your finger on the free screen and select "Settings." In the "Search" section, you can turn off the display of the Google Discover News Feed, which is often a trigger for voice input, and you can also remove the "Quick Search" widget that is integrated into the system.

If you use a third-party launcher like Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher, the problem is solved more easily. Xiaomi system widgets stop working, and you can assign any other action to search or leave the string blank. This is an effective way to completely get rid of the integration of voice services into the interface.

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Use a third-party launcher if you want to completely ignore MIUI’s system limitations on managing search bar and widgets.

Hiding and Limiting Through Application Settings

There's a method that allows you to not formally delete, but to limit the voice assistant as much as possible, which is useful if a complete shutdown causes errors in other system components, and we can prevent the application from accessing the microphone and from running in the background.

Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Go to Google or Google Assistant. Go to Application Permissions. You need to turn off Microphone access. Without that permission, the assistant won't be able to hear your commands, even if it's running.

Next, in the same menu, find "Battery" or "Energy Saving." Select "No Limits" (so the system doesn't wake it up) or "Strictly Restricted" if this option is available in your version of MIUI. It's also recommended to turn off autostart and work in the background. This will prevent battery consumption for constant listening.

• 🔇 Disable microphone access in Google app permissions.
• 🔋 Set the "Limited" energy saving mode for the Assistant service.
• 🚫 Prohibit auto-start and work in the background.
• 🗑️ Clear the cache and data of the applications for resetting settings.

Once these constraints are applied, the system will assume that the application is installed, but it will not be able to function, and this is a secure method that can be easily reversed at any time just by returning the original permissions.

Advanced Methods: ADB and System Change

For power users who want to get rid of any mention of voice assistant guaranteed, there is a method of using debugging by ADB (Android Debug Bridge. This method requires connecting the smartphone to the computer via USB-cable and availability of drivers.

Before you start, you need to activate the developer mode, and you can quickly tap the build number in About Phone seven times, then turn on USB Debugging in the Developer menu, and connect the phone to your PC and start the command line with administrator permissions.

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

This command disables the package that handles the search bar and the assistant, and if your target is Mi AI, use the command:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.voiceassist

⚠️ Note: Disabling system packages through ADB It can cause the interface to work in an unstable way, such as a weather widget or news widget, and be prepared to reset your settings through Recovery if something goes wrong.

To get it back to normal, use the enable command instead of the disable-user, which is the most radical and effective method, but requires technical literacy.

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Using ADB is the only way to completely freeze system components without obtaining superuser rights.

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