How to turn off voice input on Xiaomi Redmi: the full guide

Modern smartphones Xiaomi Redmi line equipped with a variety of features for user convenience, among which a special place is voice input. This technology is designed to speed up typing and control of the gadget, but in practice, many owners are faced with a situation where the keyboard with a microphone or activation by the phrase “OK, Google” becomes more of a hindrance: casual touch, false positives in a noisy environment or just the desire to type manually make you think about how to completely deactivate these options.

Disabling voice input on Android’s MIUI or HyperOS shell can vary depending on the operating system version and device model. In this article, we’ll take a look at all possible methods, from simply hiding the microphone button on the keyboard to deeply disabling Google’s voice recognition system services, and learning how to manage your privacy settings and avoid unnecessary actions.

It’s important to understand that removing the feature completely may require disabling system components, which is standard procedure for customizing Android smartphones. We’ll look at safe paths through the settings menu, as well as more advanced methods for those who want to gain maximum control over their device.

Difference Between Keyboard Microphone and System Assistant

Before settings, you need to clearly distinguish between the two types of voice input that users of Xiaomi Redmi often confuse: the first type is the microphone button located directly on the virtual keyboard (usually Gboard or MIUI keyboard), which is solely responsible for dictating text in the message input or search field.

The second type is a voice assistant system that is activated by a swipe from the corner of the screen, a power button or a hot phrase, which is overwhelmingly the responsibility of Google Assistant or, in some regions, its own Mi AI assistant. Disabling one does not always mean turning off the other, so it’s important to determine what’s bothering you.

If your goal is to remove the microphone from your keyboard, you don’t have to go into Google’s deep system settings, but if the phone itself turns on from voice or responds to commands when locked, a more comprehensive approach to setting up security and services will be needed.

Remove the microphone button from the Gboard keyboard

The standard keyboard for most Redmi smartphones is Google's Gboard, which most often offers voice typing, placing the microphone icon in the line above the letters or in the bottom row of buttons. To get rid of this visual component, you need to change the configuration of the keyboard itself.

Go to your smartphone Settings menu and find the Settings section. This block is for Language and Entering. This section shows all the input methods you have installed. Click on Keyboard Management or select Gboard from the list of active keyboards.

In the keyboard settings menu that opens, look for the Voice Input section. Here you'll see a switch that activates or deactivates the function. Turn it to the Off position. After that, the microphone icon should disappear from the toolbar when typing.

It's worth noting that some versions of the firmware may have slightly different paths, so if you don't find a paragraph in the additional settings, try pinching a comma or a button (cog) right on the keyboard while you're printing, and this will open up a quick menu where you can also find your voice input settings.

⚠️ Attention: Disabling voice input in the keyboard settings does not remove the very ability of the system to dictate text. If you accidentally click on the microphone in the Google search bar, dictation can still start, as it is a system feature of Android.

Disabling Google Assistant and the “OK Google” feature

The most intrusive feature is often the ability to activate the assistant with a voice. The smartphone is constantly listening to the environment for a key phrase, which not only consumes battery power, but can lead to accidental switching of the screen in your pocket. To stop this, you need to limit the rights of the service Google.

Open the Google app (usually the G icon on your desktop). Click on your profile avatar in the top right corner and select Settings. Next, go to Google Assistant and select the Hey Google tab and Voice Match.

You have to turn off the Hey Google switch, and you can ask multiple times if you're confirming your actions, and you can tell them that voice control will stop working, and you can accept the warnings, and then you can stop responding to voice commands in sleep mode.

For full effect, it is also recommended to disable the start of the assistant button. Go back to the general settings of the phone, select Additional settings and find the "Manage buttons" or "Buttons and gestures". Find the action for long-term pressing of the power button or the "Home" button and change it from "Google Assistant" to "Nothing" or "Switch off menu".

These actions ensure that Xiaomi Redmi doesn’t wake up to your voice, but if you use other dictation apps, they can continue to work regardless of Google’s settings.

MIUI keyboard and system services settings

Xiaomi smartphone owners often use the standard MIUI keyboard, which has its own voice input settings other than Gboard. In addition, there are system services that can duplicate input functions.

To set up a standard keyboard, go to Settings → Additional Settings → Language and input. Select the Current Keyboard and make sure you select MIUI Keyboard. Then click Settings next to the keyboard name. In the Input Settings or Toolbar section, you can find the option to display the microphone button and turn it off.

It's also worth checking the special features settings. Sometimes voice input can be tied to features for people with disabilities. Go through Settings → Advanced Settings → Special.

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If you don't use Google search on your desktop, you can turn off the Detect widget, which will prevent random search and voice input from activating when you unlock the screen.

Deep cleaning and removal of service updates

In the rare cases where standard methods don't help or the microphone button returns after a reboot, a more radical approach is required: Reset the settings of keyboard applications or remove their updates to the factory version.

Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps. Go to Gboard or Google. Click on the app and select Memory. Here you click Clear all Data and Clear Cache. This will return the app to its state immediately after installation.

If the problem persists, in the same menu (three dots in the corner of the screen), select Remove Updates. This action will roll back the system app to the factory version. After that, the phone may suggest updating it again - until you agree if you want to check if the problem disappears. However, removing updates to the Google system app can temporarily disrupt the search bar and the Play Market store, so use this method with caution.

After resetting, reset the keyboard, often to help eliminate software errors that cause incorrect input interface behavior.

⚠️ Note: When cleaning keyboard data, your stored user dictionaries and the history of frequently used words may be deleted.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Completely disabling voice input on Xiaomi Redmi requires a comprehensive approach: setting up the keyboard, disabling Google Assistant and checking special features.