Xiaomi smartphones, including the popular Note 7, feature powerful text dictation tools that are based on Google’s technology. For many users, this feature is an indispensable tool for quickly typing messages or notes without using a keyboard. However, there are situations where automatically activating the microphone when typing causes irritation, especially if you accidentally touch the corresponding icon on the screen.
Often, device owners find that voice input is activated spontaneously or simply interferes with the usual rhythm of working with the gadget. This can be due to the specifics of the keyboard setting or Android system preferences. In this guide, we will discuss in detail all ways to deactivate this feature so that you can fully control the behavior of your device.
Disabling unnecessary services not only eliminates accidental activations, but can also have a positive impact on the autonomy of the smartphone. Constant listening to the activation phrase or the background work of speech recognition modules consume the resources of the processor. Let's consider how to properly configure your Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 for comfortable use.
The main reasons for disconnecting the voice assistant
Before we get to the technical settings, it’s worth understanding why it might even be necessary to turn off this feature on the Redmi Note 7. One of the main reasons is battery saving. The functions of constantly listening and processing audio signals require energy, and turning them off is a step towards optimizing power consumption.
Another important aspect is privacy: Some users prefer not to trust cloud services to process their voice commands for fear of data leakage or simply wanting to minimize the digital footprint, and turning off the microphone in standby or text input modes solves this problem.
And there's also random activations, which can be in your pocket or bag, and the phone can respond to extraneous noises by triggering the recording process or sending voice messages, which is not only annoying, but can also lead to sensitive information being sent to the wrong place.
Disabling voice input through Google settings
The most effective way to remove the dictation option is to change the settings of Google itself, which is responsible for speech recognition at the operating system level. First, go to the Settings menu of your Xiaomi smartphone. Find a section that may be called Google or Google Services and Preferences.
In the settings that open, you'll find Voice Input, which is where the key switches that control the microphone when you type, and you'll need to find the button or voice activation option and put the slider inactive.
If the standard path through the system settings does not lead to the desired result, you can use the Google application. Open it, click on the profile avatar and select Settings → Voice Input. Here you can completely disable the Google Assistant feature, which also removes the microphone icon from the keyboard in most cases.
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After changing the settings, Google is advised to completely close the keyboard app through the menu of running tasks so that the changes take effect immediately.
It’s important to note that updating Google services may return some default settings, so after a major MIUI update, it’s worth checking this section again to make sure your preferences are saved.
Setting up the Gboard keyboard and the standard MIUI keyboard
Most users are annoyed by the microphone button located directly on the on-screen keyboard, and depending on which type you use — the standard MIUI keyboard or Google’s popular Gboard — the actions will be slightly different.
For Gboard users, you need to go to the settings of the keyboard itself, and you can do this by holding a comma or a gear icon on the keyboard toolbar, and you can find the "Voice input" section in the settings menu and uncheck the "Show voice input icon" box, and then the microphone icon disappears from the panel.
If you use a standard Xiaomi keyboard, the algorithm of actions is as follows:
- 📱 Open any application to enter text to appear keyboard.
- ⚙️ Click on the settings icon (usually a gear or three dots) on the keyboard panel.
- 🎤 Find the "Voice input" or "Voice settings" section».
- ❌ Turn off the option “Show the voice input button».
Some versions of MIUI may have a slightly different path, so you should go to general Settings → Additional Settings → Language and input. This is where you select the active keyboard, and you turn off the voice functions inside the keyboard, which ensures that the system doesn't offer dictation even when you plug in the headset.
☑️ Checking the keyboard settings
Managing application permissions
Modern operatic systems, including Android in the MIUI shell, strictly control the access of applications to the microphone. If your goal is to prevent specific programs from using voice input, just change their access rights. This will not disable the function globally, but will prohibit its use in undesirable places.
Go to Settings → Applications → All apps. Find the app you want to restrict (like your browser or messenger) and select Permissions. Search for Microphone and set the value of “Disallow” or “Ask”.
There is also a system limitation to the voice input process itself, and in the permissions section you can find Google's process or Google Speech Recognition, and restricting the rights for this system component will result in no application being able to initiate voice recording without your direct confirmation each time.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling microphone access for Google system services may disrupt other features such as OK, Google or voice search in widgets.
Using this method gives you flexibility: you can allow dictation in messengers, but you can forbid it in a voice recorder or a browser, and this is especially true for users who are worried about data security, but do not want to completely lose convenience.
Comparison of disconnection methods
To make it easier for you to choose the right option, we have prepared a comparison table that will help you understand which method is best for your situation with the Xiaomi Note 7 device.
| Method of disconnection | Efficiency | Impact on the system | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google settings | Tall. | Shutdown globally | Low. |
| Keyboard settings | Medium | Only removes the button. | Low. |
| Restriction of permits | Partial | Blocking application access | Medium |
| Disconnecting Assistant | Maximum | Disables smart functions | Low. |
As you can see from the table, the most radical and effective way is to completely disable the assistant, but this deprives the user of other useful functions.
What if the microphone button comes back?
Disabling activation by voice “OK, Google”
Special attention should be paid to the function of constant activation by voice command. Even if you remove the button from the keyboard, the smartphone can continue to listen to the activation command. On the Xiaomi Note 7, this is configured separately.
Open the Google app, click on the avatar, and select Settings → Voice Control. This is the OK Google switch. By turning it off, you'll stop the phone from responding to voice commands when the screen is off or on the desktop.
You can also turn off voice recognition in lock mode in this section, which will improve security, since no one can use the voice assistant to access your contacts or calendar without unlocking the device.
Remember that on older models like the Redmi Note 7, constant voice monitoring can have a significant impact on the speed of the interface, which often makes the smartphone more responsive and smooth.
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Disabling the monitoring of the activation phrase not only increases privacy, but also significantly reduces the load on the processor in the background.