How to completely disable Google Assistant on Xiaomi smartphones: 5 proven ways

Google Assistant on Xiaomi smartphones is often activated by accident – when holding the Home button, swipe from the corner of the screen or even during a conversation. For many users, this feature becomes a source of irritation: the assistant interrupts music, eats the battery and sends data to Google. Unfortunately, MIUI does not offer an obvious way to turn it off – the corresponding settings are hidden in different menus or are not at all in some versions of the firmware.

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible ways to deactivate Google Assistant on Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO and Black Shark devices, from standard settings to hidden commands for power users. We’ll focus on the nuances for different versions of MIUI (12, 13, 14) and models with or without Google Mobile Services (GMS) (e.g., for Chinese firmware). If you want to not just hide the assistant, but completely remove its system processes, here you’ll find instructions for that as well.

Why Google Assistant works for Xiaomi, even if you didn’t turn it on

On most Xiaomi smartphones with Google Global Firmware, the Assistant is activated by default via:

• 🔘 Long-term pressing of the Home button (navigation bar or gesture)
• 🗣️ Voice command “OK, Google” (even if the microphone is turned off in the settings)
• 📱 Swipe from the bottom corner of the screen (on some models with the MIUI 13+)
• 🔊 Automatic start when connecting headphones or by alarm

The reason for this “obsessive” behavior lies in the agreements between Xiaomi and Google: to certify Google Mobile Services (GMS), the manufacturer must integrate the assistant into the firmware. Even if you use the Chinese version of MIUI without GMS, some models (for example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Redmi K60 Pro) can receive updates that restore the assistant after resetting.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI For example, in Russia (Redmi Note) 12 Pro+ 5G) Google Assistant can be replaced by Yandex Alice by default, but its processes still work in the background, consuming up to a few hours of the same time. 5-7% battery-charge.

Before you go to disconnect, check which version of the assistant is installed on your smartphone:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the search, type “Google” and find Google Assistant or Google App.
3. See the version in the section Information about the application.

Method 1: Disconnect via standard MIUI settings

The easiest method is to deactivate the assistant in the settings menu, which is suitable for most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models with global firmware (MIUI Global or MIUI EU).

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Google → Settings for Google apps → Search, Assistant and Voice.
2. Select Google Assistant.
3. Scroll down and click General Settings.
4. Turn off the Google Assistant switch.

If this is not the case, try an alternative route:

• 📱 Open the Google app (the icon with the letter “G»).
• 🔍 Slip on the avatar in the upper right corner → Settings → Google Assistant.
• ⚙️ Go to General Settings and deactivate the assistant.

⚠️ Note: On certain devices (e.g, POCO F5 Xiaomi 12T) After disabling, the assistant can be activated again after restarting, this is due to the automatic synchronization of Google services. To avoid this, turn off the auto-update of the Google application in the Play Store.

If the standard method does not work, proceed to the next method.

Method 2: Removing access rights and disabling voice

Even if you have disabled Google Assistant in the settings, it can continue to work in the background if it has rights to:

• 🎤 Microphone (listening to voice commands)
• 📍 Geolocation (contextual clues)
• 📱 Special features (intercept of gestures)

To completely block the assistant:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Google or Google Assistant and open its settings.
3. Select Permissions and disable all rights (microphone, camera, location, contacts, etc.).
4. Go back and press Battery → Background Activity, then select Limit.
5. In the Notifications section, turn off all switches.

It is also recommended to disable voice activation:

1. Open the Google app.
2. Go to Settings. → Voice search.
3. Turn off Google and Voice Match.

This method doesn't remove the assistant completely, but it makes it virtually inoperable. If you need a complete removal, read on.

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If the Assistant is still activated after disabling Google permissions, try clearing the cache and data of the Google app in the settings, which will reset all its settings to factory.

Method 3: Disconnect via ADB (for power users)

If standard methods don’t work, you can block Google Assistant at the system level using ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which is suitable for all Xiaomi models, including the POCO X5 Pro, Redmi Note 12 and Xiaomi 13 Lite, but requires a connection to a computer.

What you need:

• 💻 Computer with Windows, macOS or Linux
• 📱 USB-cable (preferably original)
• 🔧 Included debugging by USB smartphone
• 📦 Installed drivers Xiaomi and ADB

Step-by-step:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version. Go back to Settings → Additional → Developer. Turn on USB Debugging.

Connect your smartphone to your computer and confirm your trust in the device.

Command line.

Terminal

adb devices

Make sure your device is listed.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox

This command removes the Google app (together with the Assistant) for the current user without affecting the system files.

Reboot your smartphone.

⚠️ Note: Once you complete this command, you will lose access to Google Search, Google Feed, and other services integrated into the Google app. APK or reset.

If the team doesn’t work, try an alternative:

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


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

These commands don't delete the application, they just deactivate it for the current user. To get it back, replace the disable-user with enable.

Method 4: Use of third-party utilities (without root)

If you don't want to mess with ADB, you can use specialized applications to disable system services.

Example of the Package Disabler:

1. Download and install the app from the Play Market.
2. Open it and give access to special features (in the security settings).
3. Find Google Assistant or Google Assistant.
4. Press Disable (disable).
5. Reset the device.

The advantage of this method is that you don't have to delete the application, you just block it, but some utilities (such as App Inspector) can conflict with MIUI Optimization, which will slow down the system, in which case you turn off optimization in the developer settings (Settings → Developers → Disable MIUI Optimization).

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Third-party utilities are a good trade-off between simplicity and efficiency, but always check reviews before installing.Some applications may contain ads or request unnecessary permissions.

Method 5: Completely remove Google Assistant (root required)

If you’re willing to take drastic measures, you can completely remove Google Assistant from the system, which is suitable for users with unlocked bootloader and root rights (for example, through Magisk).

Warning: Mistakes may result in the loss of functionality of other Google services or even a device blink.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Go to /system/priv-app/ or /system/app/.
3. Find and delete the following folders (if any): GoogleQuickSearchBox Velvet GoogleAssistant

/data/data/com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox

Reset the device.

Alternative method (via Terminal Emulator with root rights):

su


mount -o rw,remount /system




rm -rf /system/priv-app/GoogleQuickSearchBox




rm -rf /system/priv-app/Velvet




rm -rf /data/data/com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox




reboot

⚠️ Note: On some devices (e.g. Xiaomi) 12S Ultra or Black Shark 5 Pro, removing these folders can cause Google Play Services to fail, and you’ll have to restore files from the backup or reflash the device.

If you don’t want to delete files permanently, you can simply rename them (e.g., add bak at the end of the folder name) and it’s easy to return them back if needed.

What to do if Google Assistant is back after the update

Many Xiaomi users are faced with the fact that after updating MIUI or Google Play Services, the assistant is activated again.

• 🔄 Auto-update apps in Play Market restores remote components.
• 📦 System updates MIUI They can return standard settings.
• 🔧 Google services periodically check the integrity of system applications.

To prevent the return of Google Assistant:

1. Turn off auto-update for the Google app: Open Play Market. Find Google in the list of installed apps. Tap three dots in the top right corner and uncheck Auto Update.

Titanium Backup

App Quarantine

Google background synchronization

Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google → Disable Sync

ADB

adb shell dpm set-device-owner com.google.android.gms/.mdm.receivers.MdmDeviceAdminReceiver

This command disables automatic update installation for system applications.

If you use custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), the issue with returning the assistant usually doesn’t arise, as these firmware doesn’t include Google’s proprietary services by default.

Alternatives to Google Assistant on Xiaomi

If you have disabled Google Assistant but want to keep the functionality of the voice assistant, consider the following alternatives:

For maximum privacy, we recommend Assistant.ai or local solutions like Rhasspy (requires server configuration).If you want to integrate with MIUI, try XiaoAI, a Xiaomi-branded assistant that works without Google (available in Chinese firmware).

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To activate XiaoAI on global firmware, install the APK from a Chinese store (e.g., with APKPure) and provide all the necessary permissions.

FAQ: Frequent questions about disabling Google Assistant on Xiaomi