How to completely disable Google Assistant on Xiaomi with MIUI 12:5 proven ways

Google Assistant on Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 12 firmware is often activated by accident — just press the Home button or say a voice command. For many users, this becomes an annoying factor: the assistant consumes battery power, collects data about location and habits, and its pop-ups interfere with work.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can disable Google Assistant on MIUI 12, including hidden settings, ADB commands, and radical methods for power users. It’s important to understand that completely deactivating the Assistant can affect other Google services, such as voice search or notifications, and we’ll also show you how to return functionality if you need it.

Note: The instructions are valid for all Xiaomi MIUI 12 devices (including MIUI 12.5 and MIUI 12 Enhanced Edition), regardless of model – whether it is Mi 10, Redmi Note 9 or Poco X3. Newer firmware versions (e.g. MIUI 13/14) may require additional steps.

Why does Google Assistant work for Xiaomi, even if you didn’t include it?

Many users are surprised to find that Google Assistant is activated by default on their Xiaomi, despite never having it manually configured.The reason lies in the agreements between Xiaomi and Google:

• 📱 Pre-installed services: All Xiaomi smartphones with Google Mobile Services certification (GMS) They come with a pre-installed suite of apps, including Assistant, which is a requirement for accessing Google Play.
• 🔄 Automatic Update: Even if you delete or disable the Assistant, it can come back after you update Google Play services.
• 🎤 Voice activation: On some models (e.g. Mi 11), the assistant is set to respond to the phrase “OK, Google” right out of the box.
• 🔋 Background activity: The assistant continues to work in the background, consuming up to 5-10% Battery charge per day with active use.

Interesting fact: on the Chinese versions of MIUI (without GMS), Google Assistant does not exist at all - instead it uses its own assistant Xiao AI. However, on global firmware, it is almost impossible to remove it completely without root rights.

⚠️ Note: Disabling Google Assistant through system settings does not guarantee full deactivation.Some features (e.g. processing voice commands in Google Search) may continue to work.

Method 1: Disconnect via the basic MIUI 12 settings

The easiest and safest method is to deactivate the assistant via the standard menu, which requires no special knowledge and is suitable for most users:

1. Open the Settings app (cog icon).
2. Go to the Appendix section → Application management.
3. In the search bar, type “Google” and select the Google app (not to be confused with the Google Play Store).
4. Slip on the Notifications item and turn off all switches.
5. Go back and select Permissions. Turn off Microphone, Camera and Location.
6. Press Battery → Background Activity and select Limit.

These actions will not remove the Assistant completely, but they will significantly reduce its activity.

• 🔊 Go to Settings. → Google → Settings for Google apps → Search, Assistant and Voice Input → Voice assistant.
• 🚫 Select Google Assistant and disable the option “Access from the Lock Screen».
• 🎙️ In the Voice Match section, deactivate OK, Google».

After this manipulation, the assistant will no longer respond to voice commands and will not appear when you press the Home button long, but it can still be launched through other applications (for example, Google Search).

Voice activation disabled in Google settings

Background activity of Google app is limited

Microphone and location permissions revoked

Notifications from Google Assistant are turned off-->

Method 2: Deactivation via ADB (for power users)

If standard methods don't work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a tool for debugging Android devices, which allows you to disable the Assistant at the system level, but requires a connection to a computer.

Warning: Incorrect ADB commands may disrupt the system. Follow the instructions carefully.

1. Download and install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. On your smartphone, activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap the MIUI version 7 times until the notification “You’ve become a developer” appears. Return to Settings → Additional → For Developers and enable USB Debugging.

File transfer

cmd

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 (including the Assistant) for the current user.

If the Assistant reappears after the reboot, try an alternative command:

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

⚠️ Note: Deleting com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox may disrupt Google Search, Google Tapes, and other services. If you need these features, use the command to disable only Assistant instead: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.apps.googleassistant

Method 3: Disconnect via gesture and button settings

On MIUI 12 Google, the Assistant is often activated by long-term pressing of the Home button or swipe gesture from the corner of the screen.

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Display. → Full screen mode.
• 👆 Select Gesture Customization (or Navigation buttons if you use the classic bar).
• 🔧 In the section “Long click on the Home button” select No action or Last app.
• 🔄 If you use gestures, turn off the option “Google Assistant for Swiping from the corner».

On some models (e.g. Poco F3), these settings may be located elsewhere:

1. Open Settings → System and device → Gestures.
2. Choose button gestures or navigation bar.
3. Find the item “Long click on Home” and reset the action to No.

Important: Some MIUI 12.5 firmwares reset their gesture settings after the update, and check them after each major system update.

Classic buttons (Back, Home, Recent)

MIUI gestures (swipes)

Android 10+ gestures (swipe from the bottom)

I don't know what I'm on.-->

Method 4: Remove Google Updates (Radical Method)

If previous methods didn’t work, you can try rolling back the Google app to the factory version, which will remove all updates, including the Assistant, but may disrupt other services.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Google app and tap it.
3. In the upper right corner, click on three dots and select Remove Updates.
4. Confirm the action. The system will return the application to the factory version.
5. Turn off automatic updates for Google in the Play Store.

Cons of this method:

• ❌ Google Search may not work well.
• ❌ Some features (such as Google Tape) will become unavailable.
• ❌ After the next update to Google Play Services, Assistant may return.

Alternatively, instead of removing updates, you can block the Assistant through Digital Wellbeing:

1. Open Settings → Digital Well-Being and Parental Controls.
2. Select the Control Panel → Google Assistant.
3. Set a usage limit of 0 minutes.

💡

If Google stopped working completely after rolling back updates, try clearing the app's cache in the settings. This often solves the problem without losing functionality.

Method 5: Use of third-party utilities (requires root rights)

Deeper disablement methods are available for users with unlocked bootloader and root access, and one of the most effective is using the App Systemizer or Titanium Backup app to freeze system components.

Instructions for Titanium Backup:

1. Install Titanium Backup from Play Store (root required).
2. Open the Backup tab and find the Google app.
3. Slip it and select Freeze it.
4. Similarly, freeze Google Play Services (but it could disrupt other apps!).

For more precise control, you can remove specific components of the Assistant through the root-right ADB:

su


pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.apps.googleassistant




pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox

Warning: Deleting Google Play Services will make it impossible for most applications that rely on Google APIs (e.g. YouTube, Gmail, Maps) to work, and only use this method if you know exactly what you are doing.

What if Google Assistant is still working?

If after all the manipulations the assistant continues to activate, check the following points:

• 🔄 Google Service Updates: Log in to the Play Store, search for Google and Google Play Services, then turn off automatic updates.
• 📱 Firmware MIUI: On some custom firmware (e.g. xiaomi.eu), the assistant can be stitched deeper. Try reflashing the device to the official global version.
• 🔊 Voice activation in other apps: Check the settings of Google Search, Chrome and YouTube – there too can be enabled voice assistant.
• 🔧 Resetting: In extreme cases, reset to factory settings (Settings) → The phone. → Resetting settings), but remember that it will delete all data!

If the problem persists, you may have an alternative launcher (like Nova Launcher or POCO Launcher) running on your device that has its own settings to call Assistant.

💡

On some Xiaomi models (e.g. Mi 11 Ultra), Google Assistant is integrated into firmware at the kernel level, in which case it can only be completely removed through flashing to custom ROM (e.g. LineageOS).

FAQ: Frequent questions about disabling Google Assistant on MIUI 12