Owners of budget smartphones often face a situation when pre-installed features of the system begin to annoy with their intrusiveness. In particular, Google Assistant on the Xiaomi Redmi 9A model can be activated by accidentally touching the power button or swipe on the screen, which prevents comfortable use of the gadget. Many users prefer to completely deactivate this service to save battery power and avoid accidental search launches.
The process of disabling the voice assistant does not require obtaining superuser rights or complex manipulation of system files. It is enough to go through several points in the settings menu of the MIUI operating system and the Google application itself. Below is a detailed guide that will help you remove all possible ways to activate the assistant.
It is worth noting that complete removal of the system component is impossible without the use of special utilities for the PC, but standard means can achieve a complete cessation of its background operation and response to commands, this will make the interface cleaner, and the operation of the device – more predictable for those who do not use voice control.
Disconnection through Google account settings
The first and most important step is to set up the service itself within the Google ecosystem, where the main switches for voice response and assistant activity are located, and open the app menu and find the standard Google app (the G icon).
In the window that opens, click on your profile avatar in the top right corner, and you will see the account management menu, select Settings, and then go to Google Assistant, and that's where the key parameters that govern the AI behavior on your Redmi 9A are concentrated.
Find a tab or button called Google Assistant (usually at the top of the screen or in the list of general settings). The menu that opens will have a Google Assistant switch. Put it inactive. The system can request confirmation of action — accept the warning.
- 🔍 Open the Google app and click on the profile avatar.
- ⚙️ Go to Settings. → Google Assistant.
- 🚫 Turn off the main switch of activation of the service.
- ✅ Confirm the shutdown in the pop-up window.
⚠️ Note: After performing these steps, the voice assistant will stop responding to the phrase “OK, Google”, but may continue to activate in other ways, such as through a button.
Remove the power button response
One of the most annoying features on Xiaomi smartphones is to launch the Assistant while holding the power button for a long time. On the Redmi 9A model, this setting is often activated by default. To change the behavior of the physical button, you need to go to the phone's system settings.
Go to Settings → Advanced Settings. In this section, look for the buttons (or "Gesters and buttons", depending on the firmware version) and there's the option of Long-Tap Power button. By default, there's the value of "Google Assistant".
Change the action to the Off Menu or Nothing if this option is available in your version of MIUI. This will allow you to use the power button solely to call the reboot menu or lock the screen, which is the standard for most Android devices.
☑️ Checking button settings
If the button still calls an assistant after you change the setting, try restarting the device. Sometimes the system takes time to apply the changes in the configuration of the hardware buttons.
Banning Screen Wakeup and Google Discover
Even if the basic functionality is disabled, the screen can light up when you take the phone out of your pocket, running a news feed or a search. This is a feature of Google Discover (formerly Google Now). To finally calm the smartphone, you need to prevent the screen from waking up.
Go back to the settings of the Google app itself (through the profile, like in the first section). Find the Settings for voice input or Voice Mapping section. It's important to turn off the Unlock option with Voice Match. This will prevent the screen from turning on when you say the key phrase.
Also check your lock settings. Go to Settings → Passwords & Security → Access to lock screen (the path may vary depending on the version of MIUI). Make sure that running Assistant from locked screen is prohibited.
| Parameter | Where to find out. | Recommended value |
|---|---|---|
| Voice Match | Google settings | Off. |
| Long pressing | Phone settings | Shutdown menu |
| Lockdown access | Passwords and security | Forbidden. |
| Google Tape | Desktop | Disconnected. |
⚠️ Warning: Disabling Voice Match will make it impossible to use personalized commands, such as accessing a schedule or searching without unlocking your phone.
Removal of widgets and search panels
Google's visual presence often stays on the desktop as widgets or a search bar. On Redmi 9A, Google's search bar can be located at the bottom of the screen or at the top. Deleting these elements will not only clean up the interface, but also reduce the system's resource consumption.
To remove the widget, press your finger on the icon or search bar on your desktop. In the context menu that appears, select Delete. If you are talking about the search bar built into the launcher, you can turn it off through the desktop settings.
Click on the empty space on your desktop and hold until the theme or widget settings appear. Select Settings (cogs). Find Search Prompt and turn off the Google switch if you have a searcher option, or simply delete the string if the launcher allows.
- 🗑️ Press the Google widget on the screen.
- 📉 Select the "Delete" option in the menu.
- 🛠️ In the desktop settings, turn off the search bar.
- 🧹 Clean the first screen of unnecessary service shortcuts.
Cleaning the desktop of unnecessary elements is not only aesthetics, but fewer active widgets means less workload on the device’s RAM, which is critical for budget models.
Limitation of background activity and battery
Even after all the features are turned off, Google's process can continue to work in the background, consuming energy. There's an aggressive battery management system on the MIUI shell that we use to our advantage, which will help to put the service to sleep as much as possible.
Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Go to the listing of the Google app. Go to Battery (or “Saving Charge”). Select No Limits mode (so it doesn’t wake up the phone) or vice versa, a strict restriction if the system allows, but most often on Xiaomi you need to prohibit auto-start.
In the app menu, find AutoStart and make sure it is turned off, and in the Permissions section, you can revoke microphone and location access if you are not using other Google services (maps, search).
The back-end limit is a key to extending the Redmi 9A’s autonomy, as the battery is not huge in capacity, and Google’s background processes can significantly reduce the battery life.
⚠️ Attention: Completely restricting background activity can disrupt notifications from Gmail, Google Calendar and contact sync.