How to permanently disable Google Assistant on Xiaomi Redmi Note 9: from the power button to voice search

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 is one of the most popular smartphones in the budget segment, but its owners often face intrusive work of Google Assistant. Voice assistant is activated by random presses of the power button, interferes with games, eats battery power and collects data about your requests. In this article, we will analyze all possible ways to disconnect from standard MIUI settings to hidden commands for power users.

The problem is compounded by Xiaomi integrating Google Assistant at the firmware level: it runs not only on the voice command “OK, Google”, but also when you hold the power button long, swipe on the search bar or even when you unlock the screen. We tested all methods on the Redmi Note 9 with MIUI 12.5-14 (including the global and Chinese versions) and highlighted those that work stably.

Why Google Assistant is in the way of Xiaomi Redmi Note 9

At first glance, the voice assistant seems to be a useful feature, but in practice it creates a lot of inconveniences:

• 🔋 Battery discharge – background activity of the assistant consumes up to 5-7% of charge per day even without using.
• 🎮 False positives in games (e.g., games, PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact: Accidental power button retention interrupts gameplay.
• 📱 Conflict with MIUI — On some Google firmware, Assistant blocks the work of native assistant Xiao AI.
• 🔍 Data collection – all voice requests are sent to Google servers, even if you are not logged in to your account.

Especially annoying is the automatic activation when you unlock the screen, a feature that Xiaomi added to MIUI 12 and didn’t make a separate switch for it. Even if you turn off the assistant in Google’s settings, it can run through Android system services.

⚠️ Note: On the Chinese versions of Redmi Note 9 (with firmware for the Chinese market), Google Assistant may not be available initially. If you have this model, check if you have a Google folder in the app menu - if it is not installed, the assistant is not installed.

Method 1: Disconnect via Google Settings (the easiest)

This method is suitable for most users and does not require superuser rights: it disables the main activation triggers, but does not remove the assistant completely.

Steps:

1. Open the Google app (the icon with the colored letter “G”).
2. Slip on the profile avatar in the upper right corner → Settings.
3. Choose Google Assistant → General.
4. Turn off the switches: 🔸 Google Assistant (Main Tumbler) 🔸 Activation by voice command (OK, Google») 🔸 Personalization (to stop collecting data)

Google Assistant

Hardware buttons

Long press of the home button

After this, the assistant will stop responding to voice commands and holding the Home button (if you have one on your model), but it can still be launched through the search bar or when you unlock the screen.

Is the main switchboard disabled in the settings of Google Assistant|Removed activation by voice command|Is the long press of the home button disabled"|Checked for no response to “OK, Google"-->

Method 2: Remove updates and disable system services

If the first method didn’t work, the problem could be with updated versions of Google services. On the Redmi Note 9, it’s often helped to roll back the Google app to the factory version and disable auto updates.

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Google App (not to be confused with Google Play Services!).
3. Slip on the three dots in the top corner → Remove the updates.
4. Confirm the action and restart the phone.
5. Go back to the Google App settings → Storage and Cache → Clear the cache.
6. Turn off auto-update for the Google app in the Play Store.

The following are the commands for entering ADB Shell:

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


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




adb shell pm hide com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox

These teams:

1. Remove updates to Google Assistant.
2. Disable it for the current user.
3. Hide the icon from the app menu.

Once you've done this, restart your phone. Google Assistant will be completely disabled, including activation from the power button and the search bar. To return it back, use the command:

adb shell pm enable com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox

How to disable activation from the power button

Even after you turn off Google Assistant, it can start when you hold the Power button long enough, and this is due to the MIUI settings, where the default button is tied to the Assistant, to reassign it:

1. Go to Settings → Buttons and gestures → Power button.
2. Select Long Press → No Action or Xiaomi Voice Assistant (if you want to use Xiao AI).
3. Save the changes and make sure nothing happens when you hold the button.

On some versions MIUI (for example, MIUI 13 for global firmware), this item may not be available. ADB-team:

adb shell settings put global assistant null

This command resets the power button binding to any assistant, and after it is done, neither Google Assistant nor Xiao AI will be called for a long press.

What to do if Google Assistant is still running

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

• 🔄 Cache and data: Clear the cache and data of Google apps, Google Play Services and Google App (in the application settings).
• 📱 Updates MIUI: On some versions of the firmware (for example, MIUI 14 for Redmi Note 9) Google Assistant integrated deeper. check for system updates.
• 🔊 Voice activation: In security settings (Settings) → Google → Security settings) turn off Voice Search.
• 🔧 Resetting: In extreme cases, reset application settings (Settings) → System system → Resetting settings → Resetting all settings. It won't delete your data, but it will bring back all the applications to the factory settings.

If the problem persists, you may have modified firmware installed on your device (such as custom LineageOS or Pixel Experience), in which case Google Assistant may be part of the system and root rights will be required to remove it.

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Before resetting your settings, save a backup of important data (contacts, SMS, photos) using Mi Cloud or third-party applications like Swift Backup (requires root).

Alternatives to Google Assistant on Xiaomi Redmi Note 9

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

• 🤖 Xiao AI (Xiaomi native assistant: It works without the Internet, supports Chinese and English. Activated by a long press of the power button (if you reassign).
• 🌐 Bixby (for users of Samsung services): You can install it through APK, It requires registration in the Samsung ecosystem.
• 💬 Alice from Yandex: Well optimized for Russian, knows how to manage smart devices. Install the Yandex app and activate voice search.
• 🔧 Tasker + AutoVoice: For advanced users, it allows you to create your own voice commands to automate actions.

The easiest option is Xiao AI, but it's limited compared to Google Assistant, which can't manage Google Home devices or integrate with Google Calendar, and if you want those features, you'll have to put up with the intrusive work of the original assistant.

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On Chinese MIUI firmware (without Google services), Xiao AI is more stable and supports more commands than on global versions.

FAQ: Frequent questions about disabling Google Assistant