The Xiaomi Mi9 is still a popular smartphone among users who value the balance of performance and price. However, the built-in Google Assistant is not always convenient: it consumes battery power, activates randomly, and collects data about your requests. If you want to completely deactivate the voice assistant without losing the functionality of the phone, this article will help you understand everything from standard settings to hidden methods through ADB.
It’s important to understand that simply turning off voice in settings often doesn’t solve the problem: Google Assistant continues to work in the background, taking up RAM and consuming traffic. We tested all the current ways on the Mi9 with MIUI 10–14 firmware (including global and Chinese versions) and selected only those that are guaranteed to work without root rights.
Why Google Assistant is in the way of Xiaomi Mi9
On Xiaomi Mi9, Google Assistant is integrated at the system level and runs not only on the voice command “OK, Google”, but also at:
- 🔄 Long-term retention of the Home button (even if you have disabled this feature in the settings).
- 📱 Activation through gesture (for example, swipe from the corner of the screen in some firmware).
- 🔋 Background synchronization: The assistant updates your location, calendar, and mail, using up to 5-10% of your charge per day.
- 🔊 Random positives from music, videos, or noise (especially in loaded acoustic environments).
According to XDA Developers, on the Mi9 with MIUI 12, Google Assistant can take up to 150-200 MB of RAM in the background. This is critical for a device with 6/8 GB of RAM, where every megabyte counts, and the assistant can not be removed by standard means – it can only be deactivated or “freeze”.
⚠️ Note: If you use Google Pay or other account-based services, completely disabling Assistant may require additional settings for Google Play Services.
Method 1: Disconnect via MIUI settings (without root)
The easiest method is to deactivate the assistant in the system menu, which is suitable for most users, but has a limitation: Google Assistant will remain in the list of applications and can be turned on after the MIUI update.
Instructions:
- Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- In the search bar, type Google and select Google Assistant (or Google App in some firmware).
- Click Disable (if the button is inactive, click Stop first).
- Confirm the action in the dialog window.
After that:
- ✅ The voice command “OK, Google” will stop working".
- ✅ Long-term retention of the Home button will disappear (if it was tied to the Assistant).
- ❌ Background processes can continue - check in Settings → Battery → Battery utilization.
☑️ What to check after disconnection
If there is no Disable button, then Google Assistant is a system application in your firmware. In this case, move to Method 2.
Method 2: Remove Google App Updates (for MIUI 10-12)
On older versions of MIUI (before MIUI 13), the Google Assistant is often installed as part of the Google App ("Google" app). If you roll it back to the factory version, the assistant will stop working, but Google search will remain.
How to do this:
- Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Google App.
- Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Remove Updates.
- Confirm action. The app will return to the factory version (usually 8.x.x).
- Turn off auto-update for Google App in Play Store → Settings → Auto-update apps.
| MIUI version | Is rollback supported? | Effects of consequences |
|---|---|---|
| MIUI 10–11 | ✅ Yes. | The assistant is completely shut down, the search is working. |
| MIUI 12 | ⚠️ Partially. | Additional shutdowns may be required in ADB |
| MIUI 13–14 | ❌ No. | Google App is protected from rollback |
⚠️ Note: Some firmware may experience an account sync error after the Google App rollback. To fix this, restart your phone and check the settings of Google Play Services in Settings → Accounts. → Google.
Method 3: Completely disabling through ADB (without root)
If the standard methods do not work, the most reliable way is to use them. ADB (Android Debug Bridge. It doesn't require superuser rights, but it does require a computer and a computer. USB-cable.
Step-by-step:
- Download and install Platform Tools from the official Android website.
- Enable USB debugging on Xiaomi Mi9: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times) Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging on USB
- Connect your phone to your PC and type in the command line: adb devices (should appear a device with a serial number).
- Run the command to disable Google Assistant: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox
What this method does:
- 🚫 Completely removes the Google Assistant interface for the current user.
- 🔄 Google Play Services will not be affected, so apps will continue to work.
- 🔄 After rebooting or updating MIUI You may need to repeat the command.
💡
If the team doesn’t work, try an alternative:
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi firmware may miss Google search widget on the home screen after the adb command. To return it, install the Google App manually from the Play Store (but Assistant will remain disabled).
How to Disable Spontaneous Including After Updates
One of the most common problems on the Xiaomi Mi9 is that Google Assistant is turned on back after updating MIUI or Google Play Services.
- Disable Auto Update for Google App and Google Play Services: Play Store → Profile → App Management → Google → Auto Update → Do not Update
- Freeze the app via ADB (if you’ve already disabled it): adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox
- Use an alternative launcher (like Nova Launcher) to override the Home button.
If the Assistant showed up anyway:
- 🔍 Check the Settings. → System system → Gestures → Home button - maybe the tether has dropped.
- 📦 Remove the Google Play Services cache in Settings → Annexes.
- 🔄 Restart your phone in Safe Mode (hold the power button) → "Safe mode") and repeat the shutdown.
Why does the assistant turn on himself?
Alternatives to Google Assistant on Xiaomi Mi9
If you have disabled Google Assistant but want to keep the functionality of the voice assistant, consider these options:
| Assistant | Advantages | Deficiencies |
|---|---|---|
| Xiaomi AI Assistant (built-in) | Optimized for MIUI, supports Russian | Less integration with third-party services |
| Alice (Yandex) | It works well with Russian-language requests. | Requires a separate application, consumes the battery |
| Bixby (Samsung) | Supports gestures and voice commands | Not optimized for Xiaomi, it can slow down |
| AssistantTrigger (annex) | Allows you to reassign the Home button | Requires ADB for some functions |
To activate the Xiaomi AI Assistant:
- Open Settings → Additional → AI Assistant.
- Turn on the switch Voice Assistant Xiaomi.
- Set up a voice command (by default, "Little Ai").
💡
Xiaomi AI Assistant consumes 2-3 times less battery than Google Assistant and is better integrated with MIUI system features (e.g., fast commands for a camera or flashlight).
Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
When you disable Google Assistant on Xiaomi Mi9, users often face these problems:
- 🔄 "Okay, Google continues to work: Reason: Voice search is not disabled in Google Settings → Search → Voice search.
- 📱 Home button does not work: Solution: Reassign it to Settings → System system → Gestures → Home button".
- ⚠️ “Google Play Services Stopped” Error: Reason: Conflict after Google App rollback. Correction: Clear the Google Play Services cache and restart your phone.
- 🔋 Increased battery consumption: Paradoxically, sometimes after the Google Play Assistant is turned off, services start to consume more. → Battery.
⚠️ Note: If Google Maps or Gmail stop working after Google Assistant is disabled, don’t panic.Just update these apps manually through the Play Store — they don’t depend directly on the assistant.