How to permanently disable Google on Xiaomi Redmi Note: 5 working methods

The OK Google voice assistant on Xiaomi Redmi Note smartphones is often activated by accident, whether during conversations, listening to music, or even in silence, and not only irritates but drains the battery as it constantly “listens” to surrounding sounds. In this article, we’ll look at all the ways to turn off the voice assistant, from standard settings to hidden settings and commands for power users.

Redmi Note features (including Note 10/11/12 and earlier) are the duplication of voice controls in MIUI and Google Assistant. Simply turning off the settings is often not enough: the assistant can continue to work in the background. We tested the solutions on MIUI 12-14 firmware (including global and Chinese versions) and identified 5 reliable methods, among which is a little-known way through ADB to completely remove Google services.

Important: Some methods require developer rights or unlock the bootloader, and if you’re not ready to experiment, use the first two methods (they’re safe and don’t require technical skills).

1. Disable OK Google through Google Settings

The easiest way is to deactivate voice search in the Google app, which works on all Redmi Note models regardless of the MIUI version, but does not guarantee 100% results: some features may remain active in the background.

Instructions:

1. Open the Google app (the icon with the letter “G” on a color background).
2. Slip on the profile avatar in the upper right corner → select Settings.
3. Go to the Voice Search section → Voice assistant.
4. Turn off the access slider using the OK Google voice command.
5. Go back and select Voice Control → turn off OK Google.

After that, the assistant will stop responding to voice commands, but the background listening can persist. To check the result, say "OK Google" - if the notification appears "Voice search is disabled", then the method worked.

💡

If the assistant is still activated after turning off, clear the Google app cache in your phone settings (Settings → Apps → App Management → Google → Storage → Clear the cache).

2. Deactivation through MIUI settings

MIUI has a separate partition for voice commands management that duplicates Google Assistant features, and disabling it will help avoid conflicts between the two voice control systems.

How to turn it off:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Additionally. → Special facilities → Voice control.
• 🔇 Turn off the Xiaomi Voice Assistant slider (if you have one in your version) MIUI).
• 🔍 Back to Settings → Annexes → Manage applications, find Voice Search and turn it off forcibly (disable button).

Some Redmi Note firmware (e.g. Note 9 Pro on MIUI 12.5) may not have this section, so use the following method.

3. Complete disabling via ADB (for power users)

If standard methods do not help, and the assistant continues to activate, use the ADB-This method completely removes the ability to voice control, including the background processes of Google Assistant.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB-Drivers (you can download it on the Android Developers website).
• 📱 Developer mode on Redmi Note is enabled (7 times tap on the version) MIUI phone-setting).
• 🔌 USB-cable.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the phone to the computer and allow debugging over USB (a request will appear on the smartphone screen).
2. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with the platform-tools.
3. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must appear serial number of your device.
4. Run the command to disable Google Assistant: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox
5. Reboot your smartphone.

⚠️ Warning: This command will remove the Google app for the current user, search functions will remain available through the browser, but the voice assistant will be permanently disabled, and to return it, you will have to reset your phone settings or reinstall the app manually.

Install ADB-PC drivers|

Enable the developer mode on Xiaomi|

Allow debugging via USB|

Connect the phone to the computer |

Check the connection of the team `adb devices`-->

4. Disconnection through battery settings (background restriction)

If you don’t want to remove Google Assistant completely, but want to minimize its battery impact, limit its performance in the background.This won’t turn off voice commands completely, but will reduce the frequency of random positives.

How to limit:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Consumption Management.
2. Select App Choices → Find Google in the list.
3. Set a limit to limit background activity.
4. Return to Settings → Apps → Google → Permissions and disable access to the Microphone.

This method is suitable for users who sometimes use voice search but want to extend battery life. However, note that once the background is limited, Google Assistant may not work stable (for example, not open from the corner of the screen via swipe).

5. Google Resetting (last resort)

If none of these methods worked, and the assistant is still working, reset the Google app settings, which will return all settings to factory settings, but will not affect personal data (photos, contacts, etc.).

Instructions:

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management → Google.
• 🗑️ Press Warehouse. → Management of space → Clear all data.
• 🔄 Reboot the phone.

Once reset, you'll have to reset your Google Account, but that's guaranteed to delete all the voice models and assistant settings you've saved, and if the cached data was the problem, this method will help.

⚠️ Attention: Google data clearing will result in logging out of your account across all services (Gmail, YouTube, Play Market) and save important passwords and data in advance.

Comparison of methods: which one to choose?

Depending on your Redmi Note model and MIUI version, the effectiveness of your methods may vary, and in the table below, you can compare all methods in terms of reliability and complexity.

For most Redmi Note users, the first two methods are sufficient. If you encounter Chinese firmware or custom MIUI build, use ADB - this is the only way to completely remove the voice assistant without root rights.

💡

On the firmware MIUI 13+ after disabling “OK Google” through the settings of Google, it is recommended to additionally prohibit the auto-run of the application in the Settings → Battery → Auto-Run.

Frequent problems and solutions

Even after the shutdown, OK, Google can continue to activate, so let's look at typical situations and how to address them.

Problem 1: The assistant is triggered when the headphones are connected.

Solution: Turn off microphone access permission for the Google app in settings (Settings → Apps → Google → Permissions → Microphone).

Problem 2: After the MIUI update, the assistant turned on again.

Solution: Repeat the shutdown via ADB or reset Google's settings (method 5). Updates often reset user settings.

Problem 3: The lock screen will show the prompt “Say OK Google.”

Solution: Turn off Google Discover on the home screen: Long tap on the desktop → Home screen settings → turn off Discover Stream.

⚠️ Note: On some Redmi Note models (such as the Note 8 Pro), the voice assistant is integrated into the system-level firmware, in which case it can only be disabled via custom recovery (TWRP) or reflashing on Global ROM.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions