Google Assistant, activated by the phrase “OK Google”, is a standard feature on Xiaomi smartphones running Android. Many users are faced with the situation when the phone accidentally runs a search or executes commands in your pocket, responding to similar sounds in the environment, which is not only annoying, but also significantly consumes battery power, since the microphone of the device is constantly in listening mode.
Disabling this feature can be required for a variety of reasons, from the desire to increase privacy to the banal elimination of false positives. In MIUI operating systems and the new HyperOS, the deactivation process has its own nuances, which are important to consider to completely stop the assistant. In this article, we will discuss in detail all available methods to completely remove voice control from everyday use of your smartphone.
It's worth noting that a complete shutdown doesn't affect other Google services, but it does remove the ability to activate your device with voice. You can still search if you run the app manually, but background activity will be minimized. Let's look at the basic steps you need to take to customize your system to suit your needs.
Setup through the Google app
The most reliable and versatile way to disable Google on Xiaomi is through the settings of the Google app itself, which is the software module responsible for processing voice commands and recognizing a keyword phrase, and to get to the desired section, you need to open a list of all installed applications and find a standard search engine with the letter "G" in the color logo.
Once you start the app, click on your profile avatar in the top right corner of the screen. In the menu that opens, select Settings, then go to Google Assistant, and it hides all the parameters associated with voice control, including microphone sensitivity and speech recognition language.
⚠️ Note: After updating the Google app, the path to settings may change slightly. If you do not find the Assistant immediately, look for the Services tab or use the search inside the settings menu.
Inside the Assistant settings section, you're interested in the Google Assistant category (often duplicated by the partition name), and you'll find a switch that says "OK Google" or "Hey Google." If you put the slider inactive, you'll stop the system from responding to voice activation, but that's not the only one worth checking for full control.
Also available on this menu is Voice Match, which allows the assistant to recognize the voice of a specific owner, and disabling this option adds another layer of protection against accidental launches by unauthorized people, and even if someone nearby utters a command, the system can ignore it if it is not tuned to your voice timbre.
Management through system settings Xiaomi
In Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones, there is an additional layer of voice integration directly into the MIUI or HyperOS shell. System settings can intercept the activation command before it is processed by the Google app. So it is important to check this section to be sure of the result.
To start, open the main settings menu of your device. Scroll down to Additional Features (in some versions of the firmware it may be called "Special Features" or be placed in a separate menu) and there is a block responsible for user interaction with the system through voice.
- 📱 Find the Google Assistant item in the list of additional features and click on it.
- 🔍 Switch the Google Assistant slider to the off position if it is active.
- 🎤 Check for the "Voice Activation" item and make sure it is deactivated.
In newer versions of the HyperOS shell, the logic of the work may have changed. Now, the assistant management is often placed in the Applications → Application Management → Google. In some cases, you need to reset the microphone permissions to completely eliminate the possibility of background activation.
If you're using an old launcher or custom theme, menu items may be called differently, so you might want to search for your phone's settings, type "Assistant" or "Voice" into the search box, and the system will specify the section you want, which is especially true for global firmware versions, where translations may differ from the Chinese originals.
Disabling activation from the locked screen
One of the most annoying features is the ability to activate the voice assistant when the smartphone screen is locked, which poses the risk of not only false inclusions, but also unauthorized access to some data or functions of the phone.
Go back to the Google Assistant settings that we talked about in the first section, and look for the Lock Phone or Lock Screen subsection, and there's a switch that allows or forbids the Assistant to work on the locked screen, and you have to turn it to "Off."
Also worth paying attention to the security settings of Android itself. The Settings menu → Passwords and Security → Privacy may include items related to the access of applications to the microphone in the background. The restriction of rights for Google in this section will be an additional guarantee that OK Google will not turn on accidentally.
⚠️ Warning: Once you disable the feature on the locked screen, you won’t be able to use voice commands to dial a number or start a navigator without unlocking your phone.
There is a nuance associated with the Quick Start feature or quick start. On some Xiaomi models, double pressing the power button or long pressing the volume button can activate voice input. Check the Additional Features → Shortcuts section to make sure the voice assistant is not assigned to the physical buttons of the device.
Specifics of the configuration in HyperOS and MIUI 14
With the release of the HyperOS shell, Xiaomi has redesigned many system processes, including smart function management. In this environment, OK Google can compete with Xiaomi’s own assistant, which sometimes leads to conflicts or dual activation. It is important for users of new devices to understand the differences in configuration.
HyperOS has a single smart device management center that integrates voice commands. To turn off Google, you sometimes need to first deactivate Xiaomi's system assistant. Go to Settings → Additional Features → Assistant and choose which service will respond to default commands, or disable both.
☑️ Checking HyperOS settings
In MIUI 14 and earlier, the menu structure was more linear, but even there, there were hidden settings in Advanced Settings → Language and Input. You can control the keyboard and voice input. Make sure that you don't use Google as an active method of voice input if you want to eliminate it completely.
Owners of flagship Xiaomi 13, 14 series models and foldable devices like the Mix Fold should be especially careful, as these devices have additional sensors and Always-On Display features that can interact with the voice assistant, and it is recommended to update the Google app to the latest version through the Play Market before making changes to ensure that the settings interface meets current standards.
| Setup parameter | Location in MIUI | Location in HyperOS | Impact on work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voice activation | Google Appendix / Settings | Settings / Google Assistant | Completely disabling the reaction to the phrase |
| Locked access | Settings of the Assistant / Blocking | Settings / Security | Prohibition of work with the screen off |
| Language model | Settings/Languages | System/Language and input | Changing the language of command recognition |
| Activity history | Google Account / Data | Settings/Confidentiality | Cleaning up saved voice requests |
Delete history and reset assistant settings
Just disabling the feature is not enough if you care about privacy. Google keeps a history of all your voice requests in the cloud by linking them to your account. Even after Google is disabled on your device, this data remains available for analysis by the corporation. To delete it, you need to log into account management.
Go to myactivity.google.com in any browser or through the Google app. From the menu on the left, select Other Activity, then look for Audio Records and Transcription, where you can delete individual recordings or set up automatic history deletion every 3 or 18 months.
To completely reset the assistant settings on the phone itself, you can use the app data cleanup. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Google. Select Memory and press Clear Data. This will return the voice assistant settings to factory values, and you will have to reconfigure Voice Match if you decide to turn it on in the future.
Decision and additional advice
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where after all the manipulations the phone still responds to the voice, this can be due to caching of settings or conflicting versions of the software, in which case it helps to restart the device in safe mode to check whether a third-party application does not block the change of settings.
Another reason could be the use of a Bluetooth headset or a car system. If OK Google is disabled on your phone but wireless headphones are connected, the command can activate through them, check the settings of Bluetooth devices and turn off voice commands in their settings.
For advanced users who want to be 100% sure, there is the option of limiting permissions through ADB (Android Debug Bridge).The pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox command completely disables the search bar and related features, but requires caution when using it.