How to completely disable TalkBack on Xiaomi phones: 5 proven ways

TalkBack, the voice assistant on Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi and POCO), is often turned on by accident — just press the power button three times or hold the screen with two fingers. This feature is designed for people with visual impairments, but for ordinary users it creates a lot of inconvenience: the phone begins to sound every touch, gestures work differently, and the interface becomes almost unmanageable.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can disable TalkBack, from standard settings to forced reset via ADB or Fastboot. We’ll focus on situations where the screen doesn’t respond to touch because of an activated voice assistant, and we’ll look at the nuances for different versions of MIUI (12 to 14) and smartphone models. If you’re here after trying to turn off the feature through the menu, don’t worry, there are solutions for even the most difficult cases.

Why does TalkBack turn on on its own?

On Xiaomi smartphones, there are several “secret” combinations that can activate TalkBack without the user’s knowledge:

• 🔘 Triple press of the power button – a standard gesture for quick start (disabled in the settings of special features).
• 👆 Two fingers for 3 seconds – activates if the function is enabled in Settings → Special facilities → Gestures.
• 🔄 Resetting – After resetting to factory settings, TalkBack can be activated automatically.
• 📦 Update MIUI — Sometimes after updating the system settings special features are reset.

In addition, on some models (for example, Redmi Note 10 Pro or POCO X3 Pro), TalkBack can be turned on when connecting a headset or external device via Bluetooth, if the accessories settings are set to automatically voice notifications.

Method 1: Standard shutdown via settings (if the screen is running)

If you can interact with the screen (albeit with the voiceover of each action), follow this instruction:

1. Open the settings (cog icon).
2. Scroll down and select Special Opportunities.
3. Tape on TalkBack (or Screencaster in older versions of MIUI).
4. Move the slider to the off position.
5. Confirm the action in the dialog box by pressing OK.

If after disabling TalkBack, the screen stopped responding to touches, restart the phone - this will reset the temporary gesture settings.

⚠️ Attention: MIUI 14 Ways to Settings May Be Different - Look for More → Usability → TalkBack. If there's no point, update your firmware or use alternative methods.

Method 2: Disable via Quick Settings (if the screen is locked)

If TalkBack is activated on a locked screen, try this method:

1. Swipe two fingers from top to bottom to open the notification bar.
2. Find the TalkBack icon (usually an icon of a person with a circle).
3. Then, put two fingers on it (one touch only sounds like a name).
4. In the window that appears, swipe the slider to the left with the same two fingers.

If the notification bar doesn’t open, try unlocking your phone with a fingerprint or facial recognition (if these features are set up).

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On some models (such as the Xiaomi 12T), you can turn off TalkBack via Google’s voice assistant, say “OK, Google, turn off TalkBack,” but you have to have access to the microphone set up to do that.

Method 3: Forced Disconnection via ADB (for advanced users)

If standard methods don’t work and your phone is connected to your computer, use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which requires USB debugging enabled (if it’s been activated before).

Instructions:

1. Download and install ADB Tools on PC.
2. Connect your phone to your computer through USB-cable.
3. Open the command prompt (cmd) in the folder with adb.exe.
4. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices Wait for the serial number of the device to appear.
5. TalkBack: Adb shell settings put secure enabled_accessibility_services com.google.android.marvin.talkback/com.google.android.marvin.talkback.TalkBackService:com.xiaomi.accessibility/com.android.accessibility.TalkBack.TalkBackService
6. Reboot your phone: adb reboot

If TalkBack is activated again after the reboot, try resetting special features via ADB:

adb shell settings reset secure

⚠️ Attention: Teams ADB You can reset other accessibility settings (such as font size or color filters). After you turn off TalkBack, check the screen and sensor.

Method 4: Reset via Mi Account (if the phone is linked to the account)

If the phone is synchronized with Mi Account, you can try to remotely reset the settings of special features:

1. Go to the Mi Account website and log in.
2. Select the Devices section → Find the device.
3. Click on your smartphone model and select Remote Control.
4. In the remote control menu, find Special Opportunities and turn off TalkBack.

This method doesn't work on all firmware and requires an active Internet connection on your phone. If you don't have an option, try other methods.

Method 5: Hard reset (if nothing helps)

If all previous methods fail, you’ll have to perform a full hard reset, which will delete all data from your phone, so use this method only as a last resort.

Instructions for most Xiaomi models:

1. Turn off the phone (press the power button for 10 seconds).
2. Press the Power button + Volume up until the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe Data (use volume buttons for navigation and power button for confirmation).
4. Confirm the reset by selecting Yes.
5. After completion, select Reboot.

On some models (such as the POCO F3 or Xiaomi 11T) another button combination may be required to log in to Recovery.

⚠️ Note: Phones with a bootloader blocked may need to enter data from the previously associated Mi Account after reset. If you don't remember the password, restore it in advance on Xiaomi's website.

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Hard reset is a last resort, and try all other methods before you do it, because it will delete all data, including photos, contacts and apps.

How to Prevent TalkBack Inadvertently Included in the Future

To avoid re-activating the voice assistant, follow a few simple steps:

• 🔧 Turn off quick start in special features settings: go to Settings → Special facilities → TalkBack → Settings → Quick start and deactivate the option.
• 👆 Remove gestures for TalkBack: in Settings → Special facilities → Gestures disable all combinations associated with the screen announcer.
• 🔒 Protect your settings with a password: in some firmware MIUI can be installed PIN-code for changing availability parameters.
• 📱 Update the firmware - in new versions MIUI 14 reduced number of bugs with spontaneous inclusion TalkBack.

We also recommend adding the TalkBack disable label to the home screen:

1. Hold the empty space on the desktop.
2. Pick the Widgets.
3. Find the Settings widget and drag it to the screen.
4. Select Special Options from the list, which will give you quick access to Disable TalkBack.

FAQ: Frequent questions about TalkBack on Xiaomi