How to disable TalkBack on Xiaomi phone: 5 working ways

TalkBack on Xiaomi smartphones is a built-in screen announcer for people with visual impairments, which voices all the actions on the screen, button presses and even gestures. However, many users accidentally activate this option, then face inconvenience: the phone starts to “talk” every touch, and the control becomes unintuitive. If you are in this situation, do not panic.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can disable TalkBack on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO phones, including MIUI 12/13/14 and HyperOS models. You’ll learn how to deactivate the feature through standard settings, gestures, command line (ADB), and what to do if the screen is locked or the sensor is unresponsive.

Before you start, consider that if TalkBack turned on on its own, it may be the result of accidental pressing (for example, clamping the volume + power buttons) or a system failure. In rare cases, virus software becomes the culprit, as we will also discuss at the end of this article.

1. Standard method: disabling through settings

The easiest way to do this is to use the settings menu, but there's a pitfall here: when TalkBack is active, the control of the phone changes, for example, to select a menu item, you have to touch it once (to focus), and then double tap to confirm the choice. Normal gestures (swipes, single taps) will not work.

Instructions for MIUI 14/HyperOS:

1. Unlock your phone (if the screen is locked, see the unlock section).
2. Make a gesture two fingers down from the top edge of the screen – this will trigger the notification panel.
3. Find the Settings icon (cog) and tap it once, then open it with a double tap.
4. In the settings menu, scroll the list with a two-finger up/down gesture and find the Special Features section (or Universal Access in HyperOS).
5. Select TalkBack, then move the slider to the “Off” position.

For older versions of MIUI (up to 12th) the path may be different:

• 📱 Settings → Additional settings → Special opportunities → TalkBack
• 🔊 If the voice interferes, you can temporarily reduce the volume with the buttons on the side panel.
• 🔄 After disabling TalkBack, the phone will return to standard control.

⚠️ Warning: If the phone is still unusual after TalkBack is turned off (e.g. gestures are not working), restart the device. 10% of the time it requires a restart to completely reset the special features settings.

2. Disable TalkBack with gestures (if the sensor is not working)

There are situations where the touch screen does not respond to touch due to a failure or mechanical damage, in which case you can use hardware buttons and gestures to disable TalkBack.This method works on most Xiaomi models, including the Redmi Note 10/11/12 and POCO F3/F4.

Algorithm of action:

1. Press the power button + increase volume for 3-5 seconds until the reboot menu appears.
2. Without releasing the buttons, double tap select Reboot (if the menu does not appear, try to pinch the power + volume reduction).
3. After rebooting while the phone is on, quickly press both volume buttons for 3 seconds - this can turn off TalkBack on some models.

If this method does not work, try an alternative:

• 🔘 Connect your phone to a RAM or computer – sometimes it resets temporary special features settings.
• 📶 Put it in. SIM-card (if it was not) and restart the device - this can start automatic diagnostics.
• 🔧 On some models (Redmi) 9A/9C) It helps to remove the battery (if it is removable) 10–15 seconds.

⚠️ Note: On phones with HyperOS (e.g. Xiaomi 14 or X-rays) POCO X6 Pro) hardware combinations may differ. If nothing has happened after 3-4 attempts, proceed to the method with ADB (see next section).

Install Xiaomi drivers on PC| Enable debugging over USB in the developer settings | Download Android SDK Tools | Connect the phone to the computer with the original cable-->

3. Disconnection via ADB (for power users)

If standard methods don’t work and the phone doesn’t respond to gestures, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a tool to control the device via a computer, which is suitable for all Xiaomi models, but requires pre-configuration.

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install Android SDK Platform-Tools on your computer.
2. Connect your phone to your PC through the original USB-cable (important!).
3. Open the command line (Win + R → cmd) and type:

adb devices

If the device is determined (the serial number will appear), enter the command to disable TalkBack:

adb shell settings put secure enabled_accessibility_services com.google.android.marvin.talkback/com.google.android.marvin.talkback.TalkBackService:com.android.talkback/com.google.android.marvin.talkback.TalkBackService

Then reset all special services:

adb shell settings put secure accessibility_enabled 0

If TalkBack is still active after executing commands, try restarting your phone with the command:

adb reboot

HyperOS models may require an additional command:

adb shell pm disable-user com.google.android.marvin.talkback

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB requires on-set debugging USB If this option was disabled before TalkBack activated, you will need to manually enable it first (see section below).

💡

If the adb device command doesn’t find your phone, try reinstalling drivers through Windows Device Manager. Select the Android ADB Interface driver manually.

4. enable debugging over USB with active TalkBack

If debugging is on USB It's been disabled, and TalkBack's preventing it from turning it on, so use this workaround. MIUI 12-14 and HyperOS:

Steps:

1. Open the settings (with a gesture of two fingers down → gear → double tap).
2. Scroll down to the About Phone section (guest with two fingers up/down).
3. Find the MIUI version (or HyperOS version) and tap it 7 times, and it will turn on the developer mode.
4. Go back to the main settings menu and find a new section for developers.
5. Activate the debugging slider via USB (password/pattern lock confirmation is required).

If your password is blocked or you don’t remember it, try:

• 🔢 Introduce the last used PIN-code (sometimes triggered even after resetting).
• 📧 Use your Xiaomi account to unlock (if tied).
• 🔄 Restart your phone in Safe Mode (clamping the power supply) + turn off).

5. Disable TalkBack on a locked screen

The most difficult situation is when TalkBack is activated on a locked screen and you can’t unlock the phone, and a combination of hardware buttons and voice commands (if supported) will help.

Methods of unlocking:

1. Voice control: Say “OK Google, turn off TalkBack” (works if Google Assistant is enabled).
2. Hardware reset: Turn off the phone with the power button. Press the power + increase the volume until the Mi logo appears. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe Data (delete all data!).

Mouse connection:

USB-OTG adapter

On Xiaomi 12T, Redmi K50 and later, the Disable Accessibility option is added to the Recovery menu – select it if it is available.

If nothing works, the last option is the Fastboot firmware.

1. Download the official firmware for your model from the Xiaomi Firmware website.
2. Connect your phone to your PC in Fastboot mode (clamp power + reduce volume).
3. Use the command:

If there are no viruses, but the problem persists, reset the settings:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select Reset all settings (does not delete data, only returns settings to factory settings).
3. If it doesn’t help, make a complete reset (delete everything, including files).

For models on HyperOS, the path may be different:

• 🔄 Settings → Memory. → Data resetting
• 🔧 Settings → System system → Additionally. → Reset

FAQ: Frequent questions about disabling TalkBack on Xiaomi