Xiaomi’s current smartphones, which run on MIUI shells or the new HyperOS, offer many convenient features, among which voice input occupies a special place. This technology allows you to dictate messages, notes and search queries without touching the screen, which is incredibly convenient on the road or when hands are busy. However, often users are faced with a situation where the microphone on the keyboard appears spontaneously, interferes with typing or simply annoys with its intrusiveness, requiring a shutdown.
There are several ways to remove this feature, as it can be implemented through different system components, most often it is the built-in Gboard module, which is the standard for Android, or the features of the Google Assistant itself, which intercepts the control of the microphone, and understanding the source of the problem is the first and most important step to solving it, since the settings of these services differ.
In this detailed guide, we’ll take you through all possible scenarios, from simple layout switching to deep system tuning through an engineering menu, and not only learn to disable unnecessary options, but also learn how to control the keyboard’s behavior so that it works exactly as you want it to, not as corporate algorithms intended.
Differences between Gboard and Xiaomi System Input
Before you start to shut down, you need to clearly identify which dictation tool is active on your device. In the vast majority of cases, Redmi and Poco smartphones have Google's Gboard keyboard installed by default, which is responsible for the appearance of the microphone icon to the right of the space or in the top prediction bar.
However, some regions or firmware versions may use MIUI Keyboard or Sogou's own input, which has its own voice processing algorithms and privacy settings, and if you try to turn off the microphone in Google's settings when the third-party keyboard is active, the result will be zero, which often confuses users.
You can check the active keyboard by going to Settings → Additional settings → Language and input → Keyboard management. This will be the tick against the application you are using. This is the application that you need to look for the voice disabling settings in the subsequent sections of our instructions.
Disabling voice input in Gboard settings
The most common and effective way to remove an annoying microphone is to change the settings of the Google keyboard itself, which requires no superuser rights and is safe to guarantee the device, and you need to open any application that requires text input to call the keyboard to the screen.
When you see the input bar, look at the top line or the area next to the space. Press and hold the gear icon or go to settings through the emoji menu. In the list that opens, look for Voice Input. This is where the master switch that activates or deactivates the dictation function is hidden.
If the standard path through the gear didn't work, you can use deep system settings. Go to Settings → System → Language and input → Virtual Keyboard → Gboard → Voice input. Here you will see the switch that needs to be turned to "Off." After that, the microphone icon should disappear from the input panel.
☑️ Checklist of Gboard shutdown
It's worth noting that app updates can reset some settings. If the microphone reappears after a Google or Gboard update in the Play Market store, the procedure will have to be repeated. This is normal system behavior that keeps features up to date but requires attention from the user.
Google Assistant and Dictation Settings
Sometimes the problem isn't with the keyboard itself, but with the Google Assistant's global settings, which can intercept voice commands even when you're typing, and to prevent that, you need to go to your Google account settings and find the partition that's responsible for the assistant.
In the assistant menu, find Devices and select your phone, and you can activate the Hey Google function or access to the microphone from the lock screen, and disabling these options will reduce the chance of random dictation activation, and it is also useful to check the Languages section and make sure that only one primary language is selected, since multilingualism often triggers the change of input button or microphone.
Hidden dictation settings
It’s important to understand the difference between voice search and voice typing. When you turn off one, you don’t always turn off the other. If your goal is complete silence and no voice response, check also the settings of the Google app, where you can turn off OK Google recognition in Settings → Voice search.
⚠️ Warning: A complete shutdown of Google services could disrupt the Voice Dial and other voice-dependent system commands. Make sure you really need to disable all components, not just the icon on the keyboard.
Managing languages and keyboard layouts
Often, the microphone icon appears because the language settings have voice input enabled as part of the language pack, and even if you're not using dictation, the system may offer it as an alternative input method. To fix this, go to the keyboard language settings.
From the Gboard → Languages menu, select an active language (e.g. Russian). Click on it to see the layouts available. Make sure you select only QWERTY or YTsuken. If the language name is next to the microphone icon or says "Voice input", delete this input method or switch to a regular keyboard.
| Type of layout | The presence of a microphone | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| QWERTY (Standard) | Depends on the settings. | Optimal for most people. |
| Voice input | Always active. | Remove from the list |
| Handwritten input | Absent. | For stylus devices |
| Morse code | Absent. | Specific use |
It's also worth checking the order of the languages. If you have multiple languages added, the keyboard can automatically switch to voice input when you try to change the language. Leave only one language you need to avoid confusion and unnecessary interface elements.
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Expert advice: If you use multiple languages, set up a separate layout for each without voice input, which will avoid automatically switching to dictation when changing the language through the space.
Alternative keyboards as a solution to the problem
If Xiaomi’s built-in tools and Google’s settings don’t work, or if you just want to get rid of the extra functionality, the best solution is to install a third-party keyboard. There are many easy and fast alternatives that don’t impose voice input or collect unnecessary data.
A popular choice is Simple Keyboard or FlorisBoard. These open source apps provide a clean interface without ads, cloud services, and of course no built-in voice input. Once you install such a keyboard in the Play Market store, activate it in your system settings and select as your default input method.
The use of an alternative keyboard can also have a positive impact on the autonomy of the device. Standard keyboards often consume resources in the background to process predictions and voice. Lightweight counterparts work exclusively locally and do not load the processor, which is especially true for low-end models Redmi.
When you first install a new keyboard, Android will issue a few security alerts. Don't worry, it's standard procedure for any application that has access to text input. Just confirm permission to start using the new, clean interface.
Reset keyboard settings to factory
In situations where the keyboard settings are lost, there are glitches or the microphone icon is not removed by any standard methods, helps a complete reset of the input application. This action will return the keyboard to its original state by removing all user dictionaries, theme settings and voice configurations.
To perform the reset, go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find Gboard (or your current keyboard). Click Memory, then select Clear Everything or Reset. After that, the keyboard will restart as new, and you will have to reset your user-friendly input mode, but without any unnecessary features.
⚠️ Warning: Resetting your keyboard settings will remove your personal vocabulary of frequently used words.Autocorrection may temporarily perform worse until the system relearns your type style of printing.
This method is also useful if the keyboard has started to work slowly or freeze.Cache and data clearing frees up space and eliminates software errors accumulated during the use of the device.
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Resetting keyboard settings is a radical, but often the only way to eliminate software conflicts that interfere with normal input function management.