Owners of smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO often face an obsessive offer to use the built-in service Mi AI. This assistant is sharpened primarily for the Chinese market and does not always correctly understand Russian speech, which irritates users from the CIS. There is a natural desire to replace it with more familiar and functional analogues, such as Google Assistant or Yandex Alice.
Fortunately, Android allows you to flexibly manage default settings. The process of changing assistant does not require root rights or complex flashing of the device. All the necessary actions can be done through the standard settings menu, hidden by the developers of the MIUI shell or HyperOS in the depths of the system partitions.
In this article, we will discuss in detail the algorithm of actions to activate the service you need. You will learn how to forcefully disable the Chinese module, assign priority to another application and what nuances can occur when using voice control on different versions of firmware. It is critical to understand that Google Assistant in Russia may require changing the region in the settings of the smartphone to the United States or India.
Problems of built-in Mi AI and the choice of alternatives
The main difficulty is that Mi AI often intercepts control of the power button or long press on the screen, even if you do not want it. This software is part of the system layer of MIUI, so simply removing the application is impossible. However, it can be "bypassed" by reassigning priorities in the system.
Users are more likely to choose between two main replacement options: the first is the native Google Assistant, which is perfectly integrated into the Android ecosystem and knows how to manage a smart home, translate text and search for information on the Internet. The second popular option is Yandex Alice, which better understands the context of conversation in Russian and knows local services.
⚠️ Note: When changing assistant, make sure that the selected application has all the necessary permissions to access the microphone and geolocation, otherwise the voice activator function will not work.
It’s worth noting that some features, such as calling the power button assistant, can work unstable depending on the Android version. On new Android 12 and higher updates, Xiaomi tightly ties this button to its service or Google, ignoring third-party settings, in which cases you have to use swipe or hotkey activation workarounds.
Preparing the system for the change of assistant
Before you change your default settings, make sure that the alternative app is installed and updated to the latest version. Go to Google Play or AppGallery and check for updates for Google or Yandex. Without the current version of the software, the system may not see the application as a compatible candidate for the role of assistant.
It is also recommended to clear the cache of the current assistant to avoid process conflicts, this is done through the application management menu. Find in the Mi AI list (or Google if you change it) and select "Clear Data" option. This will reset temporary files that can block the switch.
☑️ Checklist before setting up
An important step is to check your language settings, and if your phone interface is in Russian and your assistant is not activated, try temporarily changing the language to English, assigning an assistant, and then returning Russian, a trick that often helps push the system to take a new priority.
Instructions: Assigning a Default Assistant
The most reliable way to change assistant is to use a hidden menu of input settings, which may vary depending on the version of MIUI, but the logic remains the same. You need to go to the section where the system asks which application should handle voice commands.
Perform the following actions consistently:
1. Open the smartphone settings.
2. Go to the Additional (or Advanced Settings) section.
3. Find the item Language and input.
4. Select the option Voice Assistant (sometimes called Voice Assistant or Voice Assistant).
5. In the list that opens, select the desired application, for example, Google.
Once selected, the system can issue a warning that the new app will gain access to your data. This is standard Android security procedure. Confirm the action by clicking "OK" or "Allow", now when you call the voice search function, the selected service must start.
💡
If the "Language and input" menu does not have an assistant selection point, try searching by settings by typing the phrase "assistant" or "default assistant".
Configure activation through the power button
One of the most desirable features for many users is to launch the assistant with a long press of the power button. In the MIUI shell, this feature is often blocked for Mi AI. To reassign it, you need to refer to special features of the system.
Go to Settings → Additional → Buttons (or Keyboard Combinations). Find Start Voice Assistant. If there's Mi AI, change it to Google Assistant. If there's no such thing, try the Accessibility method.
In the special features menu, find the Special Opportunity Shortcuts section, where you can set the app to start when you press the volume button combination, which is a great alternative if the power button is busy calling the off menu.
| Activation method | Availability at MIUI 12-14 | Availability on HyperOS | Stability of work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long press of the power button | Limited (depending on region) | Partially limited. | Tall. |
| Swipe from the corner of the screen | Available (through gesture settings) | Available. | Medium |
| Voice activation ("Ok Google") | Fully available | Fully available | Tall. |
| A widget on the desktop | Fully available | Fully available | Tall. |
Features of setting up Yandex Alice on Xiaomi
For users in Russia, Yandex Alice is often more convenient than Western counterparts, it recognizes commands in Russian better, knows the schedule of transport and knows how to turn on music in Yandex.Music. However, in order for it to work as a system assistant, it requires the correct configuration of the Yandex application.
Open the Yandex app and go to Alice's settings. Make sure voice activation is enabled. Also, in the phone settings under Battery, find Yandex and select Unlimited mode, which will prevent the system from killing the process in the background, causing Alice to stop hearing the wake-up command.
⚠️ Note: On some versions of Xiaomi firmware, after restarting, the system can reset the assistant priority to Mi AI. In this case, the default selection procedure will have to be repeated.
Alice also supports smart home scenarios, but to work through voice, it is necessary that the corresponding devices are tied to the Yandex application. Integration with Mi Home is possible, but often works unstable, so it is better to use direct connection of devices to the Yandex ecosystem.
Why doesn't Alice hear "Listen, Yandex"?
Typical Problems and Conflicts
A common problem is that there's a conflict between two active assistants, and if you have voice activation on both Google and Mi AI, they can interrupt each other, and that's solved by disabling voice activation on a lesser-priority app, leave "Ok Google" or "Hello Yandex," and for Mi AI, stop accessing the microphone.
Another nuance is regional settings. As mentioned earlier, Google Assistant may not work fully if the phone settings (Region section) are Russian. Try changing region to United States or India. This will not affect the rest of the apps, but unlock the full functionality of the assistant.
If the assistant has stopped opening after the system update:
- 🔄 Restart your smartphone to safe mode and check the work.
- 🗑️ Remove Google app updates through app settings and update it again through the store.
- ⚙️ Reset the special features settings in the menu Advanced settings.
💡
The main cause of failure is aggressive MIUI battery optimization, always giving the assistant full access to the resources in the power menu.