Owners of smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco often face a dilemma: built-in Google Assistant is functional, but does not always understand the Russian language and local services. Yandex Alice, on the contrary, is ideally adapted for users from the CIS, knows the context of the conversation and controls the smart home of “Yandex” without dancing with a diamond. However, the Android system by default rigidly ties the assistant call button and system commands to Google products.
Replacing the assistant is possible, but it requires understanding how the MIUI shell works or the HyperOS shell. You don't have to get super-user rights or reflash the device. The basic method is to fine-tune the intermediary applications and system permissions, so you can redirect voice input and button call to the desired application.
In this article, we will discuss how to fully or partially integrate Alice into your smartphone. We will look at the widget setup, use the Mi Home app for deep integration and create user-friendly launch scenarios. You will learn to bypass the system limitations of Android, making voice control as comfortable as possible.
Preparation of the smartphone and installation of the necessary components
Before you start setting up, make sure that all the necessary components are installed on your device. The base is the voice assistant from Yandex. Download the current version of the Yandex application or a separate Alice application from the Google Play store or AppGallery. Without updated software, correct work is impossible.
The second important element is access to system settings, and in some regions or on certain versions of firmware, additional rights may be required, and make sure you have a stable Wi-Fi or mobile Internet connection, as primary account synchronization requires data transfer.
☑️ Preparation for the replacement of an assistant
It’s also worth checking the operating system version. On older versions of Android (below 8.0), some redirect functions may not work properly. If you have Global ROM installed, the process will go smoothly. The Chinese versions (China ROM) may require additional localization or installation of Google services.
Set up Alice as the main assistant through system settings
The first and most obvious step is to try to assign Alice as the default assistant in Android settings, which will allow you to call her with a long press of the home button or side key, if the system allows. Go to Settings → Apps → Application Management.
In the management menu, find Settings (often hidden in the triple menu or has a gear icon). Next, select Device Assistant. In the list of available applications, select Yandex or Alice. If Yandex is not listed, then the application does not declare itself as a full Assistant in the understanding of Google, and you will need to use third-party utilities.
⚠️ Note: On many Xiaomi global firmware, the assistant selection point can be blocked or hidden if the system conflicts with Google Assistant, in which case the standard method will not work, and you will have to use workarounds through access settings. If the choice is available, after activation, test the call. Long pressing of the power button or swipe from the corner of the screen (depending on the model) should start the Yandex interface. However, remember that system commands such as Open Camera or Call Mom can still be handled by Google if they are hard-stitched into firmware. The most effective way to get Alice to work for Xiaomi is to use the official Mi Home app.This app is a bridge between the Xiaomi ecosystem and third-party services. Install Mi Home from Google Play and log in to your Mi Account. In the app, go to your profile and find the Platforms or Other Platforms section. In the list of available services, find Yandex. Click Link and log in to your Yandex account. This action synchronizes smart home devices and allows Alice to control Xiaomi gadgets.What does Mi Home and Yandex give?After binding, you will be able to control light bulbs, sockets, robot vacuum cleaners and Xiaomi cameras with a voice through Yandex speakers or Alice app. It also opens up the possibility of creating complex automation scenarios that are not available in the standard Mi Home application. → Smart home, your Xiaomi devices will be coming. Now you can say, "Alice, turn on the light in the living room," and the command will be executed through the Mi Home infrastructure. This is the most stable option for owners of Xiaomi equipment. Creating widgets and shortcuts for quick call Since the system button can stay behind Google, the fastest way to activate Alice is a widget on the desktop. On most MIUI shells, widgets are called by swipe up or long tap on the empty screen. Find a Yandex widget with a microphone button. Place a widget in a convenient place, for example, in the dock bar at the bottom or on the top. Some widgets allow you to activate voice input with a single touch, like a minicut app, if you can access the Macrocut app significantly. You can set up a script like, "Dual tap on the back" or "When you connect the headphones," and you can set up Alice's voice input, and that creates a native integration effect. 💡Use the Alice Dialogue widget with a transparent background so that it blends visually with the wallpaper, but remains a functional interface element. Remember that widgets consume RAM resources. RAM, Keep only one heavy Yandex widget active to avoid downloading the application from memory by the background processes of the system.Setting up the voice activator "OK, Google" for Alice One of the main features of Google Assistant is activation with the phrase "OK, Google". To Alice react to "Listen, Yandex" or "Hi, Alice" from the screen off, special settings are required. → Voice. → Voice control. Activate voice activation. The system asks you to say the key phrase several times to train the model, and it's important to do this in a quiet environment so that the microphone can clearly capture the timbre of your voice. Google Assistant Yandex Alice Status on Xiaomi Activation from the lock screen Works natively Requires settings Works unstable Recognition of "Who is there" High Average Depends on the microphone Work in the background Priority Requires permissions Need exception Support of the Russian language Good Excellent Full Critical is the permissions. In the battery settings (Settings) → Battery → App power management) find Yandex and select No Limits mode. MIUI Will kill the process of listening to the microphone to save energy, and Alice will stop responding to the voice. 📊 What method of activating Alice is more convenient for you?Voice on the desktop Through the Mi Home button in the notification curtain Solving problems with permissions and background work Aggressive battery optimization in the MIUI And HyperOS is the main enemy of any voice assistants other than Google. If Alice stopped responding or crashes, check the autorun list. Go to Settings. → Annexes → Permits → Autostart and activate the slider for Yandex. You also need to fix the application in memory. Open the list of running applications (bottom-up swipe and retention), find the Yandex window and press the lock. This will prevent the system from unloading the application when cleaning the memory with the "Jump" button». ⚠️ Attention: Continuous operation of the microphone in the background can increase battery consumption 5-10% day-to-day. If autonomy is critical for you, activate voice control only when you have connected charging or Wi-Fi. Another common problem is microphone conflict. If you use a voice recorder or other application that is exciting audio, Alice may not start. Close conflicting applications before activating the voice assistant. Alternative methods and third-party utilities If the standard methods do not give the desired result, you can turn to third-party launchers or control utilities. For example, the Niagara Launcher or Smart Launcher launcher allows you to flexibly configure the actions of buttons and gestures, reassigning them to specific applications, but Mapton applications or launches such applications. They allow you to reassign the action of the Google Assistant button (if it is physically present on the case or in the software) to run any other application, including Alice. ADB menu of special opportunities. 💡Using Button Mapper is the only way to reassign the physical Google Assistant button to Alice's launch without root permissions. When using third-party utilities, be careful with permissions. Only provide access to the necessary features (such as "Use Special"). "opportunities" to intercept buttons, but don't give full administrator rights to unknown applications (FAQ) Complete removal of the system component of Google Assistant is impossible without root rights and deep modification of the system, which can lead to unstable operation. However, you can turn it off in settings and reassign all call triggers to Alice, making the Google Assistant invisible to the user. Why does Alice not hear the command from the locked screen? This is an Android security limitation. To work from the off screen, the application requires high priority in the system and special permissions to work in the background, which MIUI often blocks. Check the battery settings and microphone resolutions. Will Alice work if the phone is in Do Not Disturb mode? Yes, the voice assistant works independently of the Do Not Disturb mode. However, the sound response can be silenced depending on the weather on the Internet mode, the Xiaomi will appear on the Internet, in order to perform the answer to the Internet, the Internet, the network will be used for the answer. Offline mode is limited to basic functions and does not support full voice control. How to make Alice respond in a whisper? In the settings of the Yandex app, go to Settings → Voice and turn on the option “Whisper”. Then, in a quiet conversation at night, Alice will also respond in a whisper without disturbing others.