How to change voice assistant to Xiaomi: from Mi AI to Google

Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face intrusive behavior from Mi AI, which is activated by mistake or interferes with the more familiar Google Assistant. Global versions of MIUI and HyperOS firmware formally support Google services, but priority is often given to the company’s own developments, especially in Chinese builds. This creates conflict when the voice control system offers to choose between two bots or launches an unnecessary service.

Full replacement or competent reassignment of voice assistant requires understanding of the architecture of Android in the shell of MIUI. Simple switching of the switch in the settings is often not enough, as the system seeks to return the user to factory parameters. In this article, we will discuss all the ways to solve the problem, from standard settings to the use of hidden ADB commands for advanced users.

The need to change assistant is dictated not only by habit, but also by functionality. Google Assistant is more deeply integrated into the search engine ecosystem, knows how to manage a smart home through the Home Graph and better recognizes Russian speech in the context of complex queries. The Chinese version of Mi AI is almost useless outside China due to the language barrier and binding to local services. Therefore, for comfortable use of a smartphone in the CIS regions, the correct configuration of this parameter is critical.

Why Xiaomi is imposing Mi AI and what’s the difference with Google

Xiaomi is developing its own ecosystem, where Mi AI is the centerpiece of management. Unlike global brands that rely entirely on Google’s solutions, Chinese manufacturers are keen to maintain control over user data and entry points, which means that even in European versions of firmware, system buttons and gestures can be captured by default by a native assistant.

Functionally, Mi AI is tailored to the Chinese market: it can order taxis through local services, pay for purchases on WeChat and manage specific household appliances. For a user from Europe or Russia, this functionality is dead, and sometimes harmful, because background processes can consume battery power. Google Assistant, in turn, offers versatility, but requires manual activation as the main one.

⚠️ Note: Complete removal of the Mi system application AI Without root rights, you can't do this, and it can lead to unstable shells, and our goal is not to remove them, but to reassign them properly.

The difference is also in activation methods: System Assistant often responds to prolonged tapping of the power button or swipe from the corner of the screen, ignoring the settings of third-party applications, and for Google to work correctly, you need to override these actions at the system level or through special utilities.

Basic configuration through the Android system menu

The easiest and safest way to change the priority assistant is to use the built-in operating system settings, which works on most devices with Android 9 and higher, unless the manufacturer has blocked access to this section.

Go to the settings section to change the default app. The path may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI or HyperOS, but the logic remains the same. You need to find the item responsible for applications and notifications, and then choose to manage standard actions.

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Before changing your settings, make sure you are logged in to your Google account, otherwise the assistant will not be able to activate.

Once you select the right item, the system will offer a list of available assistants. If Google doesn't show up in the list, it may be that the app is disabled or doesn't have the necessary permissions. In that case, check the app settings, find Google and make sure it's enabled.

• 📱 Open Settings and go to the Application section.
• ⚙️ Find Application Management or All Apps.
• 🔍 In the menu (three dots), select the Applications by default.
• 🎙️ Click on the Assistant App and select Google.

If Mi AI is still launched when calling voice control after this action, then Xiaomi has its own rigid anchors in the shell, in which case standard Android methods are blocked by MIUI system priorities, and deeper intervention is required.

Disabling activation with power button and gestures

A common problem for Xiaomi owners is to run Mi AI with a long press of the lock button. This behavior is sewn into the firmware and often ignores the choice of an assistant in Android. To solve this problem, you need to find a specific setting in the power button section, which is often hidden from the eyes of the average user.

In newer versions of the shell, the path to this feature can change, sometimes it is in the special features section, and sometimes in the basic settings of additional features. It is important to check all related menus, since Xiaomi likes to duplicate settings in different places.

Also worth paying attention to is the gesture control feature. The swipe from the bottom corner of the screen is another trigger that leads to Mi AI by default. Disabling this gesture will free up the action for other tasks or allow it to be reassigned through third-party launchers.

• 🔘 Go to Settings. → Additionally. → Buttons.
• ⏹️ Find the Start Voice Assistant (or similar).
• ❌ Select the No or Google Assistant option if available.
• 👆 Check the Full-screen gestures section and turn off corner swipes.

⚠️ Note: Some models (especially Chinese versions) may not have the power button switch off, and only the use of the power button will help. ADB-team.

Using ADB to remove Mi AI binding

For advanced users who have not been helped by standard settings, there is a method of forced prioritization through USB debugging. Using ADB (Android Debug Bridge) allows you to send commands to the system, ignoring the interface limitations.

Before you start, you need to activate the developer mode. To do this, seven times click on the build number in the About Phone section. Then in the menu that appears, turn on Debugging over USB. Without this step, the computer will not see the control commands.

With the command, you can turn off the voice-enforcement component, and we don't remove the application completely so as not to disrupt the integrity of the system, we just freeze the triggers, and it's a safe procedure that can be reversible at any time.

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.voiceassist

Once this command is entered, the system assistant will stop responding to external calls and priority will automatically go to Google Assistant. If you need to return everything back, use the adb shell pm enable com.miui.voiceassist command.

Comparison of voice assistant capabilities

To make a final decision, it’s worth comparing the functionality of both assistants in real-world use, and while the goal of the article is to go to Google, understanding the limitations of each bot will help to customize their work as efficiently as possible.

Google Assistant is better at understanding context and working with Google services (Calendar, Maps, YouTube); it recognizes natural language commands better and can maintain dialogue; Mi AI works faster with the system settings of the phone itself, but only in Chinese.

It is important to note that after Mi AI is turned off, some of the features associated with it (such as a translator in a particular menu or specific scenarios) may stop working, but for 95% of users this is invisible, because they use international analogues.

Problems with Wake Word and the microphone

Once set up, users sometimes find that the phrase "OK, Google" stops working or is activated with a delay.This is because Mi AI could reserve permanent access to the microphone in the background.

Check the permission settings for the Google app. Make sure that the microphone is always allowed, not just when you use it, and the Google Assistant settings (via the user profile) must also include the Google Assistant voice match option.

⚠️ Note: If the microphone is not working properly after all the manipulations, reset the Google Assistant settings through the Help and Reviews menu» → «Settings» → «All settings» → «Reset».

Sometimes the problem is energy saving. MIUI aggressively kills background processes. Add Google's app to the battery exclusion list so it can always listen to the activation command. Without that, OK, Google will only work once the screen is unlocked.

• 🔋 Go to Settings. → Battery → Saving charge.
• 📱 Find Google and Google Assistant in the list.
• ✅ Set the value No restrictions.
• 🔒 Lock the app in memory (via the menu of recent apps).

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The stable operation of voice control on Xiaomi depends not only on the choice of an assistant, but also on the correct energy saving settings and microphone resolutions.

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