How to permanently remove TalkBack from Xiaomi phone: working methods for 2026

Google’s TalkBack voice assistant is designed for visually impaired people, but it’s often activated accidentally — for example, after triple tapping the power button or through a combination of gestures. On Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones, this feature can be a real headache: the phone begins to voice every action, and standard shutdown methods don’t always work because of the features of the MIUI shell.

In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to remove TalkBack, from simple switching off in settings to radical methods such as factory reset or ADB. We will pay special attention to the nuances for different versions of MIUI (12, 13, 14) and smartphone models where standard instructions may not work. If you encounter the fact that the phone “talked” and does not respond to usual gestures, read on.

Why does TalkBack activate on its own?

There are several “traps” on Xiaomi smartphones that can turn TalkBack on without your knowledge:

• 🔄 Triple press of the power button - in MIUI It's the default gesture for quick access to special features, and just by chance, you just press 3 times in a row, and the phone starts to talk».
• 👆 Swipe up gesture + Main screen retention (on some Redmi Note models) POCO).
• 📦 Automatic activation after updating – especially relevant for MIUI 13/14, Where Google is aggressively promoting accessibility features.
• 🧒 Children or pets – random touches of the screen in lock mode can start the assistant.

The most common situation is that the user tries to take a screenshot (press Power + Volume Reduction), but instead presses the power button three times, which results in TalkBack activating, and it becomes impossible to exit without knowing special gestures.

Method 1: Standard shutdown via settings (if the phone responds to touch)

If TalkBack is on but the screen is still touch-responsive (albeit late), try turning it off via the settings menu. In MIUI, the path may vary depending on the version:

1. Open the settings (cog icon).
2. Go to Special Features (or Additional Features on older versions).
3. Select TalkBack (may be called Screencaster).
4. Move the slider to the off position. or press Disconnect.
5. Confirm the action in the dialog window.

If TalkBack is activated again after this action, it means that the phone has set up automatic activation through gestures.

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Special facilities → Special opportunity gestures.
• 🚫 Turn off the option of Triple Power button press or Quick TalkBack access.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) 9A or POCO M3) If the phone is "hang" on the lock screen, hold the power button for 10-15 seconds to force the shutdown.

Method 2: Disable via Quick Settings (if the screen is unresponsive)

If TalkBack is activated and standard gestures don’t work, try using the Quick Settings Panel, which works on most Xiaomi devices with MIUI 12-14:

1. Swipe two fingers from top to bottom across the screen to open the notification bar.
2. Find the TalkBack icon (usually a person with a circle or an eye icon).
3. Touch the icon with two fingers and hold for 2-3 seconds until the menu appears.
4. Select Disable (Password or fingerprint confirmation may be required).

If the Quick Settings Panel does not open:

• 🔄 Try restarting your phone by holding the power button.
• 📱 On some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 11T) swipe down with two fingers from the top edge.

💡

If the screen doesn’t respond to touch, plug the phone into charging — sometimes this will unlock the sensor for a few seconds, enough to open the settings.

Method 3: Delete TalkBack via ADB (for advanced users)

If standard methods don't work and you don't want to reset, you can turn off TalkBack via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires a computer and basic command line knowledge, but it's guaranteed to work even on locked phones.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows, macOS or Linux.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 📥 Installed drivers Xiaomi and ADB Tools.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on your phone: Go to Settings → About Phone. Click 7 times on MIUI until the notification “You’ve become a developer” appears.

USB debugging

• Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
• Turn on the debugging slider over USB.
• Connect the phone to your computer and confirm your trust in the device.
• Open the Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with ADB.
• Execute commands in order: adb devices (should appear your device) adb shell settings put secure enabled_accessibility_services "" adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.marvin.talkback
• Reboot the phone.

Once reset, TalkBack will be disabled, but you'll have to reconfigure the device to avoid data loss.

• 🔄 Make a backup copy through Settings → The phone. → Backup (if the phone still reacts to touch).
• ☁️ Upload important files to Mi Cloud or Google Drive.
• 📱 If the phone is locked, try connecting to your computer and copying files through MTP (if USB was included earlier).