How to remove voice input and return the keyboard on Xiaomi smartphones

You try to write a message or type in a search query, but instead of the usual keyboard, a microphone for voice input suddenly appears on the Xiaomi screen? This problem is familiar to many owners of Redmi, POCO or Mi smartphones - especially after updating the firmware or resetting the settings. 90% of the time, the fault is the system's lost parameters, application conflict or activated functions of the Google Assistant.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways to bring back a standard Android keyboard instead of voice input, from basic settings to hidden developer settings. All of the methods have been tested on MIUI 12-14 firmware and the new HyperOS, but most of them are universal for all versions. If the problem occurs after installing the update, don’t panic: 80% of the time, it can be solved in 2-3 minutes without resetting the phone.

Why does voice input appear instead of keyboard?

Before moving on to fixing, it's important to understand the cause of the crash. On Xiaomi smartphones, replacing the keyboard with a voice input microphone is usually due to one of the following factors:

• 🔄 Automatic app updates: After updating Gboard (Google keyboard) or MIUI System Launcher can get lost by default settings.
• 🤖 Google Assistant Conflict: If you recently activated a voice assistant or used the “OK, Google” command, the system may force you to switch to voice input.
• ⚙️ Reset keyboard settings: After cleaning the cache or application data com.android.inputmethod.latin (standard Android keyboard) user preferences are lost.
• 📱 Firmware error MIUI/HyperOS: In some versions (e.g, MIUI 13.0.6 For the Redmi Note 11) There was a bug with forced voice input in certain applications.

Critical detail: if the problem manifests itself ONLY in one application (for example, in Telegram or Chrome), and in the rest the keyboard works normally, the settings of the specific software, not the system, are to blame.

If voice input is everywhere, including the password fields or the browser address bar, you'll have to dig deeper. Let's start with the simplest solution.

Method 1: Resetting the default keyboard

In most cases, the problem is solved by switching the input method back to the standard keyboard.

1. Open Settings → System and device → Language and input.
2. Slip on Current Keyboard (or Keyboard Management in HyperOS).
3. In the list of available input methods, select Gboard (Google keyboard) or Xiaomi Keyboard (if you use a branded one).
4. Activate the switch next to the desired option and confirm the choice.

If there's no input method on the list other than voice, it means the keyboard has been disabled or deleted.

Important: Some Xiaomi models (such as the POCO X3 Pro) require a reboot after changing the keyboard, otherwise the changes won’t apply. If the microphone still appears after switching, move on to the next method.

Method 2: Disabling voice input in Google Assistant

A common reason for forced voice input is active Google Assistant settings, especially if you've recently used commands like OK, Google, or set up voice search to fix it:

1. Open the Google app (not to be confused with Chrome!).
2. Slip on the profile avatar in the upper right corner and select Settings → Voice Search.
3. Scroll down and turn off the options: 🔍 Voice input (if any) 🎤 Recognition "OK, Google» 📱 Use voice input by default

Account settings → Data and personalization → Voice and sound activity

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If the keyboard doesn’t return after disabling these options, try clearing the Google app cache in your phone’s settings.This will reset the temporary data, but won’t delete your accounts.

There's another pitfall on some MIUI firmware: Xiao AI's built-in voice assistant can conflict with Google Assistant to turn it off:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Xiao AI (or Mi Assistant), tap it and select Disable.
3. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

Method 3: Reset the settings of all applications

If previous methods failed, the problem may lie in the system settings that have gone wrong, in which case resetting application parameters without deleting data will help:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version (or HyperOS build number) to activate Developer Mode.
3. Return to the main settings menu and select Additional → For developers.
4. Scroll down and click Reset App Settings.
5. Confirm the action and wait for the process to be completed (it will take 1-2 minutes).

⚠️ Warning: This reset will return to factory settings:

• 🔑 Permissions for all applications (you will have to reconfirm access to the camera, microphone, etc.)
• 📱 Default settings (including keyboard, browser, call app)
• 🔕 Notifications and Background Limitations for Applications

Personal data (photos, messages, accounts) are not affected.

After reset, go back to Settings → Language and input and select the default keyboard, as in Method 1. If the problem was in an application conflict, this should help.

Method 4: Remove Gboard updates or reinstall keyboard

Sometimes a voice-input bug appears after an automatic update to the Gboard (Google keyboard), especially for users who have system app updates disabled through Google Play.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Gboard (or Google Keyboard) and tap it.
3. In the upper right corner, click on three dots and select Remove Updates.
4. Confirm the action. The keyboard will return to the factory version.
5. Reboot the phone and check the input.

If the keyboard is working after rolling back updates, but you want to return the current version of Gboard:

• 📥 Install the keyboard manually from Google Play.
• 🔄 Once installed, restart your phone without opening the Gboard.
• ⚙️ Go to the keyboard settings (Settings) → System system → Language and input → Gboard) and disable all voice-related options.

Method 5: Manually editing settings via ADB (for advanced)

If none of the previous methods worked, the problem could be at the system file level, in which case the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) command will help, which will reset the default input settings, which requires connecting the phone to the computer.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and tool ADB (You can download from Android. SDK Or use a portable version of Platform Tools).
• 📱 Included Developer Mode and Debugging by USB phone-on.
• 🔌 USB-Type C Cable (preferably original).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the phone to your computer and allow debugging over USB.
2. Open the command prompt (or PowerShell in Windows) and type: Adb devices Make sure your phone appears in the list.
3. Execute the command to reset the input settings: adb shell settings put secure default_input_method com.android.inputmethod.latin/.LatinIME For Gboard, use: adb shell settings put secure default_input_method com.google.android.inputmethod.latin/.LatinIME
4. Reboot your phone with the command: adb reboot

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB If you are not sure about your actions, you should contact the service center or use previous methods.

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The ADB command resets the system-level input settings, which helps even in cases where the MIUI interface does not allow you to change the keyboard manually.

Additional solutions for specific cases

If the problem persists, you may have encountered a rare firmware bug or a conflict with third-party software.

If you use custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), the problem may be an incorrectly assembled input module.

1. Check firmware developer forums (such as XDA Developers) for known bugs.
2. Install an alternative keyboard, such as SwiftKey or Fleksy.
3. Check your phone with a clean flash.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the keyboard return to Xiaomi