How to enable voice search on Xiaomi TV: full instruction with tips for setting up

Xiaomi’s voice control of the TV saves time and makes viewing content easier — just say a command to find a movie, change the volume or change the channel. However, many users are faced with the fact that the feature is either missing from the menu or does not work after activation, the reason often lies in the wrong microphone setting, outdated firmware or disabled permissions.

In this article, you will find step-by-step instructions for enabling voice search on all modern Xiaomi TV models (including Mi TV 5 Pro, Redmi Smart TV X and others), as well as solutions to typical problems – from the lack of a microphone button on the remote to speech recognition errors.

We will pay special attention to the hidden voice control function through the Mi Remote app on a smartphone – this is relevant for owners of budget models without a built-in microphone. Also at the end of the article you will find a table of compatibility of functions with different versions of PatchWall (Xiaomi shell for TV).

Which Xiaomi TV models support voice search?

The voice control feature is not available on all Xiaomi TVs, and it depends on three factors:

• 📺 Television model: microphone is built into premium series only TV 5 Pro, Mi QLED TV 75) and some Redmi Smart models TV (Budget versions (e.g. Mi) starting in 2021 TV 4A) require an external microphone or smartphone.
• 🎤 Remote type: Voice buttons are only available on remotes with Voice or microphone icons. Old remotes (until 2020) do not support the function.
• 🔄 Firmware version: voice search only works on PatchWall 3.0 and higher. On older versions (1.0-2.0), the function may not be available even if you have a microphone.

You can check your TV model from the Settings → About TV → Model. If your Xiaomi TV is released before 2019, you will most likely have to adjust voice control via your smartphone (see the section below).

Method 1: Enabling voice search through the remote control

If your remote has a microphone button (usually located next to the Home button), follow this instruction:

1. Make sure the TV is connected to the Internet (via Wi-Fi or cable). Without the network, voice search will not work.
2. Press and hold the microphone button on the remote for 1-2 seconds until the screen appears the words "Listen...".
3. Say a command in Russian or English, such as "Find an Interstellar movie" or "Current volume by 20%."

If nothing happens after pressing the microphone button:

• 🔋 Check the battery power in the remote (at a discharge below 20%, the voice button may not work).
• 📶 Reconnect TV to Internet – Voice Assistant Requires Access to Xiaomi Servers.
• 🔄 Update the TV firmware (instructions in the next section).

Check for the microphone button on the remote

Replace batteries (if the charge is below 50%)

Connect the TV to Wi-Fi

Update the firmware to the latest version-->

⚠️ Note: Some remotes have the microphone button paired with the Google Assistant button. If you click on Google Assistant instead of Xiaomi search, go to Settings → Accounts → Google and disable Google Assistant integration.

Method 2: Voice search via smartphone (for models without a microphone)

If your TV doesn't have a built-in microphone, you can use your Android or iOS smartphone as a voice-controlled remote.

1. Download the official Mi Remote app from Google Play or the App Store.
2. Connect your TV and smartphone to the same Wi-Fi network.
3. Start Mi Remote, select Add Device → Television → Xiaomi.
4. Click on the microphone icon in the app and say the command.

Advantages of this method:

• 📱 It works on all Xiaomi models. TV, even without a built-in microphone.
• 🌍 Supports more languages (including Russian, English, Chinese).
• 🔄 You can use it to manage your smart home.

Disadvantages:

• 📶 Requires a stable Wi-Fi connection (delays are possible with a weak signal).
• 🔋 Quickly discharges the battery of the smartphone with prolonged use.

💡

If voice search through Mi Remote doesn’t work, try reinstalling the app and giving it access to the microphone in your smartphone settings.

Update firmware to activate voice search

If the microphone button on the remote does not respond, and there is no voice control option in the menu, the problem may be in outdated firmware. The minimum version of PatchWall for the function is 2.5 (for full support you need 3.0+).

To update the TV:

1. Go to Settings → About TV → System Update.
2. Click "Check Updates."
3. If a new version is available, confirm installation. The TV will restart automatically.

If the automatic update does not work:

• 📥 Download the latest firmware for your model from the official Xiaomi website.
• 💾 Save the file to the flash drive in format FAT32 (The file name should not contain Cyrillic!).
• 🔌 Connect the flash drive to the TV and select Settings → On TV. → Update through USB.

⚠️ Warning: After updating the firmware, reset the TV settings to factory (Settings) → Preferences → This will eliminate conflicts of old configurations with the new PatchWall version, which often solves voice search problems.

Setting up the language and region for proper recognition

Xiaomi's voice assistant supports a limited set of languages, and if the TV settings are incorrect, the feature may not work.

1. Go to Settings → Preferences → Language and Region.
2. Select Russian and Region: Russia (or Ukraine if you are in Ukraine).
3. In the Voice Entering section (if any), set the Main language: Russian.
4. Restart the TV (Settings → About TV → Reboot).

If there is no Russian language on the list:

• 🌐 Install English – Voice search will work, but commands will have to be pronounced in English.
• 🔄 Update the firmware (new versions added support for Russian).

Also check if speech recognition is enabled in your privacy settings:

1. Go to Settings → Privacy → Permits.
2. Find the "Microphone" item and make sure that access is allowed for system applications.

💡

If voice search stopped working after changing the language, reset the audio settings (Settings → Sound → Factory Reset) to eliminate audio driver conflicts.

Solving Voice Search Problems

If voice search is enabled but does not work correctly, use this troubleshooting instruction:

If none of these methods worked, do a complete reset of the TV:

1. Go to Settings → Preferences → Reset.
2. Select Reset All Settings (the default password is 0000 or 1234).
3. After the reboot, reset the TV, starting with a Wi-Fi connection.

In 95% of cases, a reset solves voice search issues, but keep in mind that all installed apps and accounts will be removed.

Alternative ways of voice control

If Xiaomi’s built-in voice search doesn’t suit you, consider alternatives:

• 🎙️ Google Assistant: Connect your TV to your Google account and use commands through Google Assistant on your smartphone. Download the Google Home app and add the TV as your device.
• 🤖 Alice from Yandex: If you have a column Yandex Station, connect it to the TV through the HDMI-CEC. Then you can manage. TV Teams like "Alice, turn on Netflix on TV".
• 📱 Siri/Google Smartphone Assistant: Set up Shortcuts (iOS) or Google Assistant Routines (Android) to send commands over Wi-Fi via the Mi Remote app.

For advanced users, there is a way to activate the hidden developer mode and enable additional voice control options:

1. Go to Settings. → On TV.
2. Find the "Build Number" and click on it 7 times in a row until the notification "You became a developer!" appears.
3. Return to the main settings menu and open a new section for developers.
4. Activate the option "Enable advanced voice control" (if any).

💡

To make voice commands run faster, turn off unnecessary apps in the background (Settings → Apps → Running).

FAQ: Frequent Voice Search Questions on Xiaomi TV