How to turn off Google Assistant on Xiaomi: a step-by-step guide

Owners of modern Xiaomi smartphones often face a situation where the voice assistant is activated accidentally, interfering with the work or playback of media files. This is due to the high sensitivity of the microphone or the inadvertent clamping of the power button. To remove this feature completely means freeing up the system resources and avoid accidental launches in your pocket.

The deactivation process is not as obvious as it might seem, because Google Assistant is deeply integrated into the MIUI shell and the Android operating system itself. There are several levels of disconnection, from simply disabling activation by a button to completely stopping the service through system settings, we will analyze all available methods so that you can choose the most suitable device for your model.

It is important to understand that completely removing the voice assistant can disrupt some of the system functions that depend on Google services. However, properly configuring the settings allows you to minimize the intervention of the assistant in your work, while maintaining the stability of the operating system.

Basic settings inside the Google app

The safest and most effective way to restrict the assistant's functionality is to use its own settings. This doesn't remove the app, but makes it "invisible" to the user in everyday use. First, you need to open the main Google app on your smartphone.

Click on the profile avatar in the top right corner of the screen to open the account menu. In the list that appears, select Settings, then go to Google Assistant, and this is where the key levers for controlling system behavior are concentrated.

Inside the menu, find the All Assist or General settings tab, and you're interested in the Google Assistant switch, and if you put it in an inactive position, you're going to stop the system from responding to voice commands and running the assistant interface, which is reversible and doesn't require superuser rights.

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If the assistant still pops up after turning off the settings, try clearing the cache of the Google app through the Apps menu in the phone settings.

It's worth noting that once you turn off the function, the "OK, Google" commands and the lock screen activation may stop working, which is normal behavior in the system, indicating that the instructions are being executed successfully.

Disconnection through Xiaomi system settings

The MIUI shell and its current version of HyperOS have their own button settings that often conflict with Android system preferences. If the Assistant starts at a long press of the power button, you need to change this setting in the menu of the smartphone itself.

Go to Settings of your Xiaomi device. Find the Additional Features or Advanced Settings section (the name may vary depending on the firmware version). Next, select Buttons or Button Management.

Here you'll see the option "Long press power button." The default option is "Google Assistant." Click on this and select an alternative action, such as the Off Menu or Nothing, which will break the link between the physical button and the search engine software.

Some Xiaomi models allow you to assign actions to double-press the back panel or side button. Check the Special Opportunities section → Shortcuts to make sure that there is no assistant launch anywhere. The comprehensive approach ensures that random activation will not disturb you again.

Managing permissions and microphone access

If you don't want to shut down Google services completely, but you want to keep Assistant from "hearing," you can limit their access rights, an effective privacy-enhancing technique that blocks listening to the activation phrase.

Open your smartphone settings and go to Privacy Protection or Apps. Search the Google app. Select Permissions from the app menu. Here we are interested in the Microphone category.

Change the permission status to "Disallow" or "Ask." Now, even if you accidentally run the Assistant's interface, it won't be able to process the voice request and will give a message about the lack of access, which creates an additional barrier to unwanted activity.

⚠️ Note: Denial of microphone access may disrupt voice dictation in other applications such as Gboard or WhatsApp if they use a system recognition engine.

It is also recommended to check the permissions for the Google Play Services app, as it is closely related to the work of the assistant.

Disabling Activation from the Lock Screen

One of the most annoying features is the ability to call an assistant from the screen off, which often leads to random calls or search queries when the phone is in your pocket or bag, and you can turn this option off in the deep settings of the Assistant itself.

Go back to the Google app settings through the profile, as described in the first section. Go to Google Assistant → Devices → Phone. Here you need to find the Lock screen Access Switch (or “Google Assistant” in the context of the lock screen) and deactivate it.

After that, swiping from the bottom corner or pressing a button for a long time on a locked phone will stop calling the voice interface, which greatly improves the security of personal data, since no one will be able to access your search queries or calendar without unlocking the device.

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The combination of disabling access from the lock screen and changing the action of the power button solves 95% of problems with accidental launches.

Using Digital Well-Being to Limit

There is a built-in Digital Wellbeing tool in Android that allows you to limit the time you use apps, and it can be used creatively: by setting a limit of 0 minutes or 1 minute on a Google app, you actually block it from working after the time has expired.

Go to Settings → Digital Well-Being and Parental Controls. Search the Google app and click on it. Select the app timer option and set the minimum possible value. When the limit is exhausted, the app icon will turn grey and its launch will be blocked until the next day.

The good thing about this method is that it doesn't require any technical knowledge and it works at the system level, but it has a caveat: the next day, the limit will be updated, and you'll either have to reset the statistics or you'll have to accept that the Assistant will be available again in the morning.

For those who want to radically solve the problem, there is the possibility of installing third-party launchers or specialized blocking applications that can completely freeze the processes of Google Assistant.

Specific ADB commands for advanced users

For users who are not afraid of the command line and want to achieve a guaranteed result, there is a method to disable the component through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which allows you to “freeze” the system package responsible for the work of the assistant without the need to obtain root rights.

To start, you need to turn on the developer mode on your Xiaomi (click seven times on the build number in the About Phone section) and activate Debugging via USB. Connect the phone to your computer, install drivers and the ADB platform.

Enter the following command in the terminal on your computer to disable the main component:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.apps.googleassistant

This command will force the Assistant to stop working for the current user, and the system will assume that the application has been deleted, although the files will remain on the disk, which frees up RAM and prevents any background processes associated with the voice assistant.

⚠️ Note: Do not uninstall system packages unless you know exactly what they are intended for. Using the Disable-user flag is safe, as it makes it easy to return everything back by the enable command.

To get things back to normal, use the command: adb shell pm enable com.google.android.apps.googleassistant.This method is the most effective for completely fixing the problem, but requires a computer and basic skills to work with console commands.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

To sum up, there are many ways to limit the intrusiveness of a voice assistant on Xiaomi devices, from simple menu settings to ADB commands, each user can find a method that matches their level of technical training, and the main thing is to act consistently and check the result after each configuration change.