How to turn off additional features on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Xiaomi and Redmi are famous for their functionality, providing users with a huge range of customization options for personalization. However, sometimes it happens that the activation of one of the functions for people with disabilities occurs by accident, which completely changes the logic of the device management, the screen begins to react differently, voice prompts appear or gestures change, which can confuse the inexperienced user.

This is most often the case when the wearer repeatedly presses the on or volume button, unaware that it is running a hidden mechanism, and in this article we will discuss in detail how to return the usual interface and disable intrusive services that interfere with the normal operation of the phone.

You don’t need to be a technician to fix this problem, but we’ll look at all the standard methods available in the MIUI and HyperOS shells that will quickly deactivate unnecessary options and restore standard control.

Why Accessibility Functions Are Activated and What They Are

The Android Accessibility section was originally designed to help people with visual, hearing or motor impairments. On Xiaomi devices, this functionality is expanded to include tools such as screen announcer, zoom, voice control and color inversion, tools that are necessary for comfortable use by people with disabilities, but they often interfere with the average user.

Random activation occurs because the default system has enabled quick start via button combinations. For example, a five-push power button or simultaneous clamping of volume keys can trigger TalkBack or Increase. This is done for quick access, but in your pocket or when playing active, it is easy to press too much.

It is important to understand that disabling these features will not remove them completely from the system, but will only put them in an inactive state, and you can re-enable them at any time if this is really necessary or if the phone is used by a person in need of support.

⚠️ Attention: If you have frames around icons and voice comments for each action on your screen, then TalkBack mode is activated.

Users often confuse these settings with the usual screen or sound settings, but it is in the accessibility section that the most powerful tools that affect the interface and how you interact with the touchscreen are hidden, and understanding which feature was turned on will help you find a way to turn it off faster.

How to disable TalkBack on Xiaomi

The most annoying feature for the average user is TalkBack, and when you turn it on, the phone starts to voice all the actions, and the navigation changes: a single tap only highlights the object, and you need a double tap to start it, and if you encounter this, you shouldn't panic, although the control will seem unusual.

There is a quick way to deactivate through the volume buttons. If this option was previously allowed in the settings, then simultaneously pressing both volume buttons for 3 seconds will turn off the speaker. The system will ask for confirmation - press the volume button again for confirmation.

If the quick method didn't work, you'll have to use standard menu navigation, and remember the new logic: to open an app, you'll need to first highlight it with one touch (a green bezel will appear), and then quickly press it twice anywhere on the screen. To scroll through the lists, use two fingers at the same time.

• 🔹 Open Settings via double press after highlighting.
• 🔹 Find the Advanced Settings section or additionally.
• 🔹 Go to the Special Opportunities menu.
• 🔹 Select the Vision tab and find TalkBack.
• 🔹 Switch the slider to the position Off.

Once you shut down, the system can request confirmation of action. You can agree, and the interface will go back to the standard view. If you can't get on the menu because of the complexity of the controls, try rebooting the device by holding the power button for 10-15 seconds, although this doesn't always turn off the function itself, but can help reset the temporary interface glitch.

Remove screen magnification and color inversion

Another common problem is the accidental inclusion of a magnifying glass or color inversion. In the first case, the screen responds to a triple touch, starting to zoom in on the image, making it impossible to print text or dial a number properly, in the second case, the colors become negative, which greatly tires the eyes and distorts the perception of photos.

To remove the magnification, you have to go to the same settings section. The path may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI, but the structure remains the same. You have to find the scaling item and disable the use of keys or touches to activate it.

Color inversion is often enabled via "Quick Commands" in the notification curtain or also through the accessibility menu.If the screen has turned black and white or the colors have shifted to the purple spectrum, check the display settings and availability section.

Note that some visuals, such as high contrast text, can be turned on automatically under certain light conditions if the light sensor settings are specific, and check if you have Read or Vision Protection mode activated, which also change the color gamut but are in the Screen section.

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To avoid accidentally turning on the magnifier, in the zoom settings, disable the option "Use the volume button to zoom" to prevent zoom when adjusting the sound in your pocket.

Disabling voice control and assistants

Voice Access allows you to control your phone with your full voice without touching the screen.It's a powerful tool, but it can start working on its own by responding to background noise or command-like words. Xiaomi phones can also be activated with Google Assistant or its own Xiao AI assistant.

If the phone suddenly starts to dictate commands or wait for voice input, the service is likely activated, and to stop that, you need to go to the special settings and find the partition associated with voice control, where you can turn off both the function itself and its launch through the headset or buttons.

People often confuse voice input in a keyboard with system voice control, and if you just have a keyboard to dictate text, that's OK, but if you have numbers on the screen next to the voice-select interface, that's the case that requires you to turn off.

• 🔸 Go to Settings. → Special capabilities.
• 🔸 Select category Physical and Motor or Control.
• 🔸 Find Voice Control (Voice Access).
• 🔸 Press Stop or switch the switch to Off position.

It's also worth checking the Google Assistant settings, sometimes activating Translation or Driving Mode, which changes the interface, and turning off the power button or the phrase "Ok Google" if you're not using them to avoid control conflicts.

Set up fast commands and prevent accidental launches

The most effective way to deal with a problem is to fix it. Xiaomi smartphones have a handy Quick Commands feature that allows you to run the right accessibility features for a specific action, the problem is that by default, combinations can be activated that are easily clicked randomly.

It is recommended to review these settings and disable all the extra ones, for example, often turn on TalkBack or Increases when you triple press the power button, if you do not use these functions daily, this setting will only hurt you.

You'll see a list of actions on the Quick Commands menu. Click on each of them to see which function is assigned to it. If it says "No," then this trigger is free. If there's a TalkBack or Increase hanging there, feel free to remove this anchorage.

And you also have to look at "Availability Shortcuts," which is a floating button on the screen or an icon in the curtain, which you can hide so you don't get your fingers touched when you play or watch videos, and clean up your interface from unnecessary elements is the key to comfortable use.

Resetting special features settings

If you're confused about settings, you've turned on a dozen features, and you can't figure out what's stopping you, the easiest way to do this is to reset your special features, which won't affect your personal data, photos or contacts, but will bring all the availability settings back to factory values.

To do this, there is often a menu button (three dots) at the very top of the Special Opportunities menu or a separate item at the very bottom of the list called Reset or Reset all Special Opportunity settings. Confirm the action.

This is guaranteed to turn off TalkBack, the magnifying glass, the inversion and all voice assistants. Once reset, the phone may suggest reconfiguring the features you need - just skip this step if you don't need help.

⚠️ Note: Resetting special features is not a complete reset of the phone (Hard Reset). your applications and files will remain safe, only system access settings will change.

In the rare cases where a software failure prevents you from entering settings, Safe Mode can help. Once loaded in it, third-party applications that could intercept accessibility control will not start, and you can safely disable unnecessary functions in the regular menu.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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The main reason for the interface problems on Xiaomi is the activation of blind hotkeys, and disabling fast commands in the special features settings will solve 90% of such problems in the future.