How to permanently disable Google’s voice assistant on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Google Assistant on Xiaomi smartphones can be useful, but not everyone likes it constantly: it starts at the random press of a button, eats up battery power in the background and collects data about your requests — even when you are not using it. If you decide to get rid of this feature, it is important to do it right: a simple disconnect in settings often works incompletely, leaving some services active.

In this article, we’ll look at all possible deactivation options, from basic to radical, including disabling through ADB and uninstalling system applications (for advanced users), and the instructions are relevant for MIUI 12, 13 and 14 on Redmi, POCO, Mi and Black Shark models, and how to check if the assistant is disabled, and what to do if it spontaneously turns on after updates.

Warning: Some methods require a super-user's rights (root) or can affect the stability of the system, and if you're not sure what you're doing, stick to the first three, they're safe and reversible.

Why Google Assistant works for Xiaomi, even if you don’t use it

Many Xiaomi owners are surprised to find that the voice assistant is active, even though they never deliberately launched it, and the reasons are rooted in the integration of Google services at the firmware level:

• 🔋 Background synchronization: The assistant communicates with Google servers even in standby mode, consuming traffic and battery power.
• 🎤 Hot keys: On some models (e.g, POCO F3 or Redmi Note 11) Holding the Home button or Power activates the assistant.
• 📱 System Updates: After the Update MIUI Google Play Services settings can be reset and the assistant is turned on again.
• 🔍 Data collection: Even when the “off” state is still available, some modules continue to send anonymous telemetry (as stated in Google’s privacy policy).

Xiaomi doesn't provide a separate switch to completely disable the Assistant, because it's an Android system application. But there are workarounds, from simple to technically complex. Let's start with the safest.

Method 1: Disable via Google Settings (without root)

It's the simplest and most formal method that works for most users: It doesn't remove the assistant completely, but it blocks it from running on voice, buttons and in the background.

Instructions:

1. Open the Google app (the icon with the letter "G" on a color background).
2. Slip your avatar (or initials) in the upper right corner → select Settings.
3. Go to the Google Assistant section → General.
4. Turn off the Google Assistant switch (may be called Enable Assistant).
5. Go back and select Voice Entering. → Voice Match. → Turn off Hey Google.

After that, the assistant will stop responding to voice commands and random taps, but some background processes (such as updating speech recognition models) may continue. To check if it is disabled, say "OK, Google" - there should be no reaction.

Method 2: Remove updates and disable via MIUI

If the first method didn’t work (for example, settings are reset after a reboot), try the combination of removing updates and blocking through Xiaomi’s system settings.

Steps:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Search the Google (or Google Assistant) list and tap it.
3. Select Remove Updates (if the button is active). Confirm action.
4. Go back to the app menu and find Google Play Services → Storage → Space Management → Clear all data.
5. Now go to Settings → System → Gestures and buttons (the name may vary depending on the version of MIUI).
6. Turn off the Google Assistant option in the Actions section when holding the Home button (or similar).

⚠️ Note: Google Play Services data cleanup may temporarily disrupt other services (e.g., app authorization) and automatically restore after reboot.

This method is more effective than the first one, as it removes the latest updates that often bring the assistant back to life, but after updating Google Play Services through the store, the settings can be reset.

Method 3: Disconnect via ADB (without root but with PC)

For those who are willing to connect a smartphone to a computer, there is a more radical way to disconnect via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which does not require root rights, but requires installing drivers and turning on the developer mode.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on Xiaomi: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI until the notification "You've become a developer" appears.

Settings → Additional → For Developers

USB debugging

ADB

Minimal ADB and Fastboot

cmd

adb devices

Make sure your Xiaomi is listed.

Google Assistant

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox

Once this command is completed, the Google Assistant app will be completely deactivated for your user. To return it back, use:

adb shell pm enable com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox

💡

If the command doesn’t work, try first disabling Google App via MIUI (Method 2) and then repeating the procedure with ADB.

Method 4: Remove system applications (root required)

This is the most drastic method that removes Google Assistant from your device completely. It is only suitable for users with root rights and installed Magisk or TWRP.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /system/priv-app/GoogleQuickSearchBox or (for newer versions of MIUI): /system/app/GoogleQuickSearchBox
3. Delete the GoogleQuickSearchBox folder or rename it (for example, in the GoogleQuickSearchBox_bak).
4. Reset the device.

Example of Universal Android Debloater:

1. Download the utility from GitHub and install it on PC.
2. Connect Xiaomi to ADB (as in Method 3).
3. In the utility, find the package com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox.
4. Choose Uninstall for User or Disable.

How to Check if Google Assistant is Turned Off

Many users are faced with a situation where, after a supposedly successful shutdown, the assistant suddenly starts working again. To make sure that it is deactivated completely, perform the following checks:

• 🗣️ Say “OK Google” or “Hey Google” – there should be no reaction.
• 🔘 Home button: Hold it for 2-3 seconds – no assistant window should appear.
• 📊 Activity in Settings: Go to Settings → Annexes → Google → Permissions and make sure Google Assistant doesn’t have active microphone or auto-run permissions.
• 🔍 Background Processes: Install Greenify or Servicely and check if com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox is still on active services.

If at least one of the items fails, the assistant is not completely disabled, in which case, repeat the procedure or try another method from this article.

💡

Even after a successful shutdown, Google Assistant may return after the Google Play Services update.To avoid this, disable the automatic update of this app in the Play Market.

Frequent problems and their solutions

When you turn off Google Assistant on Xiaomi, users often encounter common errors, and here are the most common ones and ways to fix them:

If none of the methods worked, you may have modified firmware installed on your device (e.g. Xiaomi.EU or LineageOS) where the system application structure is different.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions