Voice activation of Alice on the locked screen Xiaomi: full instructions with nuances

Voice assistants have long been an integral part of modern smartphones, but their capabilities are often limited on a locked screen. Owners of Xiaomi devices based on MIUI often face the problem: how to call Alice with a voice when the phone is locked without unlocking it manually? This feature is especially relevant for drivers, busy users or in situations where hands are busy.

Unlike Google Assistant, which supports voice activation from a locked screen by default, Yandex’s Alice requires additional settings. Moreover, Xiaomi actively restricts the background operation of applications in order to save battery power, which creates additional difficulties. In this article, we will discuss all working methods of activation, including hidden MIUI settings, bypassing system restrictions and solving typical problems.

It’s important to understand that the functionality may vary depending on the MIUI version (14 or 15), the smartphone model (e.g. Redmi Note 12 vs Xiaomi 13T) and regional firmware.We tested the instructions on current versions of Android 13/14 with the latest MIUI Global/EU updates as of June 2026.

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1. Preparation of the smartphone: basic requirements

Before setting up Alice’s voice activation on a locked screen, make sure your Xiaomi meets the minimum requirements:

Mandatory conditions:

• 📱 Installed the latest version of the Yandex (or Yandex with Alice) app from Google Play or AppGallery.
• 🔊 Enabled microphone for Yandex application in privacy settings.
• 🔋 Battery charge of at least 15% (at low charge MIUI aggressively limits background processes).
• 🌐 Stable Internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile network).

Check the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version. MIUI 14.0.5+ or MIUI 15 is recommended for proper operation. Older versions (e.g. MIUI 12/13) may have problems with the background permission.

On Xiaomi smartphones with regional firmware China ROM (without Google services), voice activation of Alice on the locked screen is not officially supported due to security policy restrictions.

2. Setup of permissions for Yandex with Alice

By default, MIUI blocks background activity in most applications, including Yandex. In order for Alice to listen to voice commands in a locked state, you need to manually configure permissions:

Step 1: Auto Start and background work

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Yandex (or Yandex with Alice) in the list and tap it.
3. Activate the switches: 🔄 Autostart (allows you to start when you reboot). 📱 Background work (allows you to roll up). 🔕 Show pop-ups (for Alice notifications).

Step 2: Permissions for microphone

• In the same app menu, go to Permissions → Microphone.
• Select Allow (not "Only during use").

Step 3: Optimize the battery

• Go back to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Yandex.
• Slip the energy saving → without restrictions.

Autorun enabled | Background enabled | Microphone in "Always" | Energy saving disabled | Pop-ups allowed-->

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Note: Some Xiaomi models (such as the POCO F5 or Redmi K60) reset their resolutions after the MIUI update.

3. Activation of the voice assistant on a locked screen

Now, to the basic setting, which is to enable Alice’s voice activation without unlocking, there are two official ways (via MIUI settings and Yandex apps) and one alternative way (using ADB for advanced users).

Method 1: Through the settings of Yandex

1. Open the Yandex app and go to the profile (the person icon in the upper right corner).
2. Select Settings → Alice → Voice Assistant.
3. Activate the "Hi Alice" switch.
4. Enable the option "Works on locked screen" (confirmation via MIUI may be required).

Method 2: Through MIUI settings (for firmware with Google Assistant)

• Go to Settings → Google → Settings for Google apps → Search, Assistant and Voice.
• Select the Voice Assistant → Voice Match.
• Turn on "Hey Google" and get voice training.
• Go back and activate "Voice Unlock."

After that, Alice will respond to the phrase “OK, Google”, but the answer will be already Yandex Assistant (if it is installed as the default assistant).

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Note: On Xiaomi with China ROM, the second method does not work due to the lack of Google services. Use only the first method or alternative (see below).

4.Testing and troubleshooting

After setting up, check Alice's performance on the locked screen:

1. Lock your smartphone (click the power button).
2. Say loud and clear, “Hi Alice” or “OK, Google” (depending on the method you choose).
3. If the assistant doesn't respond, check: 🔇 The microphone volume level (sometimes MIUI resets it after rebooting). 📵 Do Not Disturb Mode (must be turned off or set to skip notifications from Yandex). 🔄 Background work (see Section 2).

Typical problems and solutions:

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If Alice stopped responding after the MIUI update, try clearing the Yandex app cache in Settings → Applications → Application Management → Yandex → Clear the cache. This often solves voice recognition problems.

5. Optimization for different Xiaomi models

The functionality of voice activation may vary depending on the model of the smartphone, below is a list of tested devices and their features:

Supported models (tested in 2026):

• 📱 Xiaomi 13/13 Pro/13 Ultra — full support, including activation from the off screen (when configured via Google Assistant).
• 📱 Redmi Note 12 Pro+/13 Pro+ – works only through Yandex, recognition delays are possible.
• 📱 POCO F5/F5 Pro requires the Game Turbo function to be disabled in the battery settings.
• 📱 Xiaomi 12T/12S — False positives are possible on MIUI 14 when loud sounds are heard.

Models with limitations:

• ⚠️ Redmi 10A/10C – Voice activation is unstable due to a weak processor.
• ⚠️ POCO M5/M5s — may require reconfiguration after each update.
• ⚠️ Xiaomi Civi 3 – conflicts with the proprietary function of Mi Sound Enhancer.

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On flagship models (Xiaomi 14, Mix Fold 3), voice activation is more stable thanks to a dedicated coprocessor for processing voice commands. On budget devices (Redmi A2+), delays of up to 2-3 seconds are possible.

For China ROM devices (e.g. Xiaomi 13 for China), the only working way is to use Yandex with manual ADB setup (see spoiler in Section 3). The alternative is to install Global ROM via Fastboot, but this voids the warranty.

6. Alternative solutions: if Alice is not working

If none of the methods described have worked, consider alternative voice control options:

Option 1: Google Assistant with Alice integration

• 🔍 Set up Google Assistant as the primary assistant (see Section 3).
• 🤝 In Yandex settings, activate the option "Open Alice via Google Assistant".
• 🗣️ Now the phrase "OK, Google, ask Alice a question" will redirect the request to Yandex.

Option 2: Revolving annexes

• 🛠️ MacroDroid allows you to create macros to activate Alice by double pressing the screen or volume button.
• 🔊 Tasker + AutoInput plugin – for advanced users, allows you to configure voice activation through any triggers.

Option 3: Physical button (for older models)

On some devices (for example, Xiaomi Mi 9 or Redmi K20 Pro) you can assign Alice a long press of the power button:

1. Go to Settings → Buttons and gestures → Power button.
2. Select "Long Press" and specify Yandex.

This is not voice activation, but allows you to quickly start the assistant without unlocking.

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Note: Applications like MacroDroid or Tasker require permissions, which may conflict with MIUI security policies, and may be blocked on some firmware after a reboot.

7. Security and confidentiality

Using voice assistants on a locked screen raises privacy issues. Xiaomi and Yandex collect voice data to improve services, but you can limit this fee:

How to minimize the risks:

• 🔒 In Yandex settings, turn off "Voice Personalization" in the Alice → Privacy section.
• 🗑️ Clean your voice request history regularly from the same menu.
• 🛡️ Use VPN when activating an assistant on public networks (e.g. Cloudflare Warp).

What Xiaomi does with your data:

• Voice commands are processed on Yandex servers, but MIUI can log the facts of the assistant activation.
• On China ROM, all voice data passes through Xiaomi servers in China.
• The Global/EU ROM has the European GDPR rules, but data collection is still ongoing.

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To disable voice data collection completely, go to Settings → Google → Google Account Management → Data and Personalization → Voice query history and delete it.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Alice's voice activation