How to Call Google Assistant in Xiaomi with Guest and Voice

Xiaomi’s current smartphones, which run MIUI shells or the new HyperOS, offer users many ways to interact with the system that go far beyond just tapping the screen. One of the most sought-after productivity tools is Google Assistant, which allows users to control the device, run apps and search the Internet without having to unlock the phone. However, standard activation through a button or prolonged press is not always convenient, especially when hands are busy or the phone is on the table.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how to call Google Assistant in Xiaomi with a gesture, and look at alternative and often more effective activation methods, including voice control and the use of a fingerprint scanner. You’ll learn about hidden settings that may not be available immediately after you buy a device, and learn to bypass the limitations imposed by the manufacturer on system functions.

Understanding these mechanisms will allow you to turn your smartphone into a real intelligent assistant, responding to the slightest movement or command, we will touch on the technical aspects of the microphone, sensitivity settings and compatibility of different versions of Android, so you can choose the best use case for your model.

Native gestures of the system and their limitations

Users often look for the ability to activate a voice assistant with a simple swipe of a hand or drawing a letter on a screen that is turned off, believing that this is a standard feature. Unfortunately, in a pure form, an activation gesture (such as drawing the letter "V" or "O" on a screen that is off) in global versions of Xiaomi firmware to call the Google Assistant is usually not implemented directly in the gesture menu. Standard gestures MIUI are most often reserved for launching the camera, voice recorder or flashlight.

However, the system provides an alternative in the form of a floating window or sidebar that can be configured for quick access. If you are used to controlling navigation gestures, then swipe from the bottom corner of the screen can be reassigned, but this will require the use of third-party utilities or deep customization through ADB, which is not recommended for ordinary users.

⚠️ Warning: Trying to install third-party launchers or gesture emulation apps on a switched-off screen can lead to increased battery consumption and conflicts with the HyperOS system shell.

However, there are scenarios where using gestures within apps becomes possible, for example, in some launchers you can swipe up to search, which automatically triggers the assistant, not a system gesture of the phone itself, but effectively solves the problem of a quick call.

Activation through the fingerprint scanner

One of the most convenient and quickest ways, often confused with gesture because of its shortness of action, is to activate through a fingerprint scanner.This feature allows you to call Google Assistant with a simple short tap on the sensor even if the smartphone screen is off. This is especially true for models with a side or rear scanner, where physical interaction occurs instinctively.

To configure this method, you need to go to the system settings menu. The path may vary slightly depending on the shell version, but the logic remains the same. You need to find the section responsible for additional scanner functions and select the action "Run Google Assistant".

It is important to note that in order to operate this feature in locked screen mode, the phone must have an active Internet connection. If the network is not available, the assistant may not start or issue an error. It is also worth considering that on some models with a subscreen scanner, this feature can only work when the device is unlocked or be replaced by starting the camera.

Voice activation of Hotword "Ok Google"

The closest thing to the concept of gesture without physical touch is a voice activation for a keyword known as Hotword. The phrase "Ok Google" or "Hey Google" serves as a digital trigger that causes the phone's microphone to go into active standby mode and start recognizing the command.

To make this function work, you need to adjust your voice model correctly, you need to "recognize" your timbre to respond to your voice and ignore extraneous sounds or speech from the TV, and the learning process takes only a couple of minutes and greatly improves the accuracy of the response.

To activate the mode of constant listening, perform the following actions:

• 🗣️ Open the Google app or go to the Google Assistant settings via the phone's settings menu.
• 🎙️ Find the "Hey Google and Voice Match" section and activate the switch.
• 🗣️ Complete the procedure of recording a voice sample by clearly saying the required phrases.
• 📱 Make sure that the battery settings for the Google app allow the work in the background.

Keep in mind that constant microphone monitoring may have a slight impact on device autonomy, and in some regions or language models, the function may be less stable, requiring recalibration.

Setting the power button and physical keys

In modern versions of MIUI and HyperOS, Xiaomi has introduced the ability to reassign the power button. By default, a long press is caused by the voice assistant, but this behavior can be changed. If you want the power button to call Google Assistant instead of Mi Assistant (which is built into the Chinese versions) or the turn off menu, this can be easily configured.

Go to Settings → Additional Settings → Press and Hold the Power button. Here you will see the option to select an action. Select Google Assistant from the list of available options. Now, a long press on the lock button will instantly activate voice search.

Using a physical button has its advantages over voice control, it works even when the microphone is busy with another application or when the room is too noisy, it's a reliable hardware trigger that's always at hand.

Use of widgets and shortcuts on the desktop

While it's not a gesture, placing a Google widget on the home screen or lock screen is the fastest visual way to access it. A widget with a "G" logo or microphone can be stretched out to the full screen or left compact, touching this element is equivalent to calling an assistant.

To add a widget (long-press) from an empty desktop and select "Vidgets." In the list, find the Google app and select the desired size. Some of the themes in MIUI Themes may hide standard widgets, so if you have problems, try switching to a standard theme.

Another interesting method is to use a shortcut in the notification curtain. Although there is no standard button for the Assistant, many users install third-party widgets-switches that mimic system toggles. However, native Xiaomi functionality allows you to add a "Google" button to the control panel, if such an option is available in your version of the software.

⚠️ Note: When installing widgets from third-party developers to call an assistant, carefully check the permissions requested to avoid leaking your voice requests.

Solving activation and microphone problems

If neither of these methods works, the problem may lie in privacy settings. In Android 12 and up, and in the newer versions of HyperOS, there is a switch that completely disables the microphone for all applications. Check if the "Microphone Access" mode is activated in the fast settings curtain.

It’s also worth checking if the permissions of the Google app itself have been revoked. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Google → Permissions and make sure that access to the microphone is allowed always or only during use.

A common problem is conflict with other voice assistants. If your Xiaomi has Mi Assistant activated (especially in global firmware with Chinese roots), it can intercept the command to press the power button long, in which case you either need to disable the Mi Assistant in the settings, or explicitly reassign the action, as described in the section about the power button.

For advanced users, there is a possibility of using ADB-commands to force activation of certain functions, but this requires a connection to a computer. The example of a command to check the status of an assistant can look difficult, so it is better to limit yourself to standard methods of setting up.

adb shell dumpsys activity services | grep googleassistant

This command in the developer console will help you understand if the assistant service is running on the system, but it is not required for normal use, the main thing is to make sure that the program switches in the menu are configured correctly.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

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The best way to call Google Assistant on Xiaomi is to combine voice activation with “Ok Google” for free hands and set up the power button for quick access in a noisy environment.