How to quickly call an assistant on Xiaomi: Google Assistant and Xiao AI

Voice assistants on Xiaomi smartphones make it much easier to interact with the device, from quick information search to smart home management. However, many users face the problem of not knowing how to properly activate the assistant or why it does not respond to commands. In this article, we will discuss all the working ways to call assistants on different models of Redmi, POCO and Mi, including nuances for global and Chinese MIUI firmware.

It is important to understand that two main assistants are available on Xiaomi devices: Google Assistant (for global versions) and Xiao AI (for Chinese firmware and some models with MIUI China), their functionality and activation methods differ, for example, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ with global firmware is installed by default Google Assistant, and Xiaomi 13 Ultra for the Chinese market is Xiao AI. There are also differences in settings for devices with MIUI 14 and later.

If you tried to call the assistant with a long press on the Home button, but nothing happened, don’t be quick to blame the smartphone. Perhaps the function is simply disabled in the settings or conflicts with navigation gestures. Next, we will discuss all the options in detail, including hidden chips and solving typical problems.

1. Google Assistant Call on Global MIUI

Most Xiaomi smartphones with global firmware (MIUI Global) have Google Assistant installed by default.

• 🗣️ Say “OK Google” (if voice activation is enabled).
• 🔘 Hold the Home button for a long time (on hardware-button devices).
• 👆 Swipe diagonally from the bottom corner of the screen (on devices with gesture navigation).

If these methods do not work, check the settings:

1. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Google.
2. Choose Google Smart Assistant (or Google Assistant).
3. Make sure the switch to turn on the assistant is active.
4. In the Voice Input section, set up the phrase recognition “OK, Google.”

Some models (e.g., POCO F5) may require additional activation in Settings → Special Features → Voice Assistant. Also make sure you have the latest version of Google’s app installed from the Play Market.

2. activation of Xiao AI on Chinese MIUI firmware

On devices with Chinese firmware (MIUI China), instead of Google Assistant, Xiaomi's proprietary solution, Xiao AI, is used. This assistant supports Chinese, but has limited functionality in other languages.

• 🔘 Long press on the Home button (if enabled in settings).
• 🗣️ Voice command:" (in Chinese only).
• 📱 Widget on the desktop (if added).

To set up:

1. Open Settings → More → Xiao AI.
2. Turn on the switch to activate Xiao AI.
3. In the Voice Activation section, train your assistant to recognize your voice (Chinese Mi Account is required).

Note that on some models (such as the Xiaomi 14 Pro), Xiao AI may conflict with Google Assistant, in which case you will have to choose one of the assistants in the default settings.

3.Gesturals and buttons for quick call of assistant

Depending on the model and version of MIUI, the ways of calling the assistant may vary, and below is a table with the current combinations for popular devices:

On devices with gesture navigation (without hardware buttons), the path to configuring the assistant call is:

Settings → Display → Navigation gestures → Additional gestures → Calling the assistant

If the gesture doesn’t work, check if it conflicts with other features (like calling Google Discover when swiping left).

Make sure that gesture navigation is enabled|Check the priority of gestures in Settings → Gestures|Update. MIUI last-minute|Restart the device after the changes-->

4 Voice Activation: "OK, Google" and Alternatives

Voice activation is the most convenient way, but it requires pre-configuration.

1. Open the Google app and go to Settings → Voice Search → Voice Assistant.
2. Select a Voice Model and train your system to recognize your voice (repeat the phrase “OK, Google” 3 times).
3. Turn on the Recognition option in any state so that the assistant responds even on a locked screen.

For Xiao AI, voice activation only works in Chinese.

• Open the Xiao AI app.
• Go to Settings. → Voice activation.
• Follow the instructions for recording voice samples (connection to a Chinese server is required).

Important: On devices with MIUI China, voice activation of Xiao AI can automatically turn on recording conversations to improve the service. To turn this off, go to Settings → Privacy → Permits for Xiao AI and deactivate microphone access in the background.

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If voice activation doesn’t work, check to see if it’s blocked by power saving mode. Add Google or Xiao AI to the exception list in Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization.

5. Problem Solving: Assistant does not respond or does not turn on

If the assistant does not respond to commands, the reasons may be as follows:

• 🔇 Microphone Disabled: Check Application Permissions in Settings → Confidentiality → Permits → Microphone.
• 🌐 No Internet: Assistants require a network connection (Wi-Fi or mobile data).
• 🔄 Firmware conflict: Some custom firmware (e.g., xiaomi.eu) may not support Xiao AI.
• 🔋 Energy saving: Add the assistant app to battery optimization exceptions.

For diagnosis:

1. Reset the device.
2. Clear the cache of the Google or Xiao AI app in Settings → Apps.
3. Check for updates for MIUI and the assistant app.
4. If the problem persists, reset the assistant settings to factory settings (Settings → System → Resetting → Resetting application settings).

⚠️ Note: On devices with unlocked bootloader and custom firmware, voice assistants may not work stable due to lack of Google Mobile Services certificates (GMS). In this case, you will need to flash GApps or use alternative solutions like Bixby (for Samsung emulators).

6.Alternative assistants for Xiaomi

If standard assistants are not satisfied, you can install third-party solutions:

• 🤖 Amazon Alexa: Available in Play Market, Supports Smart Home Management.
• 🎵 Yandex Alice: works through the application Yandex, optimized for Russian language.
• 🔍 Siri (for iPhone users): you can use it via AirPods on Xiaomi.
• 🛠️ AutoVoice (for Tasker): Allows custom voice commands.

To install an alternative assistant:

1. Download the app from the Play Market (like Yandex or Alexa).
2. In MIUI settings, assign it as default assistant: Settings → Applications → By default → Assistant and voice input
3. Set up voice activation in the assistant app.

For example, Yandex supports offline teams and is better at recognizing Russian than Google Assistant, but to work properly, you will need to register a Yandex account and provide access to contacts / calendar.

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Third-party assistants may conflict with built-in MIUI services. Before installing, disable the standard assistant in settings to avoid duplication of commands.

7.Setting up a smart home assistant

One of the key benefits of voice assistants on Xiaomi is integration with the Mi Home ecosystem, to control smart devices (lamps, sockets, robot vacuum cleaners) with voice:

1. Make sure all devices are added to the Mi Home app and connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Open Google Assistant or Xiao AI and connect your Mi Account: Assistant Settings → Smart Home → Add Service → Xiaomi Mi Home
3. Sign in and give access to the devices.
4. Now, you can use commands like this: 💡"Okay, Google, turn on the light in the living room" 🤖"Xiao AI, Launch a robot vacuum cleaner (in Chinese)

For Xiao AI, a list of supported commands in Chinese can be found in the official Mi Home documentation. Global firmware is better to use Google Assistant, as it supports more languages to manage devices.

⚠️ Note: By linking Mi Account to Google Assistant, all Xiaomi devices will be accessed via Google Home.This could create a vulnerability if your Google account is compromised.

FAQ: Frequent questions about assistants on Xiaomi