How to turn on “OK Google” on Xiaomi: full instructions with pictures and tips

Why Xiaomi doesn’t have a voice assistant and how to fix it

You tried to say, "OK, Google" to your Xiaomi, but your smartphone stubbornly ignores the command? The problem is familiar to many owners of devices on MIUI — even though the voice assistant is built into Android by default, on Xiaomi firmware it often has to be configured manually. 80% of the time, the reason lies in the disabled permissions, conflict with the brand assistant Xiao AI or regional restrictions.

In this article, you will find 3 working ways to include OK Google on any Xiaomi, Redmi or smartphone POCO — From basic customization through the Google app to manually adding language and bypassing restrictions MIUI. We will also look at common errors (e.g., “Voice Matching Unavailable”) and give you tips on how to get the assistant to respond faster. MIUI 12–14, including global and Chinese firmware versions.

Before you start, check out two key points:

• 📱 Android Version: On devices older than Android 8.1, voice search may not work stable. → The phone. → Android version.
• 🌐 Google Region: if your account settings are China or Hong Kong, OK Google will be blocked. Corrected by changing the region to the US/Europe (instruction below).

Method 1: Basic setup through the Google app

The easiest method is to activate the assistant through the official Google app, which is suitable for 90% of users and takes no more than 3 minutes.

1. Open the Google app (an icon with the letter "G" on a color background). If it's not on the home screen, search by device.
2. Slip on the profile avatar in the upper right corner → select Settings → Voice search.
3. Go to the Voice Assistant section and turn on the Hey Google switch (or OK Google in older versions).
4. Click Next and go through the voice setting: Say "OK, Google" 3 times, then "Hi, Google" 3 more times, and this is for your voice recognition.

If the assistant does not respond to voice after setting up, follow these additional steps:

• 🔊 Check the microphone permissions: go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → Google → Permits and enable access to the microphone.
• 📵 Make sure you don’t activate Do Not Disturb or Power Saving for the Google app.
• 🌍 If you use MIUI In Chinese, switch system language to English (temporary solution).

Install the latest version of Google from the Play Market

Check your internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile data)

Turn off the VPN (if used)

Make sure the microphone is not busy with other applications (e.g. recording voices)-->

Method 2: Manually Adding Language for Voice Search

On some MIUI firmware (especially Chinese), OK Google may not work due to lack of supported language, so that you can add English (USA) or Russian to your voice input settings:

1. Open Settings → System → Language and input → Voice input.
2. Select Google from the list of voice input services.
3. Slip on languages and add English (USA) or Russian if they are not on the list.
4. Return to Voice Search (as in Method 1) and reset the Assistant.

Important: If there is no Russian in the list of languages, but there is English, set up the assistant in English, and then change the language of the Google interface to Russian in the account settings. This bypasses the MIUI restrictions without resetting the firmware.

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If Google still doesn’t work after setting up OK, try reinstalling the Google app: Remove the updates to Settings → Apps → Google → Three Dots → Remove the updates, then update it through the Play Market.

Method 3: Bypassing regional restrictions (for Chinese firmware)

On Xiaomi smartphones with Chinese firmware (China ROM), OK Google is often blocked at the system level, which is due to Google's policy in China, but the problem can be avoided in two ways:

Method 1: Change the Google Account Region

1. Open your browser and go to myaccount.google.com.
2. In the Personal Data section, search for Regional Settings and change the country to the US or Germany.
3. Save the changes and restart the smartphone.
4. Repeat the OK Google setting (Method 1).

Method 2: Installation of global firmware (for advanced)

If the change of region doesn't work, you just have to flash the device on Global ROM, which is a radical method, but it's guaranteed to solve the problem.

• 📱 Download Fastboot firmware for your model from en.miui.com (select Global version).
• 🔧 Unlock the bootloader through the Mi Unlock Tool (requires a binding Mi Account and wait 7-15 days).
• 🖥️ Swipe your device through the Mi Flash Tool in clean all mode.

⚠️ Attention: Fastboot firmware resets all data on the device. Pre-backup through Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset. Also note that unlocking the bootloader will void the warranty on some models (e.g, POCO F4 GT Xiaomi 13 Ultra).

How to speed up the response of OK Google to Xiaomi

Even after successful setup, the assistant can react with a delay, and this is due to MIUI optimization, which limits the background activity of applications, to speed up the work:

1. Turn off battery optimization for the Google app: Go to Settings → Apps → App management → Google → Battery. Select No Limits.
2. Add Google to Auto Run: In the same app settings, find Auto Run and turn it on.

Clear the cache.

• In the Google app settings, click Clear Cache and Clear Data, then reset the assistant.

Another effective trick is learning to voice in a quiet room, if you've been playing music or making noises in the background, the assistant may be less able to recognize commands. Go to Google Settings → Voice Search → Voice Assistant → Voice Model and retrain.

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On devices with a Snapdragon processor (like the POCO X3 Pro or Redmi K40), OK Google is faster than on smartphones with MediaTek (like the Redmi Note 11), which is due to better optimization of Google’s neural networks for Qualcomm chips.

Typical errors and their solutions

Even after you set it up correctly, users are faced with errors, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

1. "Voice matching is not available for this account"

The reason: Google’s account is tied to a region where OK Google is not supported (China, Hong Kong, some Asian countries).

Decision:

• 🌍 Change your account region to the United States/Europe (as in Method 3).
• 📧 Create a new Google account with a U.S. region and use it to set up an assistant.

2.The assistant only works when connected to the charger

Reason: MIUI limits the operation of background processes at low battery charge.

Decision:

• ⚡ Turn off Battery Optimization for Google App (instruction above).
• 🔋 Enable Performance Mode in Settings → Battery → Battery mode.

3. OK Google works, but doesn't execute commands

Reason: Conflict with the company assistant Xiao AI or disabled permissions.

Decision:

• 🤖 Shut down Xiao. AI: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Xiao AI → Shut down.
• 🔑 Check Google Permits: Microphone, Contacts (for calls) and Notifications must be enabled.

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If OK Google stopped working after the MIUI update, try rolling back the Google app version to the previous one. To do this, remove the updates (as in the checklist above) and disable the auto-update in the Play Market.

OK Google vs Xiao AI: Which Assistant is Best for Xiaomi

Many Xiaomi users don’t know that their smartphones have two voice assistants: OK Google (from Google) and Xiao AI (from Xiaomi), each with pros and cons:

So which assistant to choose?

• 🌍 If you are actively using Google services (Search, Maps, Gmail), OK Google will be more convenient.
• 🏠 If you have many Xiaomi devices (lamps, robot vacuum cleaners, smart sockets), Xiao AI It is better integrated with the Mi Home ecosystem.
• 🔋 If autonomy is important, Xiao AI consume less battery.

You can use both assistants in parallel, but this will increase battery consumption. To turn off one of them, go to the settings of the corresponding application and deactivate voice launch.

FAQ: Frequent questions about OK Google on Xiaomi