The Google Assistant button on Xiaomi Mi 9 often annoys users with random positives — especially if you’re used to holding the Home button for other actions. The 2019 smartphone defaults to attach this button to the voice assistant, and it’s not as easy to disable. In this article, we’ll look at all the working methods, from standard MIUI settings to radical methods with removing system applications.
Complicating the problem is that Xiaomi regularly updates the firmware, and the ways to turn off may vary depending on the version of MIUI (10, 11, 12+).We tested the solutions on current builds and collected only those methods that are guaranteed to work without the risk of “bricking” the device. If you are tired of accidental launches of the Assistant or simply do not use it, read on.
Why Google Assistant button is interfering with Xiaomi Mi 9
On the Mi 9, the default assistant button is tied to a long press on the home button (if you use button navigation) or a swipe gesture from the bottom corner (in full-screen gesture mode).
- 🎮 Game mode: random triggers during intense gameplay (for example, in the PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact – when your finger touches the gesture area.
- 📱 Full-screen applications: Assistant activates when trying to swipe up to return to the home screen.
- 🔋 Savings of charge: the assistant consumes up to 5-7% Batteries a day, even if you don’t use them.
- 🛠️ Conflict with other apps: Some launchers (like Nova Launcher) don’t handle the call gesture properly.
According to XDA Developers, on the Mi 9 with MIUI 12.5, the assistant fires an average of 12-15 times a day for users who do not use it purposefully, which is not only annoying, but also slows down the system — especially on devices with filled memory.
Method 1: Disconnect via MIUI settings (without root)
The safest method is to use built-in options MIUI. It's suitable for most users and doesn't require superuser rights. MIUI 10/11/12/13:
- Open Settings → Applications → All applications.
- Search the Google (or Google Assistant) list and tap it.
- Select Notifications → disable all switches (especially Show Notifications).
- Go back and press Rights → disable Autostart, Display on top of other windows and Modify system settings.
- Go to Settings → System and Device → Gestures (or Navigation Buttons, depending on version).
- Select Long Press Home (or Swipe Gesture from the corner) → Set the value of No Action or Menu.
⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI After the license is removed, the Assistant may continue to operate through 3-5 the second of holding the button, in which case you will need additional adjustment through ADB (see method 3).
☑️ Checklist before disabling Assistant
Method 2: Removing Google Assistant Updates
If the standard shutdown didn’t work, you can return the Assistant to the factory version by removing the updates.This method works because the Xiaomi Mi 9 comes with a pre-installed version of the assistant that’s less intrusive:
- Go to Settings → Applications → All Apps → Google Assistant.
- Click on the three dots in the upper right corner → Remove updates.
- Confirm action. The system will return the application to the factory version (usually 1.0 or 2.0).
- Open the Google Play Store, search for Google Assistant, and click Cancel Update (if the button is active).
- In the application settings (Settings → Applications → Google Assistant), disable Auto Update.
🔹 Effect: After rollback, the Assistant version will lose some of the features (for example, voice input in some applications), but will stop working from gestures. 1-2 Weeks, so it is also recommended to disable auto-update for all Google apps.
| Method | Root is required. | Risk to the system | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disconnection in MIUI settings | ❌ No. | ⚠️ Low. | ⭐⭐ (partial) |
| Removal of updates | ❌ No. | ⚠️ Medium. | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| ADB-team | ❌ No. | ⚠️⚠️ High-pitched | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Removal via Magisk | ✅ Yes. | ⚠️⚠️⚠️ critical | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Method 3: Disconnect via ADB (for power users)
If previous methods failed, you can block the Assistant at the system level using the ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which does not require root rights, but requires connecting the smartphone to the computer.
Step 1: Preparation
- Turn on Developer Mode on Mi 9: go to Settings → About Phone and tap on MIUI Version 7 times.
- Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and activate “Debugging by USB”.
- Download Platform Tools on your PC and unpack the archive.
Step 2: Execution of commands:
- Connect the Mi 9 to your computer via USB (select File Transfer mode).
- Open the command prompt (cmd) in the folder with Platform Tools and type:
adb devices(Your device should be displayed)
adb shell pm hide com.google.android.googlequicksearchboxThis command hides the Assistant from the system, but it doesn't remove it completely, and once you restart, the gesture will stop working.
⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI pm hide command may not be supported:
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox💡
If, after the execution, ADB-The assistant continues to run, check for duplicate services: enter the ADB Adb shell pm list packages | grep google and find packages called assistant or velvet. Turn them off in a similar way.
Method 4: Radical removal (root only)
If you have Magisk or another root rights manager installed, you can remove the Assistant completely. This method is irreversible and can lead to unstable work of some functions (for example, voice search in Google Chrome).
Instructions:
- Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Mixplorer).
- Go to /system/priv-app/GoogleQuickSearchBox or /system/app/GoogleQuickSearchBox.
- Delete the GoogleQuickSearchBox folder (pre-backup!).
- Reset the device.
🔹 Effects of consequences:
- ✅ The Assistant button will stop working forever.
- ❌ Voice search in Google apps will stop working.
- ❌ Possible errors in the update MIUI (The system can recover deleted files).
What if Google Services stopped working after deletion?
Alternative solutions: Replacing a gesture with another action
If you do not need to completely disable the Assistant, but only reassign the gesture, use these methods:
- 🔄 Button Mapper: Allows you to reassign a long press on the home button to start a camera, flashlight or other application. ADB to unlock additional functions.
Xiaomi Mi 9 S MIUI 12.5+ The swipe gesture from the corner can be reassigned only through ADB Or root. Standard settings. MIUI They do not provide such an opportunity.
Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
When disabling the Assistant, users often face these problems:
⚠️ Attention: If after completion ADB-When you tell the adb shell pm disable-user device to start braking, you tell the adb shell pm enable com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox to get it back. MIUI depend on Google services.
- 🔌 Assistant continues to start after disabling: Check if duplicate apps are installed (e.g. Google App and Google Assistant as separate packages.
- 🔄 Resetting settings after update MIUI: Xiaomi sometimes returns standard gestures after major updates.Before updating, back up your settings through Settings → Additionally. → Backup.
- 📵 The debugging doesn't work. USB: Make sure that the Developer Settings include the item "Debugging by" USB (security parameters) and Xiaomi drivers are installed on the PC.
💡
On Xiaomi Mi 9 with MIUI Global, disabling Assistant can lead to sync errors with your Google account. If you use Gmail, Google Drive or Google Photos, check these services in test mode before drastic changes.