How to disable Alice in Yandex on Xiaomi phone

Modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones often come with software pre-installed by Russian developers, including Yandex services. Alice is one of the most prominent features of the ecosystem, but not all users like it when it is activated by random tap or starts automatically when the screen is turned on, especially annoying owners of budget models where the system resources are limited.

Disabling the assistant completely requires a comprehensive approach, as it can be integrated into the system at different levels: as a separate application, as a widget on the desktop or as part of the browser. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to deactivate voice control and background processes to return the phone to speed and silence. It is important to understand that some functions can be hidden in deep interface settings.

Before you take any drastic action, it’s worth assessing how deeply the service is embedded in your MIUI or HyperOS operating system. In global firmware versions, integration may be minimal, whereas in Russian versions, removing or disabling Yandex components may require a closer look at the menu.

Disabling the voice activator in the Yandex application

The main way to interact with the assistant is to use the official Yandex or Yandex Browser app, and that's where the main switches that respond to voice commands are located, and if your phone responds to the phrase "Listen to Yandex" or "Alice," you should look for the settings in the user profile.

To start, open the app and navigate to your profile by clicking on the human icon or avatar in the corner of the screen. Here you are interested in Settings, then Voice Functions or Alice. This menu hides key options that control virtual assistant behavior. Disabling here does not remove the app, but makes it "deaf" to commands.

⚠️ Warning: After resetting the app settings or reinstalling it, all changes can return to default values and voice activation will turn on again.

Inside the voice function menu, you'll find some important switches, the first one is usually called Voice Control or Voice Activation. The second one is called Listen to Yandex, which is a constant listening function for keyword activation. The third one is responsible for unlocking the screen with voice.

• 🗣️ Switch "Voice control" - completely prohibits the processing of voice requests in the application.
• 👂 Option “Listen to Yandex” – disables background listening to the key phrase, saving battery power.
• 🔓 "Voice unlocking – prohibits the use of voice biometrics to access a device or personal data.

Once you make changes, it is recommended that you completely close the application through Task Manager to update processes. On some versions of Xiaomi firmware, the settings can be duplicated in the system permissions menu, so it is worth checking them too. This ensures that the background service will not try to start the microphone without your knowledge.

Setting up Alice widget on the desktop

A common cause of accidental activation is a widget located on the home screen or in the left extreme screen (news aggregator). On Xiaomi smartphones, this interface element can occupy a significant part of the display and respond to touch. Removing or reconfiguring the widget is an effective way to get rid of unwanted launches.

To remove the widget, find it on your desktop. Press your finger on the widget areas before the vibration or edit menu appears. In the context menu that appears, select Remove or drag the basket icon to the top of the screen. If the widget is built into the system aggregator (left swipe), it can not be simply removed, but can be replaced.

To replace the news source and widgets in the left screen, go to the launcher settings. This is done by long tapping over the empty space on the desktop and selecting Settings (cogs). Find the Aggregator or Left Screen section and switch the source from Yandex to Google Discover or No.

Settings → Desktop → Aggregator → Google / Disconnected

If you don't want to delete the widget completely, you can change the widget's behavior. In the widget settings (usually available via long press and the "Widget Settings" button), you can turn off the microphone or animation display, which will make the interface static and less intrusive, but the widget will not be fully functional until you delete it.

Managing the Yandex browser and the start page

Yandex Browser is often the primary carrier of the Android voice assistant, and even if you rarely use it, it can work in the background and activate Alice through system shortcuts or widgets. Disabling the assistant inside the browser is a critical step.

Open your browser and click on the three dots (menu) in the bottom or top corner. Go to Settings and find the Voice or Alice section. You need to turn off the Voice Activation switch here. It's also worth checking the start page settings, as it often hosts a tap bar with a microphone.

It is important to distinguish between the settings of the browser and the settings of the Android system. The browser can request permission to use the microphone. If you disallow this permission in the system settings of Xiaomi, voice input in the browser will cease to work physically, which is a reliable way to block.

• 🌐 Open the browser menu (three dots) and go to Settings.
• 🔊 Find the Voice Opportunities section and disable activation.
• 🛑 In the system settings of the phone, forbid the browser access to the microphone.

Some users prefer to completely remove the browser if it is not in use. On Xiaomi smartphones with global firmware, this can be done in the standard way through the application menu (RU-firmware) the application may be system-based and not be deletionable, requiring the use of ADB-commands or superuser rights.

System permissions and background activity

The MIUI-based Android operating system provides powerful tools for controlling applications. Even if you turn off voice activation in settings, the app can try to run services in the background.

Go to Settings, then to Apps → All Apps. Go to Yandex or Yandex Browser. Inside the app menu, you're interested in Permissions. You'll need to find the Microphone and select the "Disallow" or "Ask" option. Without access to the microphone, the voice assistant is powerless.

Then go back to the app menu and look for Battery or Energy Saving. Set the background as No Limits (to prevent self-start) or, conversely, a Hard Limit if you want to minimize its activity. New versions of HyperOS have a "Begin in the background" feature that you should turn off.

It's also worth checking the Accessibility section, where sometimes assistants are embedded to control the screen, and if you see Yandex services there, you have to turn them off, and that prevents you from override the interface.

⚠️ Warning: Prohibiting microphone access can disrupt other app features, such as voice search or text dictation, if you need them.

💡

Use the Do Not Disturb mode or the Sleep profile in Xiaomi settings to automatically limit background activity of all apps, including Yandex, at night.

Radical methods: removal and ADB

If standard methods don't work or if the app continues to annoy with its presence, you can resort to more radical measures. On global versions of Xiaomi firmware, you can often simply remove the app (CN-Firmware with localized software) removal in the standard way is blocked.

To remove the system application without Root rights, you can use the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) computer and toolkit. This is a secure method that does not violate the warranty, but requires caution. You will need to download the platform-tools on your PC, enable debugging on your phone by USB and connect the cable.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.yandex.searchplugin


adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.yandex.browser

These commands remove the search plugin and browser for the current user. The phone will assume that the application is not there, although the files will physically remain in the system partition. This frees up RAM and removes all associated processes. To return applications, you just need to reset the phone settings.

There are also third-party launchers that completely replace the standard MIUI shell. Installing a launcher like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair allows you to ignore embedded widgets and services, creating a clean environment without the intrusive elements of Yandex. This changes the appearance of the phone, making it look like pure Android.

💡

Use of the ADB-commands allow you to remove system applications that cannot be removed by standard means without violating the integrity of the system.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)