Xiaomi Mi 9 smartphones have become iconic devices for the company, offering flagship specs at an affordable price. However, like many modern Android gadgets, they come with a pre-installed set of Google services, among which the voice assistant is central. For many users, activating this service by pressing a power button or accidentally touching the screen becomes a source of constant irritation, interrupting work.
Disabling Google Assistant is not just a way to remove unnecessary notifications, but also an opportunity to save battery power, as background listening processes consume system resources. Mi 9 owners often face a situation where standard locking methods do not work due to the features of the MIUI shell and operating system versions. In this article, we will discuss all available methods of deactivation, from simple settings to deep configuration of system parameters.
Understanding how to manage system services gives you complete control over the device, and we'll look at not only standard shutdown techniques, but also the nuances that can arise in the process. It's important to act consistently so that you don't disrupt other important functions of the smartphone.
Why you should turn off the voice assistant on Xiaomi
Voice assistants are certainly a useful tool for navigation and quick information retrieval, but their constant availability comes at a cost. On the Xiaomi Mi 9 with its compact battery, every percentage of charge counts. Google Assistant's background activity can quietly expend up to 5-10% of energy per day, which is critical for active users.
Also, many users are concerned about privacy, because listening to trigger phrases implies that the smartphone’s microphone is partially active, and while Google claims data security, the ability to fully deactivate this feature gives a sense of greater control over the personal device.
Another important aspect is to prevent accidental launches: In your pocket or when carried in your bag, the screen can respond to touch, calling the assistant and wasting charge.
- 🔋 Energy savings: Reducing background load on processor and microphone extends battery life.
- 🔒 Privacy: Completely eliminates the possibility of random recording of conversations or commands.
- 🚫 No Errors: Avoiding false positives when removing your phone from your pocket.
⚠️ Note: Before making changes to system settings, it is recommended to back up important data to avoid accidental loss of information.
Basic Disconnection through Google Account Settings
The easiest and safest way to limit the functionality of the assistant is to use the built-in settings of the Google app itself, a method that does not require root rights and is available on any MIUI firmware, you need to find the partition responsible for voice control and deactivate key functions.
Open the Google app on your Xiaomi Mi 9 and go to your user profile. Here we're interested in Settings, then Google Assistant. This is where the main switches that control service behavior are hidden. Find the Google Assistant option and turn the switch to off.
However, just turning off the assistant is sometimes not enough, because it can be activated through the lock screen, so it is also important to find the screensaver or Lock screen setting and disable access to the assistant from the locked screen, which will prevent it from starting when the phone is lying on the table.
☑️ Checking account settings
Once you do this, the system will stop responding to the voice commands “OK, Google” and (long press) home buttons if it was set to launch the assistant, a basic level of protection that suits most users.
Configure the control buttons in MIUI
Owners of the Xiaomi Mi 9 often complain that the assistant is called by a long press of the power button. This is standard behavior for many versions of Android, but in the shell of MIUI it can be changed.
Follow the Settings → Additional Features → Buttons (the path may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI, sometimes it is Settings → Advanced Settings → Buttons). Here you will see the option “Action with a long press of the power button”.
The default is Google Assistant, and change that to Nothing or Shutdown Menu if you want a long tap to trigger the reboot menu, and that action will physically break the link between the button and Google service.
| Action. | The way is on the menu | Recommended value |
|---|---|---|
| Power button (long) | Settings → Buttons | Nothing/Menus |
| Voice input | Settings → Google → Settings | Off. |
| Lock screen | Settings → Lock screen | No access. |
If there is no direct action choice in the button menu, try updating the Google app or the MIUI system itself. In older versions of the firmware, this setting may have been hidden or absent, requiring alternative solutions.
Managing application permissions
A radical but effective method is to restrict Google's app rights, so if you deny it access to the microphone and location, the assistant's functionality will be severely limited, even if it's formally enabled, creating a barrier that prevents the service from working properly.
Go to Settings → Applications → All apps. Find the Google app (not to be confused with Google Assistant, although settings are often synchronized) in the list. Select Permissions.
You need to deny access to the Microphone, without this component, voice input will not physically work, and it is also recommended to disable access to Geoposition and Contacts, unless you use other Google services that require this data.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling access to the microphone may disrupt the voice recorder, voice dialing functions, and other applications that use audio input.
Once the settings are changed, the system can request confirmation or alert you to some of the functions that are not working properly. Confirm the action. Now, even if you accidentally activate the assistant, it will report that it has no access to the microphone and will not execute the command.
Use of energy saving regimes
The Xiaomi Mi 9 features powerful battery optimization tools that can help combat unwanted activity in the background. Power saving modes often force applications not in use at the moment, effectively disabling Google Assistant.
In the Security app (standard for MIUI), go to Battery, select Battery or Ultra mode. In Ultra mode, background activity is almost completely stopped, and the assistant stops listening to commands until you unlock the phone.
You can also set the limits for a particular application. In the battery menu, find "App Battery Consumption," select Google, and set a background limit. This won't turn off the feature completely, but it will make it impossible to start when the screen is off.
Impact of regimes on notifications
This method is ideal for situations where the phone is only needed for emergency calls or when you are in a poor network coverage area and every milliamper counts.
Specific problems Xiaomi Mi 9 and their solution
The Mi 9 has its own features, which are associated with an optical fingerprint scanner built into the screen, sometimes confusing the scanner’s response with an attempt to call an assistant, and in some regional versions of firmware (Global, EU, China), the paths to settings may differ.
If standard methods don’t work, try clearing Google app data. Go to Settings → Apps → Google → Memory → Clear data. This will reset all personalized settings and can remove bugs that cause spontaneous launch.
In some cases, disabling the Quick Start or Quick Start feature in lock screen settings helps.This feature lets you quickly start the camera or other apps, but on the Mi 9 it sometimes conflicts with Google gestures.
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If the problem has returned after resetting, check if you have a third-party button management app installed or a launcher that intercepts control.
It is also worth mentioning that on the Mi 9 with the update to Android 10 and higher, the logic of gestures has changed. Make sure that the settings “Full screen mode” is not assigned to unnecessary actions on swipes from the corners of the screen.
Alternative methods and system constraints
For advanced users, there are methods to disable system components via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the phone to a computer and typing commands, which allows you to completely freeze the Google Assistant package, making it undisplayable on the system.
The command to disable is something like this: pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.apps.googleassistant. Using this method requires caution, since inept interference with system packages can lead to unstable operation of the device.
However, for most Xiaomi Mi 9 users, a combination of the methods described above is enough: disabling account settings, changing the power button and denying access to the microphone.
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A comprehensive approach that combines account settings and system limitations gives the best result without the need to obtain root rights.
Remember that completely removing Google Assistant is impossible without a deep modification of the system, which is not recommended for ordinary users for security and stability reasons.