How to disable Google Assistant on Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro

Many Xiaomi smartphone users are faced with a situation where Google’s voice assistant is activated accidentally when unlocking the screen or removing the device from your pocket. For owners of the Redmi Note 9 Pro model, this problem is especially relevant, since the MIUI shell often includes the function of calling the assistant with a long press of the power button. This action can be annoying if you are used to a certain scenario of using the gadget and do not plan to use voice control.

Disabling the service does not require deep programming knowledge or superuser rights. Standard Android operating system tools allow you to completely deactivate or limit the function in a few touches. However, it is important to understand that the complete removal of the system component can affect the operation of other services that depend on voice input, so it is worth considering all available configuration options.

In this article, we will discuss in detail the action algorithms for different versions of MIUI firmware that can be installed on your Redmi Note 9 Pro. You will learn how to reassign the power button, where to find hidden activity settings and what to do if standard methods do not give the desired result.

Setting up the power button in the MIUI interface

The most common way to accidentally launch Google Assistant on Xiaomi smartphones is by pressing the power button for a long time. In newer versions of the MIUI shell, developers have changed the logic of this key to make it a call to the off menu, but in some regions or versions of the firmware, the setting may have remained the same.

To change the behavior of the physical button, you need to go to the system settings section. Find the option for additional device functions and select the option associated with the key combination. Here you will see a switch that allows you to select the action when you press long-term: call the off menu or start the voice assistant.

• 📱 Go to your smartphone settings.
• 🔍 Find additional features or special features.
• ⚙️ Select the key combination item.
• 🔘 Switch the option “Long press of the power button” to the Shutdown menu.

⚠️ Note: If after changing the settings, the power button continues to call the assistant, it is possible that the system activated access mode from the locked screen, which has its own priority settings.

After making the changes, it is recommended to restart the device so that the new settings take effect, which ensures that Android system services correctly rewrite the configuration file responsible for handling hardware interrupts from the buttons of the case.

Disconnection through settings of Google services

Even if you change the purpose of the button, the Google Assistant service itself can continue to work in the background, responding to voice commands or other triggers. For full control, you need to go directly to the settings of the assistant application itself, which will disable functions that are independent of the physical buttons of the smartphone.

Open the Google app on your Redmi Note 9 Pro. In the upper or lower right corner of the screen, find the profile icon or settings menu. You will need to go to the section dedicated to the voice assistant, where all the parameters of its activity are concentrated, including recognition of the phrase “OK, Google” and access from the lock screen.

In the assistant settings menu, look for the tab "All Assistant settings" and you should look for "Google Assistant" and put the slider inactive, which is the most effective way to do this, because it stops the voice query engine itself, rather than just hiding the interface.

Also, look at the Phone section inside the Assistant settings, and make sure that the option to use Google Assistant instead of the built-in voice dial is turned off, which will prevent the voice assistant from intercepting calls when you bring the phone to your ear or press the call button in the contacts.

Managing Application Permits and Access

The Android operating system provides users with powerful tools to manage application access rights, and if standard settings don't work, you can limit the service at the system level, a more radical method that actually chokes the application in the bud, preventing it from using the microphone or appearing on the screen.

Go to Settings -> Apps -> All Apps. Search the Google app (often with a green G icon) and inside the app menu you are interested in Permissions, where you need to access the microphone and turn it off. Without access to the microphone, the voice assistant will not be able to hear your command.

• 🚫 Microphone: Disable access so assistant doesn't hear commands.
• 📱 Over Other Windows: Disabling will prevent the interface from appearing on top of other applications.
• 🔔 Notifications: you can hide intrusive tips from the service.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling the microphone for the main Google app could affect the work of dictating text in the Gboard keyboard and voice search in the Chrome browser.

Another important parameter is "Above Other Windows" access, which is the permission that allows the assistant to pop up on top of the desktop or open programs, and disabling this feature in the special features menu or in the permissions of a particular application is guaranteed to prevent the assistant interface from appearing at the wrong time.

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If you use text dictation, turn off the microphone only for Google Assistant in the app settings, but leave it for Google Advertising Services or Keyboard if possible in your version of Android.

Use of energy saving regimes

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro smartphones are equipped with an aggressive MIUI power optimization system, which can be used to force the background processes of Google Assistant to stop. When the device goes into energy saving mode, the system limits the activity of background services, which can be an effective temporary solution to the problem.

In battery settings, you can add Google to the exception list or configure it, but a more effective method is to use Full Performance or Conversely, Power Saving with manual background activity restriction. In some versions of MIUI, there is the option to freeze applications.

Go to the Security app (standard for Xiaomi). Go to the Battery section and find your background settings. Find Google-related processes in the list and limit their background work. This will not shut down the service completely, but will prevent it from constantly running in the background and listening to the environment.

It is worth noting that this method is not a permanent solution, as when rebooting the phone or updating system services, settings can reset, but for users who critically need to save battery power and at the same time get rid of the assistant, this method can be a good compromise.

Alternative methods and third-party solutions

If the built-in MIUI and Google settings fail, more advanced methods can be used, such as the Play Market button redefinition apps, which intercept physical keystrokes and redirect them to other actions, ignoring system settings.

Applications like Button Mapper allow you to assign a long press of the power button to any other action, such as running a flashlight or simply "Nothing," which creates a software barrier that the system cannot bypass by standard methods, but using such applications requires special permissions through the ADB or the special features menu.

adb shell pm grant com.flarome.homebutton android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

This command (injected via a computer with a connected phone) is required for some mapper applications to change the system behavior of buttons. Using third-party software requires caution, since you trust the application to control the navigation of the device.

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Using third-party apps to reassign buttons is the most reliable way if Xiaomi’s system settings block the change in the behavior of the power button.

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