How to turn off the mode for the blind (TalkBack) on Xiaomi smartphones: all working ways

Xiaomi’s Blind Mode (known as TalkBack or Screen Narrator) is a useful feature for people with visual impairments, but it can turn on your smartphone accidentally, making it a nightmare: the screen stops responding to touch, voice cues get in the way, and standard gestures work differently. If you find yourself in this situation, don’t panic: you can turn it off in a number of ways, even if the phone seems completely locked.

In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of disabling TalkBack on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices, from simple button combinations to advanced solutions through ADB. We will pay special attention to the nuances for different versions of MIUI (12-14) and Android (10-14), and also tell you how to avoid re-enabled mode. If you have never encountered special services, our step-by-step instructions with pictures and videos will help you understand even without technical knowledge.

What is the Blind Mode on Xiaomi and Why It Is Turned On

TalkBack (in Russian firmware, it can be called Screen Narrator or Talking Screen) is an Android built-in tool that converts the visual interface into voice prompts. It is designed for people with visual impairments, but is often activated by accident:

• 🎲 Triple press of the power button – on some Xiaomi models (for example, Redmi Note 10 Pro or the other two models). POCO X3 Pro) is the default gesture to enable TalkBack.
• 👆 Long-term clamping of two fingers on the screen is another standard gesture for activation.
• 📱 Update error MIUI — Sometimes, after installing a new version of the firmware, the service is automatically turned on.
• 🧒 Children or pets – Accidental touches can trigger the mode, especially if the settings have disabled protection against random gestures.

The main problem with the mode is that it completely changes the logic of smartphone management, for example, one touch now does not open the application, but only highlights it, and to confirm the action you need double-tap, which confuses even experienced users, not to mention beginners.

⚠️ Warning: If TalkBack is turned on after a phone drop or moisture hits, first check the sensor's performance.

Method 1: Disable TalkBack via Settings (if the screen is responsive)

If you've unlocked your phone and your screen is responsive to touch, try the standard method through the settings menu. In TalkBack, gestures work differently, so follow the instructions carefully:

1. Unlock the phone. If the screen is black, swipe across it, and the voice assistant will report it unlocked.
2. Make a swipe down gesture with two fingers (as if pulling out a notification curtain) and this will open the Quick Settings panel.
3. Find the "Settings" icon and tap it once (not double tap!). TalkBack will say, "Settings, double tap to activate."
4. Double tap the settings icon to open the menu.
5. In the settings menu, swipe down until you hear "Special Features" (or "Additional Features" in older versions of MIUI). tap once, then double tap to log in.
6. Find the "TalkBack" or "Screen announcer" item, tap once, then double tap to open.
7. At the top of the screen, there's a slider or an "Off" button, and you tap it once, then double tap it.

If the mode has turned off after this action, but after a while it turns on again, check the gesture settings in the section Special features → Gestures.

Back up your important data | Make sure your phone is over 30% charged | Connect to Wi-Fi (if you need to download updates) | Remember your Mi Account password (may be needed to reset)

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Method 2: Using physical buttons (if the sensor is not working)

If the screen doesn’t respond to touch, or you can’t unlock the phone because of TalkBack, try turning off mode using hardware buttons.This method works on most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models released after 2018.

Instructions:

1. Press the power button and volume button for 3-5 seconds at the same time until the phone vibrates.
2. Without releasing the buttons, wait until the Reboot or Shutdown menu appears (some models may have the Mi logo).
3. Release the buttons and immediately press the power + volume reduction button for 10-15 seconds, which will force the device to restart.
4. After the reboot, TalkBack can shut down automatically. If not, try unlocking your phone and repeat Method 1.

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T or Redmi K50) If you see a rabbit in a hat, let go of the buttons and try again with less effort.

If this method doesn’t work, try an alternative combination:

• 🔄 Hold the power. + loudening + Reduce volume by 10 seconds (works on the POCO F3 and similar models).
• 🔋 If the phone is discharged, plug in the charger and try again - sometimes the mode resets after recharging.

Method 3: Disconnect with Google Assistant (if voice assistant is enabled)

If your Xiaomi has Google Assistant (or Alice from Yandex) activated, you can try to turn off TalkBack with voice, which works even if the screen is locked, but requires a pre-setting of voice control.

Instructions:

1. Say it loudly: “OK, Google” or “Alice” (depending on the settings).
2. After activating the assistant, say “Disable TalkBack” or “Switch off the screen announcer.”
3. If the assistant requests confirmation, answer “Yes.”
4. Wait 5-10 seconds – the mode should be deactivated.

If the voice assistant does not respond:

• 🔊 Make sure the microphone is not silenced (check the physical switch on the phone if there is one).
• 📶 Check your Internet connection – without a Google network, the Assistant is limited.
• 🔄 Restart your phone and try again.

On some MIUI firmware (especially Chinese), Google Assistant is disabled by default, in which case try using Mi AI Assistant (if installed) with a command in Chinese: "TalkBack" (guān bì TalkBack).

Through settings|Physical buttons|Voice assistant|ADB-team|Another way.|Nothing helped.-->

Method 4: Disable TalkBack via ADB (for power users)

If standard methods don’t work, you can turn off the blind mode with Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a technique that requires a computer and a little technical skill, but is guaranteed to work even on locked phones.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows, macOS or Linux.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 📥 Installed Xiaomi drivers (you can download from the official website).
• 🛠️ Utility. ADB (It is part of Android Studio or can be downloaded separately).

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on USB debugging mode on your phone (if it's not already on). To do this: Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version and tap it 7 times until the message "You're a developer" appears. Go back to Settings → Additional → Developer and enable USB debugging.

Connect the phone to your computer and confirm your trust in the device (a request will appear on the phone screen).

Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

adb devices

Make sure your phone is displayed in the list of devices.

Execute the command to disable TalkBack:

adb shell settings put secure enabled_accessibility_services com.google.android.marvin.talkback/.TalkBackService:com.xiaomi.accessibility.talkback.TalkBackService

Then:

adb shell pm disable-user com.google.android.marvin.talkback

Reboot the phone:

adb reboot

If TalkBack is still active after the reboot, try an alternative command:

adb shell settings put secure accessibility_enabled 0

⚠️ Attention: Teams ADB It may vary depending on the version MIUI. On some firmware (for example, MIUI 13 Global) com.google.android.marvin.talkback is replaced by com.xiaomi.accessibility.talkback.

Method 5: Resetting settings to factory (extreme case)

If no methods have worked, the last option is to reset your phone to factory settings, which will remove all data from the device, including photos, contacts and apps, so only use this method as a last resort.

How to reset Xiaomi with Recovery Mode:

1. Turn off the phone (press the power button and select “Switch off”).
2. Press the power button and volume button for 10-15 seconds at the same time until the Mi logo and Recovery menu appear.
3. Use volume buttons for navigation and power buttons for selecting a point. Choose a language (usually English or Chinese).
4. Go to Wipe Data → Wipe All Data (or similar).
5. Confirm the reset by selecting Confirm.
6. After the process is complete, select Reboot to reboot.