How to Remove Blind Mode on Xiaomi: 5 Ways to Disable TalkBack and Voice Assistant

Did you accidentally activate the visually impaired mode on your Xiaomi device and now you can't use your smartphone or TV properly? The screen started to voice every touch, gestures stopped working, and the interface turned into a maze of double taps? Don't panic - this problem is easy to fix in a few steps.

The mode for people with visual impairments (most often TalkBack on smartphones or Voice Assistant on Mi TV) is switched on randomly — just three times press the power button or pinch the key combination. But turning it off without knowing the algorithm can be difficult: the system ignores the usual gestures, and the voice assistant prevents you from focusing. In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to turn off the blind mode on any Xiaomi device, from the Redmi Note 12 to the Mi TV Q2.

Important: If you use Xiaomi with custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), the paths to the menu may be different.

1. Standard disconnection through settings (for smartphones)

If you have Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO based on MIUI, try this method first. It works on 90% of devices, but requires accurate gesture execution.

TalkBack activated, the usual taps don't work. Instead, use:

• 👆 One touch – highlights the element (voice tells its name).
• 👆👆 Double touch – activates the selected element (analogue of a regular tapa).
• 👆👈 Swipe up. + right-hand-scroll down.
• 👇👉 Swipe down. + left-handed, scrolling up.

Now, follow the steps:

1. Unlock the screen (if you need a PIN, use double tap to enter each digit).
2. Swipe two fingers down the screen to open the notification bar.
3. Find the “Share” icon (Settings) – double touch on it.
4. In the settings menu, scroll down to the Special Features section (double tap).
5. Select TalkBack → move the slider to the “Off” position (double touch on the slider).
6. Confirm the disconnection in the dialog window.

Double-touch works like a regular tap | Voice prompts stopped | Scrolling gestures back to standard | Notification panel opens swipe down

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If you still have the mode active after this, move to the next option, and you may have an alternative accessibility service installed on your device (e.g., Select to Speak).

2. Disconnect via Quick Settings (for MIUI 12–14)

With newer versions of MIUI, TalkBack can be controlled directly from the Quick Settings Panel, which is the fastest way if you remember the location of the icon.

Algorithm:

1. Swipe two fingers down from the top edge of the screen to reveal the full notification bar.
2. Find a tile that says “TalkBack”** (usually hidden – swipe left on the panels to see everything).
3. Double touching the tile will shut down the service.

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If TalkBack tile is missing in quick settings, add it: click Edit (pencil icon) → find TalkBack in the list of inactive tiles → drag it to the top.

If the Quick Settings panel doesn’t open because of the active TalkBack, try an alternative gesture: swipe two fingers from the top edge of the screen down and hold for 2 seconds.

3. Resetting gestures and special features

When standard methods don't work, you can reset the special features to factory settings, which doesn't affect personal data, but it will return all availability settings to default.

Instructions:

1. Open the settings (double touch on the icon).
2. Go to About the Phone. → All parameters (or additionally).
3. Select Resetting Settings → Resetting special features settings.
4. Confirm the action with a password / pattern lock.

Once reset, the device will restart and TalkBack will be deactivated. If the problem persists, the system application may fail, move to the next section.

4. Disconnect via ADB (for advanced users)

If the screen doesn’t respond to touch or the device is locked, ADB debugging will help. This method requires a computer and USB debugging enabled (if it was activated earlier).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC via USB.
2. Open the command line (Win + R → enter cmd).
3. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must appear serial number of your device.
4. TalkBack: Adb shell settings put secure enabled_accessibility_services com.google.android.marvin.talkback/com.google.android.marvin.talkback.TalkBackService:com.xiaomi.accessibility/com.xiaomi.accessibility.talkback.TalkBackService
5. Reboot the device: adb reboot

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If USB debugging was not enabled before TalkBack activated, this method will not work, in which case only hardware reset remains (Section 5).

For Mi TV, the team will be different:

adb shell settings put secure enabled_accessibility_services com.droidlogic.TvAccessibilityService/.TvAccessibilityService

5. Hardware reset (last chance)

When none of these methods work, you have to reset to factory settings, which will delete all the data from the device, so use the method only as a last resort.

For smartphones Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO:

1. Turn off the device (press the power button + increase the volume for 10 seconds).
2. Press the Power button + Volume up before the Mi logo appears.
3. In the Recovery menu, select Wipe Data (use volume buttons for navigation, power button for confirmation).
4. Confirm the reset by choosing Yes.
5. After restarting, set the device as new.

For Mi TV:

1. Press Home + Menu for 5 seconds.
2. Select Wipe Data/Factory Reset from the Recovery menu.
3. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.

Standard settings |Quick settings |Resetting special features |ADB|Hardware reset |Not yet.

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Important: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi 9A or POCO M3) may require re-activation of the Mi Account after a hardware reset.

6.Switch off the Blind Mode on Mi TV

On Xiaomi TVs (Mi TV 4S, Mi TV Q1, Mi TV A2, etc.) the mode for the visually impaired is called Voice Assistant or TalkBack for TV. It turns off differently than on smartphones.

Method 1: Through settings

1. On the remote, click Settings (cog icon).
2. Go to All Settings → Special facilities.
3. Choose a Voice Assistant (Voice Assistant).
4. Move the slider to the "off" position.

Method 2: Hot keys

On some Mi TV models, the mode is turned off by a combination of remote buttons:

• 🔊 Hold the Loud down. + Home button for 5 seconds.
• 🎤 If you have a microphone on the remote, say “Switch off voice assistant”** (does not work on all firmware).

Method 3: Resetting settings

If the voice assistant does not turn off, reset the settings of the TV:

1. Go to Settings → About TV → Reset and Update.
2. Select Settings Reset (does not remove apps, only settings).

7. Why does the blind manoeuvre turn on itself?

Many Xiaomi users are faced with TalkBack or Voice Assistant activating without their involvement.

Frequent causes:

• 📱 Triple press of the power button – on some models, this is the hot key for TalkBack.
• 👶 Children or pets – random screen taps/remotes.
• 🔄 Failure after update MIUI — Especially relevant for betta versions of firmware.
• 🔌 Connecting external devices (keyboard, gamepad) can trigger accessibility services.
• 🛠️ Resetting – sometimes brings TalkBack back to active state.

How to prevent:

• 🔒 Turn off the hot keys: Settings → Special opportunities → TalkBack → Settings → Hot keys.
• 👧 Set up the child mode: Settings → Password and security → Childhood regime.
• 📵 Set the screen lock (PIN graphical).

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If TalkBack turns on after each MIUI update, roll back to the stable firmware version via Settings → About Phone → System Update → Three Points → Select the Service Pack.

8. Alternative methods of controlling the device

If the screen is completely locked due to TalkBack and the gestures don’t work, try these methods:

For smartphones:

• 🖱️ Connect. USB-mouse-wise OTG-Adapter – the cursor can be controlled even with an active TalkBack.
• 🎧 Use Google’s voice assistant: Say “OK Google, turn off TalkBack”** (works if voice search is enabled).
• 📱 On some models (Redmi Note 11, Xiaomi 12) a gesture with three fingers for a screenshot works – take a screenshot and unlock the device through Google Photos.

For Mi TV:

• 🎮 Connect the game controller via Bluetooth – it can navigate the menu.
• 📱 Install the Mi Remote app on your smartphone and control your TV as a remote control.

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If you have Xiaomi with an unlocked bootloader, you can temporarily flash custom recavers (such as TWRP) and disable TalkBack from there via the file /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db.

FAQ: Frequent questions

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Create a shortcut to quickly disable TalkBack: add the Settings widget to the home screen and select Special Features. Now you can turn off the 2-touch mode.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI for Russia (e.g. Redmi) 10C or POCO M5) The path to TalkBack settings may be different. If you don't find the "Special Features" section**, search by settings (the magnifying glass icon in the upper right corner).

⚠️ Note: If you use Xiaomi with firmware from third-party developers (e.g. Xiaomi.eu or Global) ROM), Before resetting, check that the firmware is compatible with your model. An improper reset can cause the device to "brick"** (inoperability.