How to Turn Off TalkBack on Xiaomi: All Ways for Redmi, POCO and Mi

TalkBack, the voice assistant on Xiaomi smartphones, is often activated by accident — just press the power button three times or press two volume keys. Once turned on, the screen begins to voice all actions, gestures stop working, and phone control turns into anguish. Especially unpleasant when the function is triggered on devices with MIUI 12/13/14, where the interface is already overloaded with settings.

In this article, 5 proven ways to disable TalkBack on Xiaomi, including Forced mode for locked screens and ADB methods for power users. We’ll break down the nuances for different versions of MIUI, explain why standard two-finger retention doesn’t always work, and show you how to return a regular touchscreen without resetting. If your Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5 suddenly talks, you’re in the right place.

What is TalkBack and Why it Turns On

TalkBack is a special feature service from Google designed for people with visual impairments, which converts text on the screen into speech, describes gestures and actions, but when activated accidentally interferes with ordinary users.

• 🔄 After triple pressing the power button (default setting in Settings) → Special facilities)
• 🔊 When simultaneously clamping the volume buttons up/down for 3 seconds (hot keys)
• 📱 After updating MIUI, When the availability settings are reset
• 🔧 Through third-party applications requesting special features management rights

The main problem is that once activated, TalkBack blocks the standard gestures: swipes, taps and even unlocking the screen require double tapping. Many users try to turn off the phone with a power button in panic, but this only makes the situation worse, since special actions are also needed to turn off the phone.

⚠️ Warning: If TalkBack is on a locked screen, the standard two-finger holding to turn off will not work.In this case, use the methods in the "Emergency Shutdown on a Locked Phone" section".

Method 1: Standard Disconnection through Settings (if the screen is unlocked)

If you can unlock your phone, follow this instruction:

1. Open the settings (double touch with delay).
2. Scroll down to the Special Features section (use two fingers for scrolling).
3. Select TalkBack → Translate the slider to the off position..
4. Confirm the action in the dialog window.

If the slider is inactive or gray:

• 🔓 Check if Administrator Mode for TalkBack is enabled in Settings → Annexes → Special access → Device administrators.
• 🔄 Reboot your phone – sometimes it resets temporary locks.

On some models (POCO F4, Redmi K50) after disabling TalkBack, the “Select for voice” function may remain active – it must also be deactivated in the same settings section.

Method 2: Emergency shutdown on a locked screen

If the phone is locked and TalkBack prevents you from entering the PIN/pattern lock:

1. Press both volume buttons for 3 seconds – this should trigger the reboot menu.
2. In the window that appears, select Reboot (use double tap).
3. After the reboot, you will have 5 seconds to disable TalkBack before it is activated again.

If this method has not worked:

• 🔌 Connect your phone to your PC through USB and use ADB (instruction).
• 📞 Call your phone from another device – TalkBack is temporarily suspended during the call and you can try to unlock the screen.

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi with MIUI 14 and later, the volume button combination may not work due to the changed logic of the hot keys. In this case, try to press the power button. + Volume increase by 10 seconds for forced reboot.

Method 3: Disconnect via ADB (for power users)

If standard methods don’t help and the phone is unlocked but TalkBack doesn’t turn off, use Android Debug Bridge (ADB):

1. Turn on USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (7 times tap on version, then return to Additional → For developers).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: 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
3. Reset the device.

To completely reset availability settings, use:

adb shell settings reset secure

⚠️ Attention: Teams ADB claim USB Debugging and can reset other special features settings. Do not use adb shell pm uninstall - this will delete the system application and can cause errors in the system. MIUI.

Method 4: Resetting special features settings

If TalkBack is turned on again after the reboot, reset the availability settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find TalkBack in the list and select Warehouse.
3. Click Clear Data and Clear Cache.
4. Reboot the phone.

To completely reset all availability parameters:

1. Open Settings → Special Opportunities → Special Opportunities settings.
2. In the upper right corner, press ⋮ → Reset the settings.

Xiaomi with MIUI 13+ may need to reset gestures and hotkeys after reset, as they are tied to the accessibility profile.

💡

If TalkBack is activated again after reset, check apps like Google Assistant or Mi AI — they can automatically enable features for the visually impaired. Turn them off Settings → Special Features → Services.

Method 5: Disconnecting via Safe Mode

If TalkBack is activated because of a third-party app, download your phone to Safe Mode:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the power button and when the MI logo appears, press the volume down button until full load.
3. In the lower right corner, the inscription Safe mode will appear.
4. Disable TalkBack via settings (see Method 1).
5. Reboot your phone to exit Safe Mode.

Safe Mode has disabled all third-party apps, so if the problem has disappeared, it's the culprit among the newly installed software.

• 🔍 Automation applications (e.g. MacroDroid, Tasker)
• 🎮 Launchers with gesture support (e.g. Nova Launcher)
• 🤖 Applications with AccessibilityService rights (list in Settings) → Special facilities → Installed services)

How to prevent accidental switching on TalkBack

To avoid re-activation:

1. Turn off the hotkeys: Go to Settings → Special features → TalkBack → Settings. Turn off the Power Button option for TalkBack.
2. Remove TalkBack from the Administrator List: In Settings → Applications → Special Access → Device Administrators. Uncheck TalkBack.
3. Turn off automatic updates to Google services: C Settings → Annexes → All applications → Google Play services. Press ⋮ → Turn off auto-update.

On POCO and Redmi with MIUI 14, it is also recommended to disable the Mi AI Assistant, as it may conflict with TalkBack:

1. Press the Home button (or swipe up with a delay).
2. In the menu that appears, select ⚙ → Turn off Mi. AI.

💡

Even after TalkBack is disabled, some features (such as voice notifications) may remain active. Check Settings → Sound → Text to Speech and turn off all the extra.

FAQ: Frequent questions about TalkBack on Xiaomi