How to completely disable TalkBack on Xiaomi Redmi 9A: 5 working ways

The Xiaomi Redmi 9A is one of the most popular budget smartphones, but it’s not uncommon for owners to suddenly turn on TalkBack, a feature that changes standard gesture control, forces the phone to voice every action, and can completely paralyze the device if you don’t know how to deactivate it.

In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to disable TalkBack on Redmi 9A, from standard settings to emergency methods through Recovery Mode or ADB. Particular attention will be paid to situations when the screen does not respond to touch or the phone is locked. You will also learn how to prevent accidental activation of the function in the future and what to do if there are “glitches” in the system after disconnection.

Important: instructions are relevant for MIUI 12/13/14 (including global and Chinese firmware versions).If your Redmi 9A runs on custom firmware, some menu items may differ.

What is TalkBack and why does it turn on itself?

TalkBack is a special feature service from Google designed for people with visual impairments, which converts text on the screen into speech, adds vibrational prompts and changes standard control gestures.

• 👆 Single tap – highlights an element (instead of opening).
• 👆👆 Double tap – activates the selected element.
• 👉 Flicking with two fingers – replaces the standard swipe.

The function can be activated accidentally for several reasons:

• 🎲 Button combination: clamping Volume increase + Power for 3-5 seconds (on some firmware).
• 📱 System Error: After Updating MIUI or a failure in Google Play Services.
• 👶 Children or strangers: playing with your phone, you can activate the option in the settings.
• 🔄 Resetting: After returning to factory settings, TalkBack sometimes turns on automatically.

The main problem is that once activated, the standard gestures stop working, and users can not return the phone to normal mode, and then we will look at how to get out of this state.

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

If you can interact with the screen in any way (even with delays), try the standard method:

1. Unlock your phone. If the screen is locked, use a double tap to unlock (TalkBack changes the standard swipe).
2. Scroll through the screen with two fingers (up or down) to open the app menu.
3. Find the Settings icon (cog) and open it with a double tap.
4. In the settings menu, scroll down to Special Features (or Additional → Special Features in some versions of MIUI).
5. Select TalkBack (or Screen announcer) and double tap to move the slider to the off position.
6. Confirm the action in the window that appears by pressing OK (also double tap).

If the phone still behaves unusually after shutting down (for example, voices actions), restart it:

Press the power button → Select “Reset” → Confirm

Make sure your phone is unlocked.|Check the battery level (minimum 20%)|Connect the charger if the charge is below 15%|Close all background applications (in case of failure)-->

Method 2: Disconnect via Quick Settings (if the icon is visible)

In some versions of MIUI, the TalkBack icon appears in the Quick Settings Panel. Here's how to use it:

1. Swipe two fingers from top to bottom to open the notification curtain.
2. Find an icon with an eye in the square (or the words TalkBack).
3. Double tap it, click it - the function will turn off.

If there is no icon, try adding it:

1. Open the curtain and tap on the icon ⚙️ (Edit).
2. Find TalkBack in the list and drag it to the active area (use double tap to capture).
3. Save the changes and try to turn off the function again.

Method 3: Disconnecting via Google Assistant

If the gestures don’t work and Google Assistant is activated, you can use voice commands:

1. Activate the assistant: 🗣️ Say, “OK Google” (if the voice activation feature is enabled). 🔘 Press the Home button (if physical) for 2-3 seconds.

Say “Switch off TalkBack” or “Switch off the screen announcer.”

Confirm the action with a voice if the assistant requests.

If Google Assistant does not respond:

• 🔄 Make sure your phone is connected to the internet (TalkBack can block Wi-Fi or mobile data – check in the curtain).
• 🔊 Turn up the volume to hear the assistant's response.
• 📱 Try restarting your phone and repeating the command.

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If the voice assistant doesn’t recognize the command, try alternative wordings like “Disable Special Opportunity Service” or “Run Special Opportunity Settings.”

Method 4: Emergency button shutdown (if the screen is unresponsive)

If the screen is completely locked and does not respond to touch, try the hardware gesture reset:

1. Press the buttons at the same time: Volume up + Power for 10-15 seconds until the phone vibrates and restarts.
2. After the reboot, check if TalkBack is off. If not, move on to the next step.
3. Try the combination: Volume down + Power (on some firmware this calls up the Fastboot menu).

If the phone loaded in Fastboot Mode (black screen with a rabbit and the inscription FASTBOOT):

• 🔌 Connect the device to your PC and use the Mi Flash Tool to flash it (instruction below).
• 🔄 Or press the power for 20 seconds for a forced reboot.

⚠️ Warning: Forced reboot via Fastboot may reset some settings. If there was unsaved data on the phone, it may get lost.

Method 5: Complete Recovery Mode reset (extreme case)

If none of the methods worked, you'll have to reset to factory settings via Recovery Mode, which will delete all the data from your phone, so only use the method as a last resort.

1. Turn off the phone (squeeze the power for 10 seconds).
2. Press simultaneously: Volume up + Power and hold until the Mi logo appears.
3. Release the buttons when you see the Recovery Mode menu (English or Chinese text).
4. Use volume buttons for navigation and power to select Wipe Data (or Clear Data).
5. Confirm the reset by selecting Yes.
6. Once completed, select Reboot to reboot.

⚠️ Warning: Once reset via Recovery, the phone will return to factory settings. If you had a Mi Account binding, you will need to enter your Mi Account Lock login and password. If you don't remember the data, restore it in advance at account.xiaomi.com.

How to Prevent TalkBack Inadvertently Included in the Future

To avoid re-activating the function, follow a few simple steps:

• 🔒 Turn off the button combination: Go to Settings → Special facilities → TalkBack → Settings → The combination of buttons and deactivate the option.
• 🛡️ Set a password for settings: In Settings → System system → Additionally. → Settings protection turn on PIN-code for changing critical parameters.
• 👶 Use Child Mode: Activate Parental Controls in Settings → Annexes → Parental controls to restrict access to system functions.
• 📱 Update. MIUI: In new versions of firmware bugs with spontaneous inclusion TalkBack eliminated. Check the updates in Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.

We also recommend backing up important data (contacts, photos, messages) through Settings → System → Backup. This will help you quickly recover information after a reset.

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If TalkBack is activated after the MIUI update, check for patches in the System Update section, which is often fixed in the next firmware versions.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

When you turn off TalkBack, you're going to have a problem with the most common ones.

If no solution has worked and the phone is still in TalkBack mode, contact Xiaomi Service Center for a hardware failure (such as a sensor malfunction).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions