How to change the voice of the robot vacuum cleaner Xiaomi: from standard options to custom solutions

Why Change Your Voice and What You Need to Know Before Starting

Voice alerts from the Xiaomi Vacuum Mop robot vacuum cleaner are not just a sound background, but an important element of interaction with the device. A standard female voice in Chinese or English can be annoying, incomprehensible or simply boring with time. Fortunately, the manufacturer and enthusiasts offer several ways to change it, from official settings in the Mi Home app to install custom firmware with support for Russian-speaking voices or even celebrity voices.

Before you make any changes, consider three key points: First, not all models support voice change through regular means — for example, budget versions like Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop Essential often do not have this option. Second, alternative firmware (like Valetudo) require unlocking the device, which may deprive you of warranties. Third, some methods (such as replacing audio files manually) involve the risk of “bricking” the vacuum cleaner if you act in a sloppy way. We will detail each method so you can choose the best option without unpleasant surprises.

In this article you will find:

• 🔍 Official ways to change voice through Mi Home (including hidden settings for different regions).
• 🛠️ Manual methods for advanced users: replacement of sound files, firmware through ADB.
• ⚠️ Risks and warnings to avoid modification errors.
• 🎤 Where to download alternative voices (including Russian-language packs and voices from movies).

Method 1: Officially change voice through the Mi Home app

The easiest and safest method is to use the built-in settings in the proprietary application. It is suitable for most models Xiaomi Vacuum Mop released after 2020 (for example, Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Pro, Xiaomi Robot Vacuum-Mop S10, etc.).

Step instructions:

1. Open the Mi Home app and select your vacuum cleaner from the device list.
2. Go to Settings → Voice Alerts (or Settings → Voice Pack in English).
3. In the list of available voices, select the desired option: 🇨🇳 Chinese (female/male). 🇬🇧 English (British or American accent). 🇷🇺 Russian (only for certain regions, e.g. Russia/Belarus). 🇩🇪 German/🇫🇷 French (in European firmware).

Download

Restart the vacuum cleaner (power button for 5 seconds) to apply the changes.

Important: If your app doesn't have Voice Alerts, it means your model doesn't officially support voice change, so move on to the following ways.

Update the Mi Home app to the latest version|

Make sure the vacuum cleaner is connected to Wi-Fi|

Check the firmware version of the device (in the vacuum cleaner settings)|

Charge the vacuum cleaner at least 50% |

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Method 2: Hidden regional settings (for models without official support)

Some Xiaomi Vacuum Mop models (e.g. Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 1T or Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P) do not have a visible voice change point in the Mi Home, but support replacing it through a region change of device, which works because different voice packs are embedded in firmware for different countries.

How to do this:

1. In the Mi Home app, go to the vacuum cleaner settings and find Region (or Region).
2. Select the country for which the desired voice is available: 🇷🇺 Russia – Russian voice (if it is in the firmware). 🇺🇸 United States – English with an American accent. 🇬🇧 English with a British accent. 🇩🇪 Germany - German Voice.

After the region changes, reset the vacuum cleaner.

⚠️ Warning: Changing the region may affect other vacuum cleaner settings, such as units of measurement (meters vs. feet) or available cleaning features. Before changing, take screenshots of the current settings to then return them back.

If your voice hasn't changed after the region change, then your model doesn't support this method, and then you're left with the manual methods, which I'll talk about later.

Method 3: Install custom firmware (Valetudo, OpenMiHome, etc.)

For advanced users willing to sacrifice a warranty for the sake of complete control of the vacuum cleaner, there is the possibility of installing alternative firmware.

• 🔧 Valetudo – open firmware with support for Russian, custom voices and advanced functions (for example, zoning without cloud).
• 🔄 OpenMiHome - a modified version of the standard firmware with unlocked functions.

These firmwares allow not only to change voice, but also to remove the cloud binding to Xiaomi, speed up the vacuum cleaner and add support for informal voice packages.

The installation process includes several stages:

1. Unlocking the vacuum cleaner through an exploit (e.g. mirobo.klaptek.pl for old models or DustBuilder for new ones).
2. SSH connection and custom firmware download via SCP or Web interface.
3. Install a voice packet via the Valetudo menu or manually (files in.mp3 or.wav format).

Example of a command to connect to a vacuum cleaner via ADB:

adb connect 192.168.1.100 (IP- address of your vacuum cleaner)


adb shell

⚠️ Note: Installing custom firmware will void the warranty and may cause the device to operate unstable. Before the procedure, back up the original firmware (instructions are available on the forums). 4PDA Also note that some models (e.g. Xiaomi Vacuum-Mop) S10+) They have firmware protection – they will require an additional dongle (USB-to-UART).

Where to download firmware and voices:

• 🌐 Official repository of Valetudo: GitHub.
• 🎵 Voice Packages for Xiaomi: Forum 4PDA (Topics for vacuum cleaner models).
• 📦 Archive with celebrity voices (e.g. Alice from Yandex or Jarvis from Iron Man): Google Drive (links are frequently updated).

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Before installing Valetudo, check the compatibility of your model at valetudo.cloud.Some vacuum cleaners require soldering work to connect to the device. UART-port!

Method 4: Manually Replace Audio Files (for Power Users)

If you don’t want to install custom firmware but are willing to dig into the vacuum cleaner’s file system, you can manually replace the audio files, a method that works on most Xiaomi Vacuum Mop models, but requires SSH access and knowledge of the basics of Linux.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect to the vacuum cleaner via SSH (logins / passwords for different models can be found on 4PDA).
2. Go to the folder with the audio files. Usually this is cd /mnt/default/rockrobo/voice/ or cd /mnt/UDISK/voice/
3. Download original files to your computer for backup: scp -r root@192.168.1.100:/mnt/default/rockrobo/voice/./backup_voice/
4. Replace your files with your own (the format should match: 16-bit PCM, 16 kHz, mono).
5. Reboot the vacuum cleaner: reboot

The format of sound files and their purpose:

⚠️ Warning: Incorrect audio file format (e.g., bitrate above 64 kbps) can cause the vacuum cleaner to freeze or damage the firmware. Before replacing, check the files in an audio editor (e.g., Audacity) and convert them to the desired format.

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Manually changing sounds is the most flexible method, but it requires technical skills, and if you are not confident in your abilities, it is better to use official methods or custom firmware with ready-made voice packets.

Method 5: Use of third-party applications (e.g. Home Assistant)

If your vacuum cleaner is integrated into a smart home system (like Home Assistant, Yandex Smart Home or Google Home), you can turn off the original voice alerts and replace them with your own through automation.This method does not change the voice of the vacuum cleaner itself, but allows it to duplicate its messages through a speaker or smartphone.

Example of settings in Home Assistant:

1. Add the vacuum cleaner as a device through Xiaomi Miio integration.
2. Create automation with an event trigger (e.g. start cleaning).
3. Add the text-to-speech action with the desired message (for example, "Vacciner has started cleaning").
4. Select a playback device (e.g. Yandex Station or Google Nest).

Advantages of this method:

• 🎙️ Any voice (including assistant or custom voices) can be used. TTS-engine).
• 🔄 It is easy to change messages without interfering with the vacuum cleaner firmware.
• 📱 It works even on models without voice change support.

Disadvantages:

• 🔌 Requires a smart home server to work continuously (e.g. Raspberry Pi for Home Assistant).
• 📶 Depends on the stability of Wi-Fi and cloud services.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When a robot vacuum cleaner changes its voice, users often face typical problems, and here are the most common ones and the ways to solve them:

• 🔊 Voice unchanged after shift in Mi Home: Reason: App cache or incompatible firmware Solution: Clear the Mi Home cache (phone settings) → applications → Mi Home → storage → clear the cache) and restart the vacuum cleaner.

If none of the methods worked, check:

• 📋 Version of the vacuum cleaner firmware (may need an update).
• 🌍 Mi Account Region (some voices are only available for certain countries).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions