Xiaomi’s robot vacuum cleaners have long since ceased to be just cleaning devices, becoming full-fledged members of the smart home ecosystem. One of the most popular features remains voice control, which allows you to start cleaning, change modes or send a vacuum cleaner to the base literally by voice. But how do you properly configure this feature so that it works steadily and without failure?
In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can customize voice control for Xiaomi’s robot vacuum cleaners (including Mi Robot Vacuum, Dreame, Viomi, and more), look at integration with Mi Home, Yandex Alice, Google Assistant, and even Siri through HomeKit, and find out why voice commands sometimes don’t work and how to fix it.
What Xiaomi Robot Vacuums Support Voice Control
Not all Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaners can be voice-controlled, and the feature is only available for Wi-Fi-enabled devices with a connection to the Mi Home app. Here are the key series that accurately support voice commands:
- 🤖 Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Series including Pro, Ultra, 2T)
- 🧹 Dreame Bot (D9, D10, L10, Z10 Pro and newer)
- 🏠 Viomi V3/V2 Pro (with firmware) 2021 year and newer)
- 🔋 Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum E10/E12 (Budget models with limited functionality)
If your model is older than 2019 (like the Mi Robot Vacuum 1S or Dreame D6), check the firmware version in the Mi Home app.
Also, it is worth considering that to work with Yandex Alice or Google Assistant, you will need additional configuration through third-party services (for example, Yandex IoT or Google Home).
Preparation of a robot vacuum cleaner for voice control
Before you set up voice commands, make sure your robot vacuum cleaner is properly connected to Wi-Fi and synced with the Mi Home app. Without that, voice control won't work.
Connect the vacuum cleaner to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi
Update the firmware in Mi Home to the latest version
Make sure the app displays the status "Online"
Link your Mi Home account with Google/Yandex (If you are planning to use your assistants)-->
If the vacuum cleaner is not connected to the network, check:
- 📶 Is 2.4 GHz network being used (Xiaomi robots don't work with 5 GHz)
- 🔒 Is there any Cyrillic symbols or spaces in the name of Wi-Fi?
- 📱 Mi Home version (current - no less than 6.5.0)
Once you have successfully connected, go to your device settings in Mi Home and make sure that the Voice Control (or Smart Home) option is active. Some models need to enable it manually.
Configure voice control via Mi Home (built-in assistant)
The easiest way to control a robot vacuum cleaner is to use the built-in assistant in the Mi Home app. It works in Chinese and English, but there are workarounds for Russian-speaking users.
Instructions for setting:
- Open the Mi Home app and select your vacuum cleaner.
- Go to Settings → Voice Control (or AI Assistant).
- Activate the Enable Voice Control option.
- Click Add voice commands and select the ones you want (e.g. Start cleaning, Go to charge).
For Russian, you can use Yandex Alice or Google Assistant, which is better at recognizing commands, but if you want to try the built-in assistant, here's a list of supported English teams:
| Team in English | Action. | Analogue in Russian |
|---|---|---|
| Start cleaning | Start cleaning. | Start cleaning. |
| Pause cleaning | Suspend cleaning | Pause |
| Go to charge | Back to base. | Charge. |
| Set suction to max | Set maximum power | Maximum power |
Important: Xiaomi’s built-in voice assistant doesn’t support Russian directly, but commands can be prescribed through third-party services (more on that).
Integration with Yandex Alice: step-by-step instructions
For Russian-speaking users, the most convenient way is to connect a robot vacuum cleaner to Yandex Alice, which will allow you to control the device by voice in Russian through the Yandex Station column or a mobile application.
How to set up:
- Make sure you have an account in Mi Home and Yandex (linked to the same phone).
- Open the Yandex application → Devices → Add the device.
- Choose Xiaomi and log in through your Mi Account.
- After synchronization, the robot vacuum cleaner will appear in the list of devices.
You can now use commands of the type:
- 🎤 «Alice, turn on the vacuum cleaner»
- 🏠 «Alice, send the vacuum cleaner to the base»
- 🔋 «Alice, set the cleaning power to maximum»
If Alice can't find the device, check:
- 🔄 Account synchronization (Mi Home should include Mi Home Skill for Yandex).
- 📡 Internet connection stability (robot must be online).
- 🔄 Firmware updates (some models require a version not lower than 3.5.8).
💡
If Alice says “Device is not responding,” try restarting the robot vacuum cleaner (press the power button for 10 seconds) and re-synchronizing your accounts.
Connect to Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit
If you're using the Google ecosystem or Apple ecosystem, you can plug Xiaomi's robot vacuum cleaner into those ecosystems, but there's some nuances.
For Google Assistant:
- Open Google Home and click Add → Set up your device.
- Do you have any devices already set up? → Xiaomi Mi Home
- Sign in through your Mi Account and allow access.
After that, you can use the commands:
- 🎤 «Okay, Google, get the vacuum cleaner running»
- 🏠 «Okay, Google, stop cleaning»
For Apple HomeKit:
Officially, Xiaomi’s robot vacuum cleaners don’t support HomeKit, but there’s a workaround through Home Assistant (requires smart home customization skills).
- Open Mi Home and create Quick Action (like Start Cleaning).
- In iPhone Settings, go to Siri and Search → My Commands.
- Add a new command (e.g., “Hey Siri, get out”) and link it to the quick action from Mi Home.
Why Google Assistant doesn't see a robot vacuum cleaner?
Common problems and their solution
The voice control of Xiaomi’s robot vacuum cleaner doesn’t always work perfectly, and here are the typical problems and ways to fix them:
| Problem. | Possible cause | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Alice says "The device is not responding" | Offline vacuum cleaner or Wi-Fi problems | Restart router and vacuum cleaner, check connection to 2.4 GHz |
| Commands are executed with a delay | Xiaomi servers are overloaded | Try later or use local commands (if supported) |
| Google Assistant Cannot Find the Device | Disparity of regions of accounts | Change the region in Mi Home to the same as in Google |
| Built-in assistant doesn't understand the team | Incorrect firmware or language | Update your software or use third-party services (Alice/Google) |
⚠️ Warning: If after updating the firmware voice control stopped working, try resetting the vacuum cleaner to factory (Settings) → Reset to Mi Home and reset everything, and in some cases, reconnecting to Wi-Fi with changing the password helps.
Another common problem is that there's a conflict of devices in a smart home, so if you have multiple robot vacuum cleaners, make sure that the voice assistants correctly name them (e.g., "Kitchen Vacuum" and "Clearroom Vacuum"), or the commands will be triggered by accident.
Additional features: scenarios and automation
Voice control is only part of the functionality. With Mi Home or Alice's Yandex, you can create automatic scripts that will run on voice or on a schedule.
Examples of useful scenarios:
- 🕒 «Alice, cleaning on schedule – the vacuum cleaner will start working at the specified time.
- 🚪 «Alice, cleaning when no one is home" - start without movement (need sensors).
- 🔋 «Alice, eco-mode – Enable quiet cleaning at night.
How to create a script in Mi Home:
- Go to Automation. → Add.
- Select a condition (such as voice command or time).
- Add an action (e.g., start cleaning).
- Save the script.
In Yandex Alice, scenarios are customized through the Smart Home → Scenarios section, where you can combine commands for several devices (for example, “Alice, General Cleaning” – will include a vacuum cleaner, a robot mop and an air humidifier).
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Geolocation scenarios (such as starting a cleanup when you leave your home) require constant access to your phone’s location and stable internet access at the vacuum cleaner.