How to turn off voice alert when calling Xiaomi

When a Xiaomi smartphone suddenly starts to voice your every action loudly and monotonously or say the name of an incoming subscriber, it often catches users by surprise: it is not a virus or an operating system failure, but activated features designed to help people with visual impairments. However, in the hands of the average owner, they turn the use of the gadget into a real quest, especially if the screen responds to touch with a delay or double tap.

The most common problem is activating Google TalkBack or the MIUI-built Voice Assistant, which changes the standard interface management logic by requiring double taps to run apps and two fingers to scroll through pages, and understanding which mechanism is running is the first step to restoring a comfortable device management experience.

In this guide, we will go into detail all possible scenarios for the appearance of voice accompaniment, you will learn how to quickly deactivate intrusive functions through settings, using volume buttons or even in the emergency case when the screen stops responding to single touches. The instructions cover different versions MIUI and current models of Redmi and Poco.

Differences between TalkBack and voice incoming

Before you start to shut down, you need to clearly identify the problem, because the solutions are very different. If your smartphone starts to sound the name of each element you point your finger at and requires double tapping to activate, then TalkBack mode is activated. This is a full-fledged navigation system for the visually impaired that intercepts the control of the touchscreen.

Otherwise, if the phone simply says the contact name or phone number when the call arrives, but otherwise works normally, it is called Caller Name Voice, an option that is often turned on randomly when you connect a Bluetooth headset or after you update the system, and it is turned off in a completely different section of the menu.

The third option is voice dialing, where the phone says the numbers you type in the dialer, a separate setting inside the Phone app that doesn't affect the rest of the system, but can be annoying when dialing quietly in a public place.

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Pay attention to the icon in the status bar: if there is a little person or an ear icon, this is a sure sign of the work of accessibility services.

Emergency shutdown of TalkBack with a button combination

The fastest way to get your smartphone back in control if the screen is locked with double taps is to use physical volume buttons. Most modern Xiaomi and Redmi models with Android 8 and higher run the standard emergency exit mechanism. You need to press and hold both volume buttons (increase and decrease) simultaneously for 3-5 seconds.

After that, a pop-up will appear on the screen asking if you want to turn off TalkBack, and since normal touch is no longer working, you will need to quickly press the OK or Turn off button twice. If you fail the first time, repeat the procedure: press the buttons, wait for the vibration or the beep, then double tap on confirmation.

⚠️ Note: If the volume buttons are only activated to adjust the sound or create a screenshot, then the emergency shutdown function is not configured in the system.

Sometimes, the system may request a graphical key or fingerprint confirmation before disabling an important accessibility feature, and be prepared to unlock the device in the standard way for you as soon as the request appears.

Complete shutdown via availability settings

If the volume buttons didn’t help or you want to make sure all services are turned off completely, you need to go to the system menu. Due to the changed control logic (if TalkBack is still active), remember: open points with double press, flip with two fingers. Go to Settings, then find the Additional Settings section (sometimes it is at the bottom of the list or in the System category).

In the menu that opens, you'll see a list of all active services. We're interested in tabs at the top of the screen: Vision, Hearing, Physical. Most often, the feature you're looking for is in Vision. Find TalkBack or Voice Control in the list and click on it (double tap). In the window that opens, turn the switch to off.

Also worth checking is the Control section, where Voice Access can be located, which allows you to control your phone with voice commands, which can also cause unwanted sound reactions, and disable the switches in front of any suspicious points to rule out conflicts.

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Once TalkBack is disabled, be sure to restart the device to reset the availability services cache and ensure a return to standard management.

Setting up the voice of the names of callers

If the problem only concerns the incoming call when the phone loudly pronounces the contact name, the solution is in the settings of the Phone app itself. Open the standard call (green handset), click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Settings. In the list of options, find Incoming calls.

It will have the voiceover option, and it will offer three options: "Never," "Only with the headset connected," and "Always." Select "Never" to stop the phone talking when you're calling, or "Only on the headset" if you want to hear the name of the subscriber through Bluetooth headphones in the car.

Note that on some versions of MIUI, this setting may be duplicated in the general system settings. Follow the Settings path → Sound and vibration → Additional. Make sure there are no active checkmarks associated with voice call tracking.

Disabling voice dialing

A separate type of stimulus is voice voice voice voice voice-over of dialed numbers, a feature that is useful for people with poor vision but interferes with others, so to turn it off, reopen the Phone app and go to Settings via the menu (three dots or gear).

Find Dial or Voice Dial, and inside, you'll have a voice switch, put it inactive, and then you'll have silence when you dial.

If you use third-party calls, like those from Google or Truecaller, the settings may be inside those apps. The search logic remains the same: menu → settings → Sound or Set. Make sure that there are not multiple active calling apps on the system that may conflict.

⚠️ Attention: Voice Search in Google Assistant can also respond to “call” or contact names. If the phone rings itself when you’re just talking next to each other, turn off the “Hey Google” feature in Google Assistant settings.

Fixing problems with Bluetooth headsets

It is often the case that the phone settings are knocked down, but the problem only manifests itself when connected to a car or wireless headphones. This is due to the HFP (Hands-Free Profile) audio profiles. Some headsets force the transmission of system sounds and notifications to an external device.

Try turning off Bluetooth and see if the problem persists. If the voice is gone, it's sync. In Bluetooth settings, click on the gear next to your device's name and turn off the Multimedia or System Sounds option, leaving only "Call Sound," which can solve the problem of intrusive voice-over through the machine speakers.

Also check the settings of the car itself or the headset. Some auto head devices have a separate option called "Voice Prompt" or "Voice prompts" that you need to turn off on the side of the car, not the smartphone.

Resetting settings and additional methods

In rare cases, a software failure may block the ability to disable functions through the standard menu. If the sliders do not click or the settings are reset, you can try resetting special features. Go to Settings → Apps → All applications, find the list of Special features or Android Accessibility Suite.

Click on Memory and select Clear (do not delete data if you are afraid of losing settings, but for accessibility services this is usually safe, as it is stored on the system).

If nothing works, the last resort is to reset all your phone settings. Before you do that, make sure to back up your data. Go to Settings → About Phone → Reset and select Erase all your data.

⚠️ Note: When you reset your settings to factory settings, all photos, contacts and applications will be deleted. Use this method only if other methods have not worked, and save important data to the Mi Cloud cloud or computer beforehand.