How to completely disable voice on your Xiaomi phone: 5 ways to MIUI 12, 13 and 14

Voice support on Xiaomi smartphones can be useful for people with disabilities, but often becomes a source of irritation for most users: unexpected voice prompts when you press buttons, voice notifications or activation of the Google Assistant / XiaoAI voice assistant without a request – these are problems faced by one in three owners of devices on MIUI. In this article, we will analyze all possible sources of voice messages and show how to turn them off on Redmi, POCO, Mi and Black Shark models with firmware versions from MIUI 12 to MIUI 14.

Xiaomi has a feature that integrates multiple voice systems: built-in voice-over interface for the visually impaired (TalkBack), voice assistant XiaoAI (on Chinese firmware), Google Assistant and even voiceover keyboards in some applications. We will look at each of these cases separately so that you can accurately determine the source of the sound and get rid of it forever. It is important to understand that the settings may differ depending on the firmware region (global, European, Chinese) and the version of MIUI.

If you're not sure what the voice function is, take a quick test: try tapping the screen while you're talking or locking your phone. If the voice is speaking, it's TalkBack or gesture voice. If the voice assistant is activated (OK, Google or Xiao Ai), it's Google Assistant or XiaoAI. And if the phone starts reading incoming notifications, the voice notification function is to blame in the special feature settings.

1. Disable TalkBack (voice of the interface for the visually impaired)

TalkBack is a basic voice-over feature for people with vision problems, which reads aloud every element on the screen, including app names, buttons, and even text in messages, often activated by accident through a three-stroke power button or in special settings.

To turn off TalkBack:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Special facilities → TalkBack.
• 🔄 In the upper right corner, find the switch and deactivate it.
• ⚠️ If the screen has turned black or a warning appears, confirm the disconnection by pressing OK twice (this is a feature of TalkBack work).
• 🔒 To avoid accidental turn on, turn off the Quick Turn on TalkBack option in the same menu.

If TalkBack has been activated through a three-press gesture, it can be disabled in an alternative way:

1. Press the power button for 5 seconds until the off menu appears.
2. Press and hold the “Special Features” icon (usually at the bottom of the screen).
3. In the menu that opens, uncheck the tick from TalkBack.

⚠️ Note: On some Xiaomi models (e.g, POCO F3 Redmi Note 11) after disabling TalkBack may need to restart the device, as the function blocks part of the gestures control.

Make sure the switch in the settings is grey|Try tapping on any element of the screen – voice prompts shouldn’t sound|Check the power button three times (nothing should happen)|Restart your phone to apply changes-->

2. How to remove the voice assistant XiaoAI (on Chinese firmware)

The XiaoAI voice assistant is installed by default on Xiaomi smartphones with Chinese firmware (such as the Mi 11 Ultra or Redmi K40). It activates using phrases in Chinese (such as,"") and can interfere even if you do not speak Chinese - sometimes the assistant is triggered by random sounds.

To disable XiaoAI:

• 🎤 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔍 In the search, enter XiaoAI (or"").
• ⚙️ Select the app and click Disable (if the button is inactive, first click Stop).
• 🗑️ You can use the complete removal ADB-command (requires an unlocked bootloader):

adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.voiceassist

If you have global firmware but the assistant still shows up, check for updates in Settings → About Phone → System Update. Sometimes XiaoAI is installed through hidden service packs.

⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g. Mi Mix 4), disabling XiaoAI through settings may cause errors in the standard Phone application. ADB Or install an alternative dialer (e.g. Google Phone).

3. Disable Google Assistant and Voice Commands

Google Assistant is a standard voice assistant from Google that is activated by saying "OK, Google" or "Hey Google." On Xiaomi smartphones, it can work in parallel with XiaoAI, which creates conflicts.

Method 1. Through Google's settings:

• 🔍 Open the Google app (the icon with the letter "G").
• 👤 Click on your profile in the upper right corner → Settings → Voice search.
• 🎙️ Turn off the “OK Google” option and remove recorded voice models.

Method 2. Through system settings:

• ⚙️ Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔍 Find Google or Google Assistant.
• 🚫 Click Disable (if the button is inactive, first Stop).

If the assistant is still activated after turning it off, check the permissions for the Google app:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Permissions.
2. Select Microphone and find Google in the list.
3. Shut down the microphone access.

4. Removal of keyboard voiceover and system sounds

Sometimes users confuse voice with normal voiceover or system sounds, and in MIUI, these settings are in different sections:

Keyboard voiceover:

• 🎹 Go to Settings. → Sound and vibration → Systemic sounds.
• 🔕 Turn off the options:

Voiceover notifications:

• 📳 In the same section, Sound and vibration select Voice Notifications.
• 🔇 Turn off the switch or set Silence as sound.

On some models (e.g. Redmi 9A or POCO M3), the voiceover keys can be tied to the older person mode to remove the keys:

1. Go to Settings → Special Opportunities → Simplified Mode.
2. Make sure the mode is off.

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If you still play back the sound after you turn off the keyboard, check the settings in the Google Keyboard app. Go to Keyboard Settings → Preferences → Sound when you press it and turn it off.

5. Disabling voice notifications in applications

Some apps (such as Google Maps, Yandex.Navigator or WhatsApp) have their own voice notification settings, and can read messages or prompts even if all system sounds are disabled.

How to disable in popular applications:

• 🗺️ Google Maps:
• 💬 WhatsApp:
• 🚗 Yandex.Navigator:

If you are using MIUI 14, check Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notifications voiceover. You can turn off notification reading for all applications at once.

⚠️ Note: On Xiaomi with Chinese firmware, some apps (like WeChat or Alipay) can ignore voiceover system settings, in which case only removing the app or turning off its notifications manually will help.

6. Resetting the sound settings to factory

If the voice is still working after all the manipulations, the system may have crashed, and then resetting the audio settings will help.

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select Resetting Sound Settings (not to be confused with a full reset!).
3. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

This procedure will return all audio parameters to factory settings, but it will not delete your data or applications.

• 🔊 Volume settings (Settings) → Sound and vibration).
• 🎤 Microphone permissions for applications.
• 📱 Setting up special capabilities.

If the problem persists, it may be due to a damaged firmware, in which case only flashing through the Mi Flash Tool or updating through OTA will help.

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Resetting the audio settings is the last step before completely flashing it, and it helps in 80% of cases where the voice accompaniment is not disabled in standard ways.

7. Additional advice for specific models

Some Xiaomi smartphones have unique features associated with voice, and here are the most common cases:

For infrared devices (such as the Redmi Note 9 Pro or Mi 10), check if the voice control feature of household appliances is activated via the Mi Remote app, which can conflict with other voice services.

FAQ: Frequent questions about voice support on Xiaomi