How to turn on the microphone on the keyboard of the Xiaomi phone: all ways 2026

You're trying to use voice input on a Xiaomi smartphone, but the microphone button on the keyboard is inactive or not at all? This problem is common for many users, especially after updating MIUI or changing the keyboard. In 80% of cases, the solution takes less than a minute - just turn on the desired permissions or change the keyboard settings. But sometimes you need a deeper setup.

In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to activate the microphone on the Xiaomi keyboard, from basic to advanced. MIUI Keyboard, Gboard (Google keyboard) and SwiftKey, and what to do if the microphone doesn't work despite all settings. 12/13, POCO X5 Xiaomi 14, where most often there are problems with voice input after updates.

Before you get to the instructions, check two key points: 1 Make sure the phone's microphone works in other applications (like the Dictaphone or WhatsApp). If not, the problem is in the hardware, not the keyboard. 2 Update the keyboard to the latest version via Google Play (for Gboard/SwiftKey) or App Store MIUI (for the standard keyboard).

1.Including the microphone in the standard MIUI Keyboard

The standard MIUI Keyboard (aka Xiaomi Keyboard) often lacks the default microphone button to activate it:

1. Open any field to enter text (for example, in Messages or Notes).
2. Touch the gear badge (⚙️) on the keyboard to open the settings.
3. Select Languages and Enter → Xiaomi Keyboard → Keyboard settings.
4. Scroll down to the Voice Input section and activate the switch.
5. Return to the keyboard – now next to the space should appear the microphone button (🎤).

If you don't have Voice input in your settings, your version of MIUI Keyboard doesn't support that feature, in which case you can move on to the next section about Gboard.

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On some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi 10A), voice input in MIUI Keyboard only works with the selected input language (English) (USA).

Important! Once you activate voice input in MIUI Keyboard, you may need to restart your phone, and make sure that the keyboard is allowed to access the microphone in the security settings (Settings → Privacy → Permissions → Microphone).

2. setting up voice input in Gboard (Google keyboard)

Gboard is the most popular alternative to the standard keyboard on Xiaomi.

• 📱 Install Gboard from Google Play if you haven’t already done it.
• 🔧 Open any text field, tap the gear icon on the keyboard and select Gboard Settings.
• 🎤 Go to Voice Input and activate Google’s Speech Recognition option.
• 🔄 If the microphone button does not appear, switch to Gboard as the default keyboard in the system settings (Settings) → System system → Language and input → Current keyboard).

Xiaomi models with MIUI 14+ (e.g. Xiaomi 13T or POCO F5) may require additional Gboard resolution:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Gboard.
2. Select Permissions → Microphone and setup Allow.
3. Restart the keyboard (close all applications and reopen).

Install the latest version of Gboard from Google Play

Activate Google Speech Recognition in Settings

Permission to use the microphone in MIUI settings

Switch to Gboard as the default keyboard

Reboot your phone (if the microphone doesn't appear)

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On Xiaomi with MediaTek processors (for example, Redmi Note 11 or POCO M5) voice input in Gboard may work unstable due to conflict with proprietary services MIUI. In this case, reset keyboard settings or install beta version of Gboard will help.

3.Mic activation in SwiftKey

Microsoft's SwiftKey is another popular voice-enabled keyboard to turn on the microphone:

• 📲 Install SwiftKey from Google Play and select it as your default keyboard.
• 🔊 Open the SwiftKey settings (cog icon on the keyboard) and go to Voice.
• 🔘 Activate the option Enable voice input and select Google voice input as the engine.
• 🔄 If the microphone button does not appear, check the permissions for SwiftKey in the settings. MIUI (Gboard).

On some Xiaomi models (such as the Redmi K50 or Xiaomi 12 Pro), SwiftKey may conflict with voice system services.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Search Google in the list and select Permissions.
3. Make sure that you are allowed to access the microphone for Google Voice Search.

If the problem persists, try resetting SwiftKey to factory settings (SwiftKey Settings → Reset).

4. Solving Mikrone Access Problems in MIUI

If the microphone button on the keyboard is inactive or gray, the problem may lie in the MIUI system resolutions.

Xiaomi with MIUI for the global market (e.g. Xiaomi 11 Lite NE) may require additional region customization:

1. Open the Settings. → Additionally. → Region.
2. Choose the United States or the United Kingdom (Google voice input works better with these regions).
3. Reboot the phone.

MIUI Keyboard (standard)

Gboard (Google)

SwiftKey (Microsoft)

Another.

I don't know what my keyboard is.-->

If the microphone on the keyboard is not working after all the manipulations, check if the antivirus or the MIUI optimizer is blocking it (for example, Security → Optimization → Autostart).

5. Features on models with MediaTek processors

Xiaomi smartphones on MediaTek chips (e.g. Redmi Note 11, POCO M4 Pro) often face voice input issues due to conflict with proprietary codecs. Here's how to fix it:

• 🔧 Enable Optimization for Games in Settings → Special facilities → Optimizing for gaming. It's paradoxical, but it helps stabilize the microphone.
• 📥 Install. APK-Google App (not from Play Market) from apkmirror.com – sometimes it solves the problem of recognition.
• 🔄 Turn off energy saving for Google Play Services in Settings → Battery → Choice of applications.

On Redmi Note 12 and later with MediaTek, Dimensity can help reset your network settings:

→ SIM-maps and mobile networks → Network reset

After resetting, restart your phone and check the microphone.

6. Alternative methods of voice input

If the standard methods didn’t work, try these workarounds:

• 🎙️ Use Google Assistant for Voice Dialing: Activate Assistant with Voice: Long press on Home button" → Settings → Voice assistant. Say, "Write a message [contact] [text]".
• 📝 Install SpeechNotes or ListNote – voice-note apps with support MIUI.
• 🔄 Turn on Developer Mode and activate Do not turn off the microphone when blocking (useful for dictating long texts).