How to disable voice guidance on Honor: from TalkBack to the Celia assistant

Voice guidance on smartphones Honor may be useful for people with disabilities, but often turns on accidentally - after a system update, when special features are activated, or even due to a malfunction EMUI/MagicOS. As a result, the phone begins to voice your every action: from clicking on icons to scrolling the screen, which quickly gets annoying. The worst thing is that standard methods of disabling (for example, through the notification panel) sometimes do not work due to the peculiarities of the firmware.

In this article we will look all possible ways to disable voice guidance on Honor - from basic TalkBack to proprietary assistant Celia, including hidden settings for models on MagicOS 7.0+. We will pay special attention to situations when the interface does not respond to touches due to activated screen narrator, and you cannot even open the settings. The instructions are relevant for rulers Honor 90/100/200, Magic V2, as well as older devices on EMUI 10-12.

1. Disabling TalkBack through the notification panel (quick method)

If voice guidance turned on accidentally, first try turning it off via notification curtain. This method works in 80% of cases, but only if the screen still responds to touches.

• 📱 Swipe down from the top edge of the screen to open the notification panel.
• 🔍 Find the icon TalkBack (usually an eye icon with waves or the inscription "Screen Narrator").
• 🔘 Tap on it once - if the icon is highlighted, this means that the function is active.
• ❌ Hold your finger on the icon for 2-3 seconds until a confirmation of disabling appears.

If the icon is not in the curtain, try swipe left/right - on some firmware the notification panel is divided into two parts. Also check Do Not Disturb mode: sometimes the voice assistant is blocked along with other notifications.

2. Disabling through settings (if the screen responds to touches)

If the quick method does not work, proceed to manual disabling through the settings menu. Here it is important to take into account the version of the shell: on EMUI and MagicOS paths may differ.

For EMUI 10-12 (models Honor 8X, 9X, 20 Pro etc.):

1. Open Settings → Accessibility.
2. Select Vision → TalkBack.
3. Move the slider to position Off.
4. Confirm the action, by clicking OK in the window that appears.

For MagicOS 7.0+ (models Honor 70/80/90, Magic V2):

• 🔧 Go to Settings → Universal access.
• 👁️ Tap TalkBack or Screen Narrator.
• 🔇 Disable the function and confirm your choice.

If after disabling the voice still sounds, check additional voice settings:

• 🗣️ Settings → System → Language and input → Voice input — disable all options.
• 🎵 Settings → Sound → Voice prompts — set the value No.

Make sure the screen responds to touches|

Close all applications (swipe up)|

Check the battery charge (at least 20%)|

Disconnect the headphones (they can block the sound of the system)-->

3. What to do if the screen does not respond to touches

The most difficult situation is when TalkBack activated, but due to the way it works, the screen stops responding normally to touches. In this case, standard gestures will not work, and you need to. use alternative control methods.

Method 1: TalkBack gestures

• 👆 To scroll the screen down, swipe two fingers up.
• 👇 To scroll up, use two fingers down.
• 🔘 To click on an element touch it with one finger, then double tap (not holding!).
• 🔙 To go back, swipe your finger across the screen from left to right ("Z" gesture).

Method 2: Voice commands (if the microphone is on)

1. Say: "Okay, Google, open settings" (if Google Assistant is configured).
2. Or: "Hey Celia, accessibility" (for Celia on MagicOS).
3. Wait for the menu to open and say: "Turn off TalkBack".

Method 3: Connecting a mouse via OTG

If gestures do not help, connect to your smartphone USB mouse via an OTG adapter It will be easier. navigation:

• 🖱️ Connect the mouse and wait for the cursor to appear.
• 🔍 Find the TalkBack icon in the curtain or open settings.
• ❌ Click on the slider to disable it.

4. Disabling the proprietary Celia assistant on MagicOS

On new models Honor (starting from MagicOS 4.2+) instead of the standard one TalkBack the proprietary assistant can work Celia. It is integrated deeper into the system and sometimes turns on automatically after updates. It is disabled differently:

Step 1: Open Settings → Smart Assistant → Celia.

Step 2: Disable the slider Voice Assistant.

Step 3: Go back to Universal access and check if TalkBack is activated in parallel.

If Celia continues to voice actions, reset its settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications.
2. Find Celia in the list and tap on it.
3. Select Storage → Clear data.
4. Restart the device.

5. Resetting accessibility settings (if all else fails)

If voice guidance is not disabled by any of the methods, it remains reset accessibility settings this will not affect your data (photos, contacts, applications), but will return all accessibility settings to the default state.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → System → Reset.
2. Select Reset accessibility settings capabilities.
3. Confirm the action by entering the PIN code or pattern.
4. Reboot the device.

After the reboot, check whether TalkBack or Celia again. the problem may be in damaged system files, and a deeper reset will be required (see next section).

6. Complete reset (extreme case)

If voice guidance is enabled at the system level and is not disabled, it remains Full reset to factory settings. This method will delete all data from the device, so make a backup first:

• 📱 Connect your phone to Wi-Fi or PC.
• 🔄 Go to Settings → System → Reset → Reset all settings.
• 🔐 Enter the PIN code and confirm the action.
• ⏳ Wait for the process to complete (takes 5-10 minutes).

After the reset, the device will turn on in its original state. At the setup stage do not turn on accessibility features, if they are not needed. If the problem persists, this is a sign hardware failure (for example, a malfunction of the volume up button, which can accidentally activate TalkBack).

7. Checking the hardware buttons (if the voice turns on itself)

Sometimes voice guidance is activated due to stuck hardware buttons. For example, on many models Honor pressing the power button three times or holding both volume buttons includes special features. Check:

• 🔋 Press the power button 3 times in a row - if the accessibility menu appears, turn off it.
• 🔊 Hold both volume buttons 3 seconds - on some firmware this causes TalkBack.
• 🛠️ Inspect the buttons for physical damage or liquid ingress.

If the buttons really stick, try cleaning them alcohol solution (without disassembling the phone!) or contact a service center. On models Honor 50/60 and newer, the buttons are often integrated into a single module, and their replacement requires professional repair.

Comparison of methods for turning off voice guidance

On Honor models with MagicOS 7.1+, after disabling TalkBack, an additional reboot may be required - otherwise voice prompts will return in 5-10 minutes. This is due to operation background service HwVoiceAssistantwhich can only be disabled via ADB (see the next section for advanced users).

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about voice guidance on Honor

adb shell settings put secure enabled_accessibility_services ""

If none of the methods helped, the problem may lie in damage to system files or hardware defect (for example, a malfunction of the speaker or microphone, due to which the system erroneously activates special features in this case). We recommend contacting Honor service center indicating the error code (if it is displayed in the settings).

⚠️ Attention: On some models Honor (for example Honor Play 40 or Honor X8a) After resetting the settings, you may need to re-activate Huawei licensed services. Make sure you have access to the account Huawei IDlinked to the device.