A report from Android Police reveals that there are signs that Samsung may cut off its own voice assistant service, Bixby. Compared with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Apple’s Siri, Samsung’s Bixby is slow, inaccurate, and not very useful for Samsung Galaxy phone users. Samsung’s voice assistant service started with S Voice on the Galaxy S3. The company then introduced the Bixby voice assistant in the Galaxy S8 launched in 2017. In the past, Samsung has a special Bixby voice wake-up button on the mobile phone hardware.
Samsung did away with the dedicated Bixby button on the Galaxy S20 models, leaving only the regular volume and power keys. However, users can wake up Bixby by long pressing the power button. In the OneUI 5.0 update based on Android 13, Samsung introduced a Good Lock module called RegiStar. Through this module, you can personalize the power button. Users can choose to open an app or assign it to system functions including Google Assistant. However, the new module does not support its own Bixby voice assistant.
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Samsung introduced Bixby Routines in the Galaxy S10, but you must start Bixby to use this app, otherwise, you will not be able to access it. In OneUI 5.0, Samsung named the app “Modes and Routines,” and it no longer requires Bixby to be enabled.
Samsung stops developing the AR function Bixby Vision
Samsung announced in 2020 that it would no longer develop the AR function Bixby Vision. These features allow you to try on makeup, decorate your home, and more. Basic visual search and translation features are still there, but much of what the service has to offer is gone. Two years on, this basic function is still there, but with no upgrade at all.
Beyond software, Samsung plans to take on Google and Amazon with its Galaxy Home smart speaker. Announced back in 2018, it didn’t make it to market. Instead, Samsung ended up delivering a stripped-down Galaxy Home Mini, but never really invested in promoting it or even launching it in most markets.
