A report from Android Police reveals there are signs that Samsung may be cutting its own voice assistant service, Bixby. Compared to Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Apple’s Siri, Samsung’s Bixby is slow, inaccurate, and unhelpful 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 had a special Bixby voice wake-up button on the mobile phone hardware.
Samsung has removed the dedicated Bixby button on the Galaxy S20 models, leaving just the usual 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. Thanks to this module, you can customize 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 voice assistant Bixby.
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Samsung introduced Bixby Routines in the Galaxy S10, but you need to start Bixby to use this app, otherwise you won’t be able to access it. In OneUI 5.0, Samsung named the app “Modes and Routines” and it is no longer necessary to enable Bixby.
Samsung stops developing AR Bixby Vision feature
Samsung announced in 2020 that it would no longer develop the Bixby Vision AR feature. These features allow you to try on makeup, decorate your home, and more. The basic visual search and translation features are still there, but much of what the service has to offer is gone. Two years later, this basic function is still there, but without any upgrades.
Beyond software, Samsung plans to take on Google and Amazon with its Galaxy Home smart speaker. Announced in 2018, it has not been marketed. Instead, Samsung ended up shipping a stripped-down Galaxy Home Mini, but never really invested in promoting it or even launching it in most markets.