Did you know that Samsung phones have their own assistant? Although it’s less popular than Google Assistant , Alexa, or Siri , Bixby offers interesting features that are worth checking out. If you bought a Galaxy S20 or you own one of the previous models, it is important that you know how to use Bixby to simplify your daily tasks.
There is no doubt that Samsung Bixby is different from other assistants. But you can still control some smart appliances and Internet of Things (IoT) devices , including smart fridges, televisions, and dozens of other Samsung devices. We explain how to configure Bixby , what’s new and everything you can do with it.
How to set up and use Bixby and Bixby Voice
Bixby and Bixby Voice setup couldn’t be simpler. The Galaxy S10 , S10 Plus , S10e , S9 , S9 Plus , Note 9 , S8 and Note 8 ranges feature a dedicated button for Bixby on the left side, just below the volume control. When touched, Bixby Home, the wizard center, and the setup screen appear.
If you’re using the Galaxy Note 10 or Galaxy S20 line , you may have noticed that it doesn’t have a Bixby button. Don’t worry, the wizard is still easy to access. Just hold down the power button and Bixby will appear.
Adjust settings
Bixby is more than a single application. The Galaxy 20, as well as the Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus versions, have three features of the Samsung Assistant: Bixby Home, Bixby Vision and Bixby Voice. Although this is an advantage, this implies that each one has its own configuration.
If you swipe the home screen to the right to access Bixby Home, you can enter your interactive card settings by tapping the three dots in the upper right corner and pressing Cards . From here, you can add the cards you want to see or remove the ones you don’t. If you press Settings in the same menu, you can change the email address to which your Bixby Home is linked and modify the content services, specifically, sending location data to applications so that they provide you with personalized and useful data. At the moment, this feature is restricted to Uber and Fourspace, allowing you to check how long it will take you to get an Uber from wherever you are.
Bixby Voice hosts most of the configurations. You can access it by touching your Bixby key or long pressing the power button on the Note 10 line. Select the three vertical points and you will find a series of options, including Tutorials , Quick Commands and Settings . The settings allow you to modify everything from the voice type, to whether Bixby should work if your phone is locked. Quick commands allow you to link actions and phrases. For example, you can configure Bixby to turn off all lights and trigger an alarm when you say the command “I’m going to bed “.
Additionally, it contains options to change the use of the Bixby button . If you don’t like this wizard and you’re not going to use it, you can give this button another use. While it was possible in the past to disable the Bixby key, this alternative was removed with the One UI update for Android 9.0 Pie, so those who hate Bixby were forced to double press the key to relegate Samsung’s artificial intelligence.
Bixby Voice
Bixby Voice is like Siri but with many more functions. In fact, it can even insult Siri in Korean at the rate of rap . Not only that, but it is designed to fit the way a person talks, rather than the other way around. According to Samsung, the assistant will be able to understand all the variations of the same command.
Once you have installed the software and completed the Samsung Bixby Voice tutorial, you can activate it by saying “Hey Bixby” or by pressing the Bixby button while talking. If you don’t want to sound like you’re talking to your phone in public, you can talk to Bixby by holding your phone to your ear, like a phone call.
Bixby can do tasks like texting through the Galaxy S10’s Messaging app, and answer basic questions about the weather, your next meeting, sports scores, and movie times. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg: the voice assistant works in apps like the Galaxy S10’s dialer, settings menus, camera app , contact list, and Gallery. In addition, Bixby can handle complicated tasks such as opening a split-screen application, rotating misaligned photos, reminding you of where you parked, playing videos on a nearby television, and even writing emails for you. You can also perform two-step actions like, “ Open Uber
and qualify the driver with 5 stars ”or“ Open Instagram and publish my most recent photo “.
There are also some hands-free functions through Bixby. For example, you can ask Bixby to “read the latest messages,” such as emails or text messages, as long as you use Samsung’s native apps. In short, Bixby allows you to use your voice to easily complete the most basic tasks.
Bixby Voice is also customizable: you can change the genre of the wizard on the fly and it supports shortcuts, such as shortening those long commands you use most frequently in a single word or phrase.
According to Samsung, Bixby supports more than 3,000 commands, including some app-specific ones on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Uber, Gmail, Google Maps, and more. The company is continually improving the app and adding additional third-party app support and more commands.
Bixby Home
Samsung calls Bixby Home a “social streamer for your device,” and that’s more or less accurate. It’s an interface similar to reminder cards, contextually relevant information, and social media updates. Sort of like a cross between Google Now and HTC’s BlinkFeed .
Bixby Home is customizable to some degree. You can alter or anchor cards by tapping the two lines in the upper right corner of an individual Bixby Home card. If you want to get rid of a card, slide it to the right and you can hide it for a moment, delete it forever or cancel it.
Samsung’s default apps provide most of the Bixby Home content. You’ll see a local weather forecast, activity statistics from the Samsung Health app, and local files in the music app on your phone. If you linked Google Calendar and Gmail to your Samsung device, you can also extract data from these services.
The list of third-party services supported by Bixby Home continues to grow. A Spotify tab provides one-touch access to your playlists and music. CNN and Flipboard show trending news from around the web. Facebook, Foursquare and Twitter show the latest updates on your social networks. Uber will show your recent trips.
It even works with Samsung’s SmartThings app to offer buttons that control lights and smart door locks, shortcuts to the apps you use most often, and more, all based on time of day, location, and other factors.
Other Bixby Features
Bixby has many other features that you can enjoy, beyond Bixby Home and Bixby Voice. We selected some of the best features available in the Samsung Smart Assistant.
Bixby routines (Galaxy S10 and later)
If you’ve used IFTTT ( If This, Then That : If This, Then This ), then you’ll have an idea of what to expect with Bixby Routines. Simply put, Routines allow you to configure Bixby to handle multiple repetitive tasks by understanding multiple triggers. It is different from the quick commands that you will find in other places, since the routines appear automatically when an element that activates it is detected.
For example, if you listen to the same Spotify playlist while you go to work, you can set up a routine that opens Spotify and starts playing a playlist as soon as it connects to Bluetooth in your car. It is a powerful tool. Even if you don’t use it much, it’s worth checking to see if there’s anything you can automate to save time. One detail: Bixby Routines are only available in the Galaxy S10 range and later.
Bixby Routines setup involves diving into your settings, but the matter is pretty simple:
- Open your settings app, scroll down and open advanced features.
- Put the Bixby Routines switch in the on position (blue).
In addition, you can activate it from the notification tone, which will be useful when you want to enable or disable it quickly.
- Pull down the notification screen and locate the Bixby Routines icon . You may need to swipe left to find it.
- Activate it. You will know it is on when it turns blue.
Bixby routines are now on. But don’t close that menu just yet, as you’ll need it to set up your first routine.
- Tap Bixby Routines to open your options.
- To get started, you can select one of the preset routines, or you can set up a new routine yourself.
- To set up a new routine, select the + symbol in the upper right.
- Next, you will want to assign a name to your routine and select a trigger: this will be your “ If This…; If this … “.
- Tap the + symbol to add to your trigger. If you want to configure the car example mentioned above, select your car’s Bluetooth connection from the list.
- Press Next and the + symbol to go to the selection of your action “ Then That; So this . “
- Select Play music , then Spotify from the list.
This is the easiest way to set up a routine. But it’s only the beginning. Do you want Bixby to read your notifications while driving? You can add this to your routines too. What about a routine that turns your smart lights on when you get home? Connect it to your home wifi network and you can also do it. The best way to use Bixby Routines is to just start experimenting and discover what else you can do. If you are full of ideas, after 14 days Bixby will begin to suggest the creation of certain routines, based on your daily activities.
Bixby Vision
Bixby Vision uses machine learning and database associations to make your camera do more than just take pictures. In fact, Bixby Vision recognizes several categories of objects: Place, Text, Image, Food, QR Codes, Wine and Shopping. To launch it, tap the Bixby button in your Galaxy phone’s camera app or the Bixby Vision icon on the left side. You can also find Bixby Vision in the Gallery app.
Like Google Lens or Amazon Flow , the Bixby Vision image search will try to analyze what is in front of the camera (thanks to Pinterest’s Lens tool ), and will offer you information based on what you find.
By default, Bixby Vision opens in text mode, allowing you to translate a foreign language into the chosen language. It supports a wide variety of languages and works similarly to other examples of this type, such as Google Lens. Align the text you want to translate in the box on the screen and a real-time translation will appear. It may not work for you the first time, but eventually you will.
With the Makeup category you can try different Sephora products. Once you find the one you like best, you can capture your image and Bixby Vision will provide details and links to the products for purchase. Unfortunately, it is only available on the Galaxy S9 and later versions.
The Places tab of Bixby Vision uses FourSquare to identify interesting landmarks and destinations around you, if you are ever looking for something to visit or do. The Food tool allows you to point the camera at what you’re going to eat to view calorie info, which can then be added to the Samsung Health app. While he couldn’t recognize Pringles, a Cliff bar, and other packaged foods, he did manage to identify a prepared salad. Mind you, it provided ridiculously inaccurate calorie information.
With Shopping, point the camera at shoes, clothing, or other products, and Bixby will try to find it on Amazon, Nordstrom, and a few other retailers. With Wine (Wines), Bixby Vision uses Vivino’s database so you can scan the wine labels and find more information about the bottle in front of you; it must be said that this works very well.
Reminders
You can set a specific time when you would like to see a reminder or even a specific location. When the conditions are met, the reminder will appear in the form of a notification that you can dismiss, postpone or mark.
Bixby Marketplace
The latest addition is Bixby Marketplace , a store that seeks to further personalize your experience. It’s easy to add new services, known as “capsules,” and see what they can do for you. Just open Bixby and swipe left to go to the Marketplace. From there, you can search for a specific capsule or simply browse the available categories.