What is Samsung Bixby and How to Use it?

Samsung introduced Bixby back in 2017, around the time voice assistants were popping up everywhere. But unlike Siri, who always felt like she was reading from a script, or Google Assistant, who sometimes felt too eager to show off, Samsung Bixby has always been… quieter. A bit clumsy in the beginning, sure. But also surprisingly good at staying in sync with what’s on your screen, or what you’re actually doing at the moment.

As of today, it’s built into millions of Samsung devices, but weirdly, a lot of people still ignore it. Maybe it’s the branding. Maybe it’s the timing. Or maybe—like me—you just didn’t know it was worth trying.

If you’ve got a Samsung phone, it’s already part of your world. And it might be time to find out what it can really do when you give it more than a second glance.

Turns out, Samsung Bixby knows a few tricks you might not expect. Let’s talk about it.

What Is Samsung Bixby, Really?

Bixby is Samsung’s voice assistant. If you’ve ever held a newer Samsung phone and stumbled across a feature that talks back or helps without much prompting—that’s Bixby.

But here’s the thing: it’s not just there to take commands. It’s designed to pick up on how you use your phone. Ask it to send a message, adjust your screen, or check the weather—it’ll do that. But it’ll also start noticing the little things. When you call certain people. Which apps do you use more in the morning? That sort of thing.

Eventually, it starts making itself useful without you thinking about it. Like adjusting your screen brightness before bed or pulling up reminders you tend to forget. It even knows the difference between your voice and someone else’s, which is pretty helpful in a busy household.

And it’s got this visual side too. Point your camera at something—a plant, a landmark, a product—and Samsung Bixby tries to tell you what you’re looking at. It’s not perfect, but it’s helpful.

Chances are, if you’ve got a Samsung phone, Samsung Bixby is already there. You can activate it with your voice or a button, depending on your settings. Compared to Siri or Google Assistant, Bixby tends to go deeper into the phone’s actual controls. It can tweak system settings, open apps, even dig into things like your Gmail or Instagram messages.

Read More: Amazon Alexa: Everything About Amazon’s Voice-Controlled Assistant

What Can Samsung Bixby Actually Do?

Samsung Bixby is a smart assistant that lets you voice control your phone, but it can do a lot more. Bixby Voice, Bixby Vision, and Bixby Routines are Bixby’s main features that you should get acquainted with. These handy tools allow you to interact with Bixby by speaking, opening your camera, or tapping your screen.

Bixby Voice

You can talk to Samsung Bixby like you’d talk to someone you live with. Short commands. Half-sentences. Even something like, “Play something chill,” and it usually figures out what you want. Once it knows your voice, it doesn’t need perfect phrasing to get it done.

A lot of people think it’s just for simple things—like checking the weather or setting an alarm. And yes, it does that. But Samsung Bixby goes further. You can ask it to upload a photo to Instagram, create an album, or open a specific playlist. You can ask it to read your last message—or your last twenty. It works with Samsung’s own apps, and with many third-party ones too.

And what’s cool is that it doesn’t stop at individual actions. You can teach it “Good morning” means: turn off silent mode, start brewing coffee (if your machine’s smart), and read out your schedule. One phrase, three tasks—done.

Bixby Vision

Bixby Vision is a part of the camera app that most people forget exists. But it’s actually kind of brilliant once you try it.

You’re in a store, you see a product but don’t want to Google it. You just point your camera and let Bixby Vision scan it. In a second or two, it shows you what it is, maybe even where to buy it. Or you’re traveling and spot a menu in another language—just hover your phone, and it translates the text in real time.

It can identify food, recognize wine labels, scan QR codes, or even pull up calories. And it doesn’t just work on live camera shots—it works with images you already have in your gallery. That part feels underrated, honestly. You snap a pic earlier, forget what it was, and later Samsung Bixby helps you figure it out.

Bixby Routines

They used to call it “Bixby Routines,” but now it’s just part of Samsung’s Modes and Routines. Name aside, the idea is simple and surprisingly helpful.

Let’s say every night you plug in your charger, switch on Do Not Disturb, and turn down the brightness. Instead of doing that manually every night, you can tell Samsung Bixby to do it for you. Once you set the routine, it’ll kick in when it recognizes the pattern.

It works for more than just night routines. You can make your phone go into power-saving mode when you leave for work, or turn on GPS and Maps the moment your car’s Bluetooth connects. It’s small stuff. But it saves you taps—and mental energy.

If you’ve got Samsung SmartThings devices, Samsung Bixby ties into those too. You can say, “Turn off the bedroom lights,” or “Start the washing machine,” and it’ll take care of it. You don’t even need to open the app.

You can ask where your SmartTag is, or switch on accessibility features with just your voice—like, “Turn on screen reader” or “Enable high contrast mode.” For people who need those features every day, that matters. It cuts down barriers.

How Does Samsung Bixby Work?

At its core, Samsung Bixby is designed to do more than just follow commands. It’s built to understand context—meaning it looks at what’s happening on your screen and responds based on where you are and what you’re doing.

Let me explain.

Say you’re already inside an app—maybe the Gallery or your Messages. You say something like “Send this to Sarah,” and Bixby just knows what “this” means. You don’t need to say “Send this photo I took yesterday to Sarah using WhatsApp.” It puts the pieces together based on where you are and what’s going on.

That’s what they mean when they call it “context-aware.” It picks up cues—your location in the phone, what app is open, the tone of your voice—and makes an educated guess. Sometimes it nails it. Sometimes… well, not so much. But when it does work, it feels kind of smart. Like your phone’s paying attention for once.

The best part is you don’t have to stick to some weird script. You can be casual, even kind of vague, and Samsung Bixby usually figures it out. It doesn’t need everything in perfect order. And if you’re halfway through talking but also tapping on the screen? That’s fine too. It won’t freak out.

So how does it really work? Underneath it all, it listens to your voice, reads the moment, and takes a guess at what you want. Sometimes that guess is spot-on. Other times, it’s like… “No, not that.” But that’s kind of the deal with AI—it learns by messing up a little.

Samsung Bixby isn’t magic. But when it hits just right, it makes your phone feel less like a device and more like an assistant that actually knows how you think.

How to Set Up Samsung Bixby (Step-by-Step)

• Start Bixby: On most Samsung phones, press and hold the side button (or the Bixby button if your phone has one). That should launch the assistant.

• Sign in to your Samsung account: If you’re not signed in already, Samsung Bixby will ask you to do that. It only takes a minute. If you are, it’ll skip ahead.

• Agree to terms: You’ll see a screen with Samsung’s service agreement. Tap “Next,” then accept the terms to continue.

• Walk through the intro: Samsung Bixby gives you a short, built-in tutorial the first time you launch it. It just shows the basics—nothing long or overwhelming.

• Turn on voice wake-up (optional): Want to say “Hi Bixby” instead of pressing buttons? You can switch that on in the settings during setup. Totally up to you.

• You’re done: Once that’s finished, Bixby is ready to go. You can trigger it with the wake word or by holding the side button—whichever you prefer.

How to Use Samsung Bixby

Using Samsung Bixby isn’t hard—but depending on your phone, it might take a little exploring the first time.

If your Samsung phone has a Bixby button (usually on the side), pressing it should open up Bixby’s main screen. On some older models, you could also swipe right on your home screen to get there. But newer phones sometimes open something called Samsung Free instead—that’s more like a mix of news, podcasts, and videos.

Now, if you find yourself hitting that Bixby button by accident (yeah, it happens), you can turn it off completely. You can even change what the button does. That wasn’t possible on earlier models, but now it’s totally in your hands.

To get rid of the Samsung Bixby panel on your home screen—if it’s still showing up—just press and hold on any empty space on the screen. Then swipe over to the left panel and flip the switch to turn it off. That’s it.

Talking to Samsung Bixby is just as easy. You’ve got two options. You can either:

• Press and hold the Bixby button and speak, like you’re using a walkie-talkie
  
• Or you can say “Hi Bixby” out loud and let it wake up on its own
  

If the “Hi Bixby” command doesn’t work right away, don’t worry. You probably just need to turn it on first. Head into Bixby’s settings by opening the app, go to “Discover,” then find the voice wake-up option. Flip it on—and you’re set.

After that, Bixby listens. You don’t need to use fancy phrases. Just talk to it the way you normally would.

Which Devices Support Samsung Bixby?

Samsung Bixby first showed up back in 2017, when Samsung launched the Galaxy S8. It was kind of a big deal at the time—they even gave it its own button on the phone. Since then, it’s made its way into most of Samsung’s higher-end phones. If you’ve used something like the Galaxy S10, S20, S21, or any of the newer Fold or Flip models, Bixby’s probably baked in.

That little side button you use to lock your phone? On some devices, that’s also the Bixby shortcut. Samsung used to give Bixby its own separate button, but let’s be honest—it didn’t catch on the way they hoped. Eventually, they moved it to the power button instead. And if you’re not into voice assistants, you can turn it off. It’s not locked in or anything.

But it’s not just phones. These days, Samsung is adding Bixby to other stuff too—like smart TVs and even some of their smart fridges. Yeah, your fridge might talk to you now. Whether that’s cool or a bit too much tech depends on how you feel about your appliances chatting back.

What’s the Future of Samsung Bixby?

Samsung Bixby came out back in 2017. It seemed like Samsung really believed in it at the time. They even gave it its own button on some phones, remember? And yeah, it has gotten a little better over the years. But not by a lot.

If you compare it to Google Assistant or Siri, Bixby still struggles a bit. Voice recognition? Not always great. And I can’t really think of any major features that were added lately. It just kind of… exists now. Quietly.

That silence from Samsung—no big updates, no fresh features—makes it feel like Bixby’s no longer a priority. Maybe they’ve shifted focus. Or maybe they’re just letting it sit in the background for people who still use it.

At one point, Bixby was supposed to compete with the other big voice assistants. But today? It doesn’t really feel like it’s trying to compete anymore.

Still, who knows. Maybe Samsung has something planned down the road. But if they do, they’re keeping it very quiet.

FAQs

1. What Is Bixby?
If you’ve had a Samsung phone in the past few years, you’ve probably seen its name pop up—or maybe you pressed the wrong button once and it suddenly started talking to you. That’s Bixby.

It’s Samsung’s own voice assistant. But calling it that feels a bit limiting. It’s not just there to check the weather or crack jokes. Bixby was built to work with your phone—deeply. Not just over the surface. It’s the kind of assistant that doesn’t need a long introduction but quietly steps in when your hands are full or your attention is elsewhere.

You can speak to it, type something, or just tap around—and it listens. More like: “You want to send a text? Open Maps? Take a quick photo without fumbling with buttons?” Bixby can do that. It can even look at something through your camera and tell you what it is—or at least try to.

Now, it’s not flawless. No assistant is. Sometimes you’ll say something, and Bixby might just miss the point entirely. But when it works, it feels oddly thoughtful—like your phone is one step ahead of you.

2. What Is Bixby Voice?
Sometimes, you just don’t want to swipe through apps or tap around your screen. Maybe you’re cooking. Maybe you’re holding a coffee. Maybe you’re just tired. That’s where Bixby Voice steps in.

You press and hold the side button (or the Bixby one, depending on your phone), and you just… talk. That’s it. Just say it like you would to a friend.

“Call Dad.”
“Open Spotify.”
“Remind me about the groceries at 5.”

Bixby usually gets it. And when it doesn’t, well—it tries again. But most of the time, you say the thing, and it does the thing. Simple.

And hey, if you’re not into speaking out loud—like you’re in a quiet room or just not in the mood—there’s a little Bixby icon you can tap instead. Type it out, no big deal.

3. Can I Change Bixby’s Language?
Yes, absolutely. If you want to hear Bixby in another language, you can change that anytime. Just press and hold the side button to open it, then tap the settings gear icon. Go to “Language and voice style,” and you’ll be able to pick from a list of available languages.

If you use more than one Samsung device, you can set a different language on each—so your phone can speak English while your tablet uses something else entirely.

4. Why Doesn’t Bixby Vision Recognize What I’m Pointing At?
Yeah… sometimes Bixby Vision just doesn’t get it. You hold your phone up, expect it to work but it gives you something totally random.

But maybe your hand’s a little shaky. Maybe the room’s too dark. It happens.

Try this—hold your phone steady, and make sure there’s enough light. If it’s dark, even just turning on a lamp can help.

When you’re aiming at something, center it on the screen. Don’t zoom in too much, and don’t fill the whole frame either. You want a little space around the edges—just enough so Bixby isn’t confused about what it’s supposed to focus on.

Make sure the object isn’t upside down. Bixby’s smart, but it still gets tripped up by weird angles.

And if you’re scanning a product? Show the front. The part with the logo or label. That’s what Bixby looks for when it tries to figure out what you’re showing it.