Home How To How to Disable Bixby on a Samsung Phone

How to Disable Bixby on a Samsung Phone

Bixby, Samsung’s virtual AI assistant, never really met user expectations and became unlikeable almost right from the beginning. It remained an annoyance ever since the Samsung Galaxy S8 made its debut with the onboard Bixby button. The button didn’t make it in the Galaxy S20 series, except that Bixby was integrated into the power button instead, making it even more irritating than before.
Now that the Galaxy S21 lineup has launched, Samsung still really wants you to choose Bixby above Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for some reason, though the future of Bixby remains foggy.
If you use one of Samsung’s Bixby-enabled phones, you probably are tired of accidentally triggering Bixby on a daily basis. However, there’s a way to get rid of Bixby from Samsung phones, and this guide will tell you what you need to do.

Why should you disable Bixby?

One of the problems with the dedicated Bixby button on Samsung phones is the placement. It’s situated right below the volume keys and almost directly opposite the power button. Accidentally pressing the Bixby button on bigger phones like the Galaxy Note 10+ or the S10+ is inevitable, especially when trying to push the power or volume down button. On the other hand, the new Samsung flagships with no dedicated Bixby button integrates the assistant directly to the power button.
Generally, holding the power button brings up the power control menu on most Android devices, but doing the same on a Bixby-enabled Samsung phone activates Bixby Voice by default. For someone who has developed years of muscle memory, it is a jarring transition nonetheless. However, we will help you disable Bixby.

Disable Bixby on older Samsung Galaxy S / Note phones

If you have an older Samsung Galaxy S / Note phone running One UI based on Android Pie, chances are it has Bixby 2.0. This version of the assistant adds a plethora of new features, but it also removes the option to disable Bixby.
Although you can’t completely disable Bixby 2.0, you can at least change its activation from a single press to a double press. Doing so will save you from activating Bixby even if you misclick the dedicated button once. Here’s what you need to do:

  1. First, log in to your Samsung account or create one if you haven’t already.
  2. Next, tap and hold down the empty space on your home screen to open the customization menu.
  3. Swipe to the left home panel, then toggle the slider off next to Bixby Home to disable it.
  4. Now go to the Settings app from the app drawer and visit the Advanced Features menu.
  5. Tap Bixby Key on the following menu and select Double press to open Bixby.

If you wish to disable the Bixby button entirely, install bxActions from the Play Store. However, it may stop working in case Samsung blocks the app with future updates.

Remapping the Bixby button

One UI doesn’t allow users to disable Bixby, but you can at least remap the dedicated button to launch other apps, such as Google Assistant or Camera. You can change it directly from the Settings app by performing the steps below.

  1. Head over to the Advanced Features menu from the Settings app.
  2. After that, tap the Bixby Key option and select Double press to open Bixby.
  3. Now toggle the slider next to the Use single press option, then tap the area around it.
  4. On the following page, select Open app and tap the cog icon next to the option.
  5. Select the app you wish to open when pressing the Bixby button.

Assuming you follow the instructions correctly, you should be able to single-press the dedicated Bixby button once to launch the selected app. Note that double-pressing the button will still launch Bixby.

Disable Bixby on newer Samsung Galaxy S / Note phones

After integrating Bixby into the power button by default, Samsung probably expected much aggressive backlash from the community. Hence, they decided to provide an option in One UI 2.0 to disable Bixby on the newer Samsung Galaxy phones fully. It’s surprisingly easy and doesn’t require you to log into a Samsung account.

  1. Bring down the notification shade and tap the power icon in the quick settings panel.
  2. Tap the Side key settings button at the bottom of the power menu.
  3. On the next page, change the “Double press” function to either Quick launch camera or Open app.
    In case you select Open app, tap the cog icon next to it and choose an app you want to open with a double-press.
  4. After that, change the “Press and hold” function to Power off menu.

That’s it! You can now hold the power button to get access to the power menu instead of Bixby. If you wish to remove Bixby Home from your home screen, follow the steps below.

  1. Tap and hold the empty space on the home screen to open the customization menu.
  2. Swipe to the left home panel and disable Bixby Home by toggling the slider off next to it.

In case you are using a Samsung device running One UI 3.1, you can also enable Google Discover to get your personalized news feed on the home screen.

Finishing up

This is how you can disable Bixby on a Samsung phone. While it has seen improvements ever since its release in 2017, Google Assistant remains to be the best voice assistant for Android devices.
If you have found this guide helpful, please give us your precious feedback in the comments below. Also, let us know about your experience with Bixby and your reason to disable it once and for all.

FOLLOW us ON GOOGLE NEWS

Denial of responsibility! TechCodex is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
DMCA compliant image

Leave a Comment