Many users who have recently purchased a new smartphone from Samsung have found an application called Bixby on it. If you also encountered this application, then we suggest that you read our article. Here you will learn what Samsung's Bixby is, how it works and how to use it.

Samsung Bixby is a voice assistant that was introduced by Samsung in the spring of 2017 along with the Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphones. In fact, Samsung Bixby is a heavily redesigned S Voice app that has been preinstalled on Samsung smartphones since the Galaxy S III. Like S Voice, Samsung's Bixby assistant can answer users' questions, run simple errands, or search for information.

Initially, this voice assistant was available only on smartphones from Samsung, both on new and old models. The only limitation is the version of the operating system. In order to install Bixi on an old Samsung smartphone, it must be running the Android Nougat operating system or a newer version of Android. But, later, the scope of Bixby expanded, Samsung began to introduce this assistant into its other equipment, for example, smart TVs and even refrigerators.

Bixby Home, Voice and Vision

is an application that is accessible from the main screen of the smartphone. To open it, you need to swipe right on the main screen or make a short press on the Bixby button.

Bixby Home collects a variety of information that may be of interest to the user and displays it in a vertically scrolling feed. The main content of this tape is unified cards that contain information from various sources. By scrolling through this feed, the user can find out about the weather, their fitness activity, scheduled events, set alarms and reminders, etc.

The Bixby Home feed can be customized to your needs. The user can turn off uninteresting cards or vice versa, pin those that contain the most relevant and useful information. The main source of information for cards is other Samsung apps, but Bixby Home can also receive data from third-party apps. For example, there are cards for apps like Spotify, CNN, and Flipboard.

Bixby Voice is an application that is launched by long pressing the Bixby button. The Bixby Voice app is the voice part of the Bixby assistant, sort of like Siri but from Samsung.

With Bixby Voice, you can give voice commands and communicate with the assistant using your voice. For example, you can ask about the weather forecast, ask to send a text message, dial a phone number, change settings, or set a reminder. More complex commands are also supported, including Bixby's ability to launch apps in split-screen mode, edit photos, remind you of your car's location, play videos on your TV, and more. Samsung claims that Bixby can recognize and execute over 3,000 different voice commands. At the same time, the assistant can interact with third-party applications, for example, with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Uber, Google Maps or Gmail.

Bixby Voice also has the ability to communicate with the user in "telephone mode". To do this, the user needs to hold the phone to their ear, as is done during a phone call. This will allow you to comfortably interact with the assistant in public places.

is a Bixby assistant component that is built into the camera app. This component uses machine learning and Samsung partner databases to make the camera more useful.

With Bixby Vision, you can identify photographed objects in real time and search for information about them in various Internet services. For example, Bixby Vision uses data from FourSquare to determine photographable landmarks and places of interest.

Bixby Vision can also recognize QR codes and translate text. In order to translate a foreign language, it is enough to point the camera at the text and its translation will immediately appear in the field of view. This feature supports a fairly large set of languages, so it can be very handy.

Of the unusual features of Bixby Vision, the Makeup function should be noted. This feature uses the front camera to apply a virtual makeover to your face. At the moment, in this way you can "try on" almost all the products of the cosmetics manufacturer Sephora.

How to use Samsung Bixby

In order to start using the Bixby voice assistant, you can use a separate button, which is present on the body of many new models from Samsung. For example, this button is available on the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9 Plus, Note 8 and Note 9. A short press on this button will open Bixby Home, and a longer press will bring up Bixby Voice. In addition, Bixby Home can be opened by swiping from left to right on the home screen.

When you open Samsung Bixby for the first time, you will need to accept the user agreement and grant access to your data. After that, you can customize the assistant to your own requirements. To do this, open Bixby Home, click the gear icon in the top right corner, and go to Settings.

Understanding the natural language of speech. Many voice assistants are still very limited in their vocabulary. For them to understand you, you need to say some special phrase. Bixby understands natural speech. At least in English. Only in extreme cases does he ask the interlocutor again. This will be most noticeable after the voice assistant becomes very popular. After all, the service needs to actively study natural speech, only after that it will really learn to understand it. And this takes time.

Reminders. The voice assistant has also expanded the basic function regarding reminders of certain upcoming events. The user has the ability to ask the assistant to remind him of something when he is in a certain place. Again, it is assumed that the command will be delivered in the usual colloquial speech: "Remind me to take the documents when I am near Chapaev 42."

How to use Bixby?

As mentioned above, so far the service only works on the Samsung Galaxy S8 and its enlarged counterpart. You cannot install the voice assistant on any other devices (at least as of April 2017). Roughly speaking, buyers of the new flagship are still testing this service. When the South Koreans realize that their creation works almost perfectly, they will provide the opportunity to use it and the owners of some other Samsung smartphones. The assistant will arrive with the next firmware update, replacing S Voice. It is unlikely that it will be possible to download it somewhere on a third-party resource. Although the creators of all kinds of mods may well somehow implement this.

It should also be noted that the first buyers of the new flagships will not be able to play with Bixby. The fact is that it took the South Koreans a little more time to finalize their service. It will become active only at the end of May or beginning of June 2017. It is not yet known whether Bixby will immediately speak Russian, or whether this will have to wait for several months or even years.

Using the voice assistant is very easy. It is enough to press the appropriate button and say a question or command. Also, after pressing the button, you will see the start screen of the assistant. It collects all sorts of tips and other useful information. For example, it will contain notifications about the actions of friends in , the number of steps you have taken, and much more. The order of the blocks on the screen will constantly change, depending on what information is currently more important.

Their flagships Galaxy S8 and S8 +. Both smartphones received a new Bixby voice assistant.

But, in fact, what Samsung says about Bixby:

Bixby is no ordinary voice assistant, but rather an intuitive and comprehensive interface that uses contextual awareness to learn the user's habits and respond accordingly.

It looks like a really new way to interact with your smartphone.

Other assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa and Cortana receive information on request from the Internet, and then convey it to the user. Bixby is different in that it's not a search engine. It is an assistant aimed at simplifying the user experience when using the phone, applications and services.

To call Bixby, just say his name out loud or press a special button. The assistant performs 4 main functions:

Bixby Voice

Bixby recognizes natural speech. Through voice control, the user can perform various tasks related to their smartphone. We are talking about calls, gallery, settings and so on. Bixby will initially support English and Korean, but other languages ​​will follow.

Bixby Vision

Bixby Vision uses an augmented reality camera to determine the surroundings. In general, you can find out all the necessary and useful information about everything around you. The functionality also allows you to translate text, scan QR codes and determine the location.

Bixby Reminder

Based on routines and user location, Bixby provides a contextual reminder. Users can create job alerts at a specified time or location. Further more, Bixby Reminder can remind you on which page you finished reading your book.

Bixby Home

This is a collection of everything you need in one place. Everything that the user needs: applications, services, routine obligations and much more appears on the screen.

Bixby is an ambitious project from Samsung. But so far, it only works with about 10 Android apps from Samsung. At an event dedicated to this innovative assistant, the manufacturer assured that Bixby will work with third-party applications and with Samsung Connect (smart connection of home devices).

Bixby is a smart assistant for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ that appears to be Samsung's answer to similar virtual products currently on the market, but it's hard to tell how the competition will unfold due to the unfinished work on it.

The fact is that despite the fact that the Galaxy S8 is already officially presented, Samsung hinted in a press release before the publication that its product still needs to be improved. She announced that she will continue to work on her assistant until the S8 line is in stores and probably for a long time to come. In the future, the company plans to integrate it into its other smart devices.

Despite doubts about how Bixby will function in the real world, on paper it has some exceptional qualities. First of all, it is easy access. The smart assistant has a special button on the left side of the S8, by pressing which the consumer can call it or say the phrase - Bixby.

It's also accessible via the camera app and is capable of speaking 52 languages, as opposed to the 21 that Siri owns.

The Samsung Smart Assistant is structured into three parts called Voice, Vision and Home.

Let's take a closer look at them.

Bixby Voice

Bixby Voice is very close to popular virtual voice assistants. But unlike Siri, Alexa, and Cortana, which focus on using web resources to answer questions, it focuses on intrinsic qualities. According to Samsung, “everything that is done with a touch can be done with a voice.” The company intends to one day allow the consumer to use their device to its full potential through Bixby, which appears to be a daunting task, far from being accomplished.

Samsung's voice assistant works with phone, messaging, camera, and settings and contacts for the first time. The consumer is able to use voice commands to display photos, receive incoming mail, and make calls.

Bixby Vision

It is an augmented reality video camera with image recognition capabilities like Google Goggles, which the consumer is more likely to use to identify the products they are purchasing. For example, he might point to a bottle of wine to find its price and other concise details like recommended food pairings. Samsung has announced a partnership with Pinterest and Amazon among other partners to expand the scope of its assistant.

In addition to shopping, the consumer can also use Vision to distinguish between close objects such as flowers and trees. When the S8 was unveiled, another use case was shown, where the consumer took a picture of a landmark and the assistant provided historical information about it, as well as recommendations for a local restaurant.

Bixby Home

Bixby Home is a vertical "invitation" bar for things like weather, smart home device control, news, and fitness tracking. It also links to third-party apps like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

As you can see, on paper, all the features of Samsung's new voice assistant are really impressive. It will be especially cool if the South Korean giant really keeps his word and constantly refines this feature. For now, Samsung has no doubts about Bixby's success. And this is very good - the product has every chance to become better

Bixby is an artificial intelligence system for Samsung phones that simplifies the interaction of a person with the device and expands its capabilities. The application is integrated into many smartphones of the Korean manufacturer, and its presence increases the number of available functions for users. Below we will consider the features of Bixby Samsung, what kind of application it is and how it works. Let's highlight its features and reviews of real people.

The history of the appearance of the function in the world and Russia

The first information about the assistant appeared in March 2017, a few days before the introduction of the Samsung S8 and S8+ series smartphones. Bixby appeared as a counter to existing applications such as Siri, Google Assistant and others. Over time, the number of models used has increased and the functionality has improved. According to the developers, by 2020 all devices will be equipped with an assistant.

Today, the voice assistant is available in more than 200 countries, including South Africa, Canada, Australia, England, etc. Initially, it worked in the DPRK and the USA, but later spread to other countries.

Today, the development trend continues. In addition, South Korean developers are working on updating the software and expanding its functionality.

Many are interested in when Bixby will speak Russian. At the moment, the assistant understands English, Chinese and Korean. As for the expansion of the list of languages, this issue has been suspended for an indefinite time. Representatives of Samsung only promise to expand the list, but it does not come to real action. In the near future, testing of Italian, German, British and Spanish is planned. As for the appearance of Bixby Samsung in Russian, and when it will be released in Russia, there are no exact dates.

Which Samsung models support the app

Initially, the assistant functioned only on two Samsung devices - S8 and S8 Plus. Subsequently, this list has expanded. Today the application works on such models of the company's smartphones - S10, S10+, Note9, S10e, A9 Star, A8 2018, A8+ 2018, A7 2018, A5 2018, A6, A6+, J7+, Tab s4, J7 TOP, Tab A2, W2018 and a number of others. The number of Samsung models that support Bixby is constantly expanding.

Analogues and their features

There are still discussions among experts about what Samsung's Bixby is and how relevant this application is. The reason is that the program has a number of competitors in the form of the following programs:

• Google Now is a personal assistant that works stably, provides voice prompts and provides access to Google maps. He is able to answer questions, recommend something and perform certain actions.

• Siri is software that uses voice to send SMS, dial other users, set reminders, etc. The program understands the words of the owner and converts them into action. Newer versions are more stable and have more features. For example, they are able to identify music tracks.

• Google Assistant is a personal assistant created by the company of the same name. The presence of such software raises the question of why the Bixby assistant from Samsung is needed, because the application from Google performs almost the same functions. But that's how it was at first. Over time, the developers of the Bixby program have expanded its functionality. As for the Google Assistant, it is able to recognize speech, identify objects and collect visual data through the camera. The application is easy to install and works quickly.

• Cortana is a personal user assistant that simplifies the life of the user and helps to solve important tasks.

Despite the variety of competitors, the assistant from Samsung has successfully coped with the onslaught. For example, Amazon Alexa understands only one language, and it took Siri four years to start recognizing Russian. In this regard, Siri certainly wins. As noted, Samsung does not announce the date when the application for Russian-speaking citizens will appear. On the other hand, the application works better with gestures, which is what the developers focus on.

Operating principle

Samsung representatives have implemented many features that make the application truly useful for the user. The developers set the following Bixby scenarios regarding the future development of the program - control of multiple devices, understanding of context and human language. The application works quickly and uses all the functionality of a Samsung phone, from different sensors to the device's camera.

Functions and their features

The Bixby app is a multifunctional software that offers new possibilities for the user. Let's highlight the main ones:

• voice control;
• replacement of wallpaper on the desktop;
• video output to the TV screen;
• recognition of objects through the camera;
• combination with other applications;
• search for various information on the Web;
• making payments, etc.

The application works with an eye on development. It provides for an internal system that implies the development of intelligence.

Our readers also often ask about, our authors have prepared a separate article about this function.

Note also Bixby widgets from Samsung - these are separate branches with additional features for the user.

Let's highlight the main ones:

• Bixby Reminder is a widget that provides a reminder (notification) of certain events. With it, you can get information about all the little things, including on which page a person finished reading a book.
• Bixby Vision is an option that allows you to use your Samsung smartphone's camera to recognize objects. With the help of a widget, a person can find out useful information about a particular object. Additional functions - scanning QR codes, translating text, determining location, etc. The question regarding the Bixby Samsung camera deserves special attention, how it works. The application features allow you to see the world differently, recognize landmarks, scan QR codes, create visual elements and solve other tasks.

• Bixby Voice is a widget that works for speech recognition. Using voice commands, the user can control the Samsung phone and give it various tasks (call, make settings, etc.). Russian-speaking users often ask a question about Bixby Voice - how to turn it on in Russia. As noted, Samsung's assistant does not yet understand Russian, so this option is not available.

• Bixby Home is a complex of the most important elements for the user in one place. This includes the best apps, services, commitments, etc.

The possibilities of the program are constantly expanding. It can be used as a translator and guide, search for similar pictures, quickly access features of interest, and perform other tasks.

Instructions for switching on

There are two ways to turn on Bixby - using the phrase "Hi, Bixbi" or by pressing and holding a special button. A small blue circle appears on the left side of the screen. For a long time, Samsung did not allow you to disable or remap the button. After the release of the update, this became possible. If the owner of a Samsung smartphone has turned off the button and plans to turn it on again, there are two ways to resolve the issue.

• press the application button and activate Voice and tips;
• click on the gear icon at the top right of the display;
• enable the Key option by moving the slider to the right.

From the main screen:

• press the display and swipe from right to left;
• switch the toggle switch of the Home assistant;
• open the Home display and tap the gear icon at the top right;
• turn on the Key by moving the switch.

The last step is to make sure that Bixby on Samsung is working as usual.

Terms of use and settings

The next point to consider is how to use Bixby. The setting principle depends on the widget. Let's highlight the main points:

• swipe the home screen to the right to view recent photos or check the weather;
• use voice commands (in supported languages) to control functions;
• get alerts with the Reminder widget and more.

Many are interested in how to set up Bixby and remap the button. After the next update, the function became available to all users of the assistant. Now the button can be used to launch any software, be it a camera, Google Maps or another application. The work can be done through the settings after checking for an update.