Bixby update available on Galaxy S8 and S8+ starting Tuesday, July 18
Samsung Electronics America, Inc. announced that the voice-based feature of Bixby will be available starting today, for Galaxy S8 and S8+ owners in the U.S. Bixby is a smarter way to use a Samsung phone, enabling people to get more done with their smartphone. With this Bixby update, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ owners will be able to navigate through select phone apps, services and settings with a combination of voice commands and touch.
“There are over 10,000 functions on our smartphones, but each day, people may use less than five percent of them. The features on your phone are only useful if you know how to find them. Our goal with Bixby is to make it easier to use our phones, creating the best possible user experience for our customers. That’s why we created Bixby – an intuitive new way to do more things with your phone,” says Injong Rhee, Executive Vice President, Head of R&D, Software and Services of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics.
Bixby1 is a first of its kind experience on a Samsung smartphone. Users can now use their voice to do many things they do with touch. Users can ask Bixby to complete simple tasks like turning on the flashlight, taking a screen shot, or taking a selfie. Bixby can complete more complex tasks like creating a photo album of all the pictures a user took last week and calling it “Vacation,” and then sharing those photos with family and friends. Users can have Bixby remember things and remind, such as “remember this is where I parked,” or “remind me to pick up eggs and milk at the grocery store.”
What’s more, because Bixby is deeply integrated into the device’s operating system – rather than being a separate app –users can seamlessly switch between controlling an app via voice or via touch commands, rather than choose one or the other ahead of time.
Bixby will be fully integrated across several core Samsung apps at launch, with plans to continuously expand to support additional languages, features, third-party apps and devices.
At launch, users will be able to access Bixby’s voice capabilities in a set of third-party apps on an opt-in basis via Bixby Labs. Within Bixby Labs, users can experiment with upcoming applications to take advantage of the benefits Bixby offers. Initially, select third-party apps including Google Maps, Google Play Music, YouTube, Facebook, and others are available in Bixby Labs.
To enable Bixby’s voice-based capabilities, Galaxy S8 and S8+ owners in the U.S. can press the Bixby button to begin onboarding starting today, July 18. Once the software is updated, users can activate Bixby by holding the dedicated button on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ phones, or by simply saying, “Hi, Bixby.” The Bixby update will be available starting today on Galaxy S8 and S8+ from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and U.S. Cellular.
Bixby users will earn experience points (XPs) the more they use Bixby, when sending a message, making a call, updating settings or giving feedback. Starting today through September 14, 2017, users can convert XPs into Samsung Rewards points2 that are accumulated to try to win prizes such as Samsung products, gift cards, trips, and more.
For more information, please visit: www.samsung.com/us/explore/bixby/overview
About Bixby
Bixby is a smarter way to use your Samsung smartphone and helps you get more done.
- Bixby hears you. Bixby is designed to assist you in completing tasks no matter how you describe them because Bixby will work with you to understand and find the answer or get the task done. Bixby can learn about you and your routine. Using deep learning, Bixby will also improve over time to recognize the different preferences and ways of speaking of a user.
- Bixby helps you. Bixby is fully integrated into native apps and will be integrated into select third-party apps, and makes it easier to find and use their best features. And with Bixby, you can navigate your phone how you like—with voice, touch, or by switching seamlessly between the two.
- Bixby handles it for you. Bixby completes multi-app, complex requests—like grouping pictures from your latest vacation, and sending them to your friends. And if Bixby doesn’t understand a step, it will complete as much of the task as possible, rather than not even starting.
1Voice command recognizes English (US) and Korean. Not all accents, dialects and expressions recognized. Service ability may vary by country or carrier. Voice command works with a select, growing list of Samsung and third-party apps; see “Apps with Voice” in Bixby for list of compatible apps.
2Terms & Conditions apply. Users can find out more by going to Bixby Home on their GS8/GS8+ devices.
