Samsung lets users remap Bixby button on S10 and other Android Pie-powered phones

Dieter Bohn / The Verge

Samsung has finally conceded and is letting users remap the Bixby button to their third-party app of choice. There's now a built-in setting that will let you assign a third-party app to open either with a single or double press. Whatever option you don't choose will be given to Bixby. For example, if one press will open Spotify, then a double press will open Bixby. Now, holding down the button will trigger Bixby Voice, no matter what.

According to The Verge, Samsung will reportedly let owners of the S8, S9, and Note 8 and Note 9 with Android Pie and One UI customize the Bixby button as well.

It’s now a bit harder to accidentally activate Bixby on the Galaxy Note 9

Review: Samsung Galaxy Note 9For Galaxy Note 9 users who have no use for Samsung’s Bixby assistant, you might want to completely disable the Bixby button. Unfortunately, that option isn’t available on this phone. But a new update coming to Bixby will at least make it harder to accidentally activate the button. It’s quite easy to accidentally launch the assistant because its button is placed under the volume rocker.

Once you have the latest update, you can head to Bixby’s settings and select whether you want to launch the assistant by a single press or with a double tap. The latter lessens the chances of you accidentally launching Bixby since you’ll need to hit the button twice in rapid succession. If this is something you want and aren’t sure if your Bixby is updated, head to Settings > About Bixby and tap on the Update button.

Source: Android Authority

Samsung targets 2020 for bringing its Bixby assistant to all its smart home products

Samsung’s Bixby might not be top of mind when it comes to digital assistants but that isn’t stopping the company from bringing it to more products. In fact, Samsung is hoping to bring the assistant t all its Internet of Things products by the year 2020. They aren’t going to stop with phones, TVs, refrigerators, and washers. They want even their ovens and robot cleaners to support the assistant to make sure you get a seamless experience with all its products. The year 2020 might be an ambitious deadline but Samsung says it’s partnering with AI research center competitors and looking for mergers to bring this initiative to life.

Source: Android Police

You can now fully disable Bixby on Galaxy S8 devices and Note8

It seems like a hard-fought battle but finally Samsung has acquiesced to the demands of the users of being able to disable the Bixby button. It can now be physically disabled so it would no longer summon up the Bixby Home screen. At first, they disabled it but it could still wake up the phone’s display like the power key would. The latest update though completely disables the button. The caveat, though, is you need to update all Bixby-related apps (Bixby, Bixby Home, and Bixby Service) on your Samsung Galaxy S8, S8 Plus, and Note 8 to the latest version to disable the feature.

Source: Android Authority