While Bixby has often played second fiddle in the virtual assistant landscape, Samsung is aiming for a major comeback with the launch of its latest update. Debuting alongside the One UI 8.5 beta, Bixby has been reimagined as a sophisticated “conversational agent” powered by advanced large language models. This update shifts the interface away from rigid, pre-defined commands toward a more natural, fluid dialogue.
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The primary upgrade allows Bixby to understand intent rather than just keywords. Users no longer need to memorize specific setting names; instead, they can describe a desired outcome in plain English. For instance, telling Bixby, “I don’t want the screen to time out while I’m still looking at it,” will prompt the assistant to automatically toggle the “Keep Screen on While Viewing” feature.
Beyond simple toggles, the assistant now acts as a troubleshooting partner. If a user asks why their screen stays active while in a pocket, Bixby can analyse system behaviour and suggest multiple solutions, such as enabling accidental touch protection or adjusting lift-to-wake settings.
Samsung has also addressed a long-standing limitation by granting Bixby direct access to up-to-date information from the web. Users can perform searches without ever opening a browser, with the assistant displaying summarized results directly within its interface. This integration makes Bixby a more viable alternative to standalone AI chatbots for quick information retrieval.
Currently, the updated Bixby is available to beta testers in a select group of regions, including:
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- South Korea
- The United States
- The United Kingdom
- Germany
- India
- Poland
Samsung plans to expand this availability to more markets and languages as the One UI 8.5 software approaches its stable public release.
