Samsung has officially relaunched Bixby as a conversational AI agent, rolling out the update through the One UI 8.5 beta program. The redesigned assistant now understands natural language commands and provides real-time web search powered by Perplexity, marking Samsung’s biggest push yet to make its voice assistant competitive with rivals.
What Makes the New Bixby Different
The upgraded Bixby transforms how users interact with Galaxy devices by enabling natural conversation instead of rigid voice commands. According to Samsung’s announcement, you can now say “I don’t want the screen to time out while I’m still looking at it” and Bixby immediately activates the ‘Keep Screen on While Viewing’ setting—without needing to know the exact feature name or navigate through menus.
Samsung COO Won-Joon Choi explained the vision: “Since we introduced our first AI phone, we’ve been committed to making them easier to use so more people can benefit from AI—that’s why we decided to integrate a device agent directly into the experience.”
Key New Features
Natural Language Device Control lets you describe what you want rather than memorize specific commands. If you ask “Why is my phone screen always on when it’s inside my pocket?” Bixby analyzes the context and suggests relevant settings like Accidental Touch Protection, allowing you to enable it directly from the conversation.
Perplexity-Powered Web Search brings real-time information directly into Bixby’s interface. You can ask for hotels in Seoul with kid-friendly pools, check the latest news, or research topics without switching to a separate browser. According to Android Headlines, results appear within Bixby rather than redirecting you elsewhere.
Conversation History works similarly to ChatGPT and Gemini, with a side menu showing previous chat threads. According to SamMobile, this makes it easy to reference past questions and continue conversations naturally.
Where Bixby Beta Is Available
The new Bixby launched February 20 as part of the One UI 8.5 beta program for Galaxy S25 series devices. Neowin reports availability in six initial markets: United States, United Kingdom, Germany, India, Korea, and Poland.
Supported languages currently include English (US, UK, India), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish (Spain, Latin America), and Portuguese (Brazil). Samsung plans broader expansion as the beta progresses.
How Bixby Understands Context
Unlike previous versions that required specific phrasing, the new Bixby can identify your device’s current settings and suggest tailored solutions. According to Engadget, this reduces trial and error for users unfamiliar with specific features.
Rather than offering generic instructions, Bixby provides multiple options based on your situation. This contextual awareness separates it from simpler voice assistants that only execute predefined commands.
Galaxy S26 Integration
The One UI 8.5 update—and the redesigned Bixby—will launch with the Galaxy S26 series on February 25. According to Droid Life, the new devices will showcase these features out of the box, while existing Galaxy S25 users can access them through the beta program.
To join the beta, Galaxy S25 owners in supported markets should check the Samsung Members app for enrollment options. The stable One UI 8.5 release will follow in coming months, bringing the new Bixby to a wider range of Galaxy devices.
How It Compares to Competitors
The Bixby overhaul comes as Samsung faces stiff competition from Google Assistant, Alexa, and AI chatbots like ChatGPT. While Bixby previously struggled with adoption, the natural language approach and Perplexity integration could change user perception.
Samsung’s device-control focus differentiates Bixby from web-centric assistants. According to Android Authority, the ability to adjust settings through conversation rather than menu navigation appeals to users who find smartphone interfaces complex.
What’s Next for Bixby
Samsung hasn’t detailed future Bixby updates beyond the beta, but the conversational agent architecture suggests ongoing improvements. The company emphasized that more features, additional languages, and expanded device support will roll out as the platform matures.
With major competitors like Apple integrating AI more deeply into Siri and Google pushing Gemini across Android, Samsung clearly views the Bixby reboot as essential to remaining competitive in the AI assistant space.
For Galaxy users tired of neglecting Bixby in favor of third-party assistants, the new conversational capabilities might finally provide a reason to give Samsung’s assistant another chance.
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