The release of the Galaxy S25 earlier this year sparked uncertainty about Samsung’s Bixby assistant. The speculation intensified as the phone continued to pick up Gemini upgrades, while Bixby lost a key feature from its toolkit. However, subsequent evidence indicated that Samsung may not nerf its in-house AI assistant after all.
Separately, reports earlier this year mentioned a potential integration of the AI search engine Perplexity into Galaxy phones. Then, just over a month ago, we learned that Samsung intends to bring Perplexity’s search smarts to Bixby, starting with the Galaxy S26 lineup. A fresh revelation over the weekend offers more evidence of this integration.
A screenshot shared by user achultra on X has revealed what this Perplexity-powered Bixby will look like. As shown above, a revamped Bixby overlay appears for a weather-related query. This overlay provides detailed recommendations, such as suggesting the user carry a jacket, by tapping into Perplexity’s search engine smarts.
There’s more to come, but we’ll have to wait
Updated Bixby overlay spotted in October
This is only one part of the integration we’re seeing here, though it goes without saying that Bixby’s upgraded capabilities will be on full display during the Galaxy S26 release in February. SammyGuru notes that this functionality is currently restricted to Samsung Bixby version 4.0.50.4 and requires devices running One UI 8.5, which is currently available in beta exclusively for the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Samsung already offers Perplexity’s AI search engine on its TVs, and it seems like the One UI 8.5 beta also unlocked this capability on Galaxy phones. This should pave the way for richer, more up-to-date results from Bixby on your Galaxy smartphone, while also enhancing the assistant’s ability to answer more complex questions.
It is expected that Galaxy S26 owners will get a first taste of this integration outside the One UI 8.5 beta testers. Only then will this integration be rolled out to older Galaxy devices (including the Galaxy S25), alongside the One UI 8.5 update.
In addition to this inclusion, the Bixby pop-up is also prepping a visual upgrade, in line with current design guidelines. Of course, One UI 8.5 is not just about the visuals and Bixby upgrades, as it is also expected to introduce additional features and fixes to Galaxy devices, including in the camera department.
Samsung has already confirmed that One UI 8.5 will debut with the Galaxy S26 and make its way to older devices shortly after. A detailed timeline, along with the list of eligible devices, may be provided during the Galaxy S26 launch event in February.
