It only takes a few seconds to give Samsung’s Bixby the boot
Bixby has a troubled reputation. On one hand, the voice assistant itself is terrible and should never be used. On the other hand, Bixby Routines has become indispensable for many and is one of the best automation apps available. Thankfully, Bixby and Bixby Routines work independently, and disabling the former won’t hurt the latter. If disabling Bixby is something you want to do, look no further.
These tips apply to all Samsung Galaxy devices from the Note 10 and newer, as they don’t have dedicated Bixby buttons. The Samsung Galaxy S8, S9, S10, Note 8, and Note 9 have dedicated Bixby buttons that can’t be fully deactivated.
How to disable Bixby on your Samsung Galaxy’s Side key
By default, newer Samsung phones open Bixby when you hold down the Side key—the key you’d expect to function as a power button. Here’s how to change that:
- Swipe down on your homescreen once to show your notifications, then swipe a second time to expand the quick settings.
- Tap the power icon in the upper-right corner of the screen to open the Power menu.
- Tap Side key settings.
- Under Press and hold, select Power off menu.
How to disable ‘Hi Bixby’ detection
In the same way that the Google Assistant listens for “Hey Google,” Bixby listens for “Hi Bixby.” It’s a unique-sounding phrase, so you’re not likely to trigger it accidentally. Still, if you want to turn it off, follow these steps:
- Open the Bixby app.
- Open the side menu.
- Tap the settings icon.
- Toggle the Voice wake-up setting to off.
Bixby only works when you’re signed in to a Samsung account. When you’re not using any other Samsung-specific features, sign out under Manage accounts in your phone’s settings.
I’m sorry, Bixby, I’m afraid I can’t do that
Just like that, Bixby will stop getting in your way all the time. Then, you’ll be free to use Google Assistant, which has many more useful features.
If you’re new to the Galaxy experience or want to become more familiar with it, we have other helpful guides like the fourteen best features you should be using and how to use custom icon packs on your Galaxy device.
