Setup and Use Bixby on Samsung Galaxy S8
Edited by Jay, Maria Quinney
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ are high-end phones that come with state of the art hardware and software. As Samsung's current flagship devices, the S8 and S8+ offer the most up-to-date features of any smartphones available on the market today. One of the more prominent features is, of course, Bixby Virtual Assistant. Similar to Google Assistant, Bixby was released alongside the Galaxy S8/S8+ back in March of 2017. Bixby is essentially a vast revamp of S Voice, which stood as Samsung's voice assistant application since 2012.
Bixby operates by taking voice commands to perform a wide variety of tasks, all while learning an adapting o the user's speech patterns. It also utilizes the S8's camera which helps users better understand their surroundings and environment. Pretty much anything that can be done on the device by swiping and tapping can be accomplished using your voice and Bixby. Take selfies, get live navigation help, reminders, and using your apps more efficiently are just a few of the many things Bixby can do.
In this VisiHow tutorial, we're going to take you through the steps for; setting up Bixby, using voice commands to perform tasks, using the camera to shop for items, translate text, as well as creating custom commands. We'll be using a Samsung Galaxy S8 running Android 7.0 (Nougat).
**Please Note** To properly use Bixby, you'll need an active Samsung account.
Setting up Bixby
- 1To get started, tap the Bixby key which sits just below the volume down button on the left side of the device.
- 2Tap "NEXT", followed by "Confirm" to continue.The first two screens are the initial introduction and the Language selection.At the time of writing this tutorial, the only language available was English (US).
- 3Read through them carefully, select I have read and agree to all, then tap "NEXT" to continue.Next, we have to agree to the updated terms and conditions.
- 4Tap the Bixby logo to proceed.The following screen explains how to position the device, so Bixby functions most optimally.
- 5Read the commands on the screen in a clear tone, and at a consistent speed.Now it's time to help Bixby learn from your voice.You may have to repeat the same phrase a few times. Be patient as doing this correctly now, will ensure that voice commands will work correctly later on.
- 6Tap "NEXT" to continue with the setup.After you've read aloud the prompted commands, Bixby will display "Saving..." on the screen.
- 7Tap the Bixby button, then read out the sentences that are displayed on the screen.Now Bixby will learn from your pronunciation style.After you've read each sentence correctly, a checkmark will appear next to it.
- 8For example; "Open Messages" or "Open Settings".The following two screen explain how the basic command function operates.You'll also see a list of common commands on the following screen.
- 9The applications have to be updated to function properly.Next, Bixby will display the apps it currently works with.Tap "UPDATE", or "LATER" to continue.
- 10Tap "NEXT" to continue.The next screen allows you to enable or disable Bixby Labs, which are apps that are currently being tested.
- 11It also describes the leveling and points system (the more you use Bixby, the more points you receive).The last two screens of the setup give a nice overview of what Bixby is capable of.
- 12This screen is where you can access your settings, enable/disable the Bixby key, create quick commands, and much more.Once the setup has completed, you'll end up on your "MY BIXBY" screen.
Using Voice Commands with Bixby
There are two ways to communicate with Bixby. The first is to press and hold the Bixby key while you say your command. The second is to say "Hi Bixby", followed by your command.
- 1Press + hold the Bixby key.
- 2While still pressing the Bixby key, say a command.You'll see the Bixby logo appear on the right-hand side, along with a speech box.For our example, we said; "open calculator".
- 3Next, say another speak another command.Bixby will continue to listen for a few seconds once the app/function opens.For our example we said; "954 x 323 =...".
- 4Bixby then returned with the correct answer, which is displayed in the speech box near the bottom.
- 5Another screen will open with some options on correcting the answer/question.In the event something went wrong, tap the "Teach me" button.
- 6If you tap "FULLSCREEN", another screen will open with additional options and help.You can also access your settings and MY BIXBY page from here.
- 7For our example we said; "Hi Bixby, open Google Chrome and search for current weather in Barrie Ontario".The second way to communicate with Bixby is by saying, "Hi Bixby".
- 8Tap "GO BACK" to return to the previous screen.Bixby opened Chrome, and it pulled the information we requested.
Using Bixby Vision
Bixby vision can be used to extract text, translate text, look up landmarks, and search for products all by using your devices camera app.
- 1To utilize Bixby vision, open up your camera app, then tap the Bixby icon in the lower left portion of the screen.
Creating Quick Commands
With Quick commands, you can tell Bixby to perform a task in your own words. So instead of saying a full sentence, for example, you can shorten it up to help speed things up.
- 1You can also swipe from right-to-left on the home screen a few times to reach the Bixby home page.Press the Bixby key on the left-side of the device (just below the volume down button).
- 2On the Bixby home page, tap the three-dot menu in the upper right corner, followed by "My Bixby".
- 3On the My Bixby screen, tap "Quick commands".
- 4From QUICK COMMANDS, tap "MAKE YOUR OWN QUICK COMMAND.
- 5For our example, we said; "disable WiFi".Next, tap the microphone icon, then in a clear voice, say your quick command.If Bixby understood your quick command, it would be displayed in the same box as the microphone. Once your quick command is there, tap "+ Add Bixby command".
- 6When you find the command, select it, then tap "SAVE".To help find the Bixby command quicker, enter a keyword that's related to it in the search box.For our example, we typed in "WiFi", then scrolled through until we found Open Settings and Turn off WiFi.
- 7Test out your new Quick command by either saying; "Hi Bixby + your command" or by pressing and holding the Bixby key, followed by your command.
Disabling and Enabling the Bixby Key
Some users might want to disable the Bixby key because they press it often by mistake when attempting to use the volume down button, like when taking screenshots.
- 1Tap the Bixby key, or from the home screen, swipe from right-to-left until you reach Bixby home.
- 2From the Bixby home page, tap the gear icon in the upper right corner.
- 3Tap the switch to disable the Bixby key.Once the gear is tapped, you'll see a toggle switch next to Bixby key.Bixby home can still be accessed by swiping from right-to-left on the home screen.
- 4To enable the Bixby key, swipe from right-to-left on the home screen.
- 5Tap it to enable the key.When you get to Bixby home, the toggle switch will be visible.
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.
