What is Bixby? Everything you need to know about Samsung’s assistant

Forget about Google Assistant, Samsung’s next Android flagships will sport their own voice assistant.

This assistant is thought to be called Bixby (or at least that’s the female version of the name currently floating around), and it will let you do everything from control Samsung home appliances and third-party apps to search for objects in pictures and process payments with your voice. In terms of features, it’ll supposedly beat all other assistants from the likes of Apple, Amazon, Google, etc.

What is Samsung Bixby?

Samsung announced at TechCrunch Disrupt in November 2016 that it was developing its first voice assistant based on technology gained through its acquisition of Viv, an artificial intelligence firm run by Dag Kittlaus, co-creator of Apple’s Siri. Samsung bought Viv a month earlier, with the purpose of going toe-to-toe with Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, Amazon’s Alexa, and Microsoft’s Cortana.

According to a Reuters report from November 2016, Samsung ultimately plans to integrate the AI platform into its Galaxy-branded line of smartphones, including the upcoming Galaxy S8 flagships, as well as expand voice-assistant services to home appliances and wearable devices. Samsung is hoping a new voice assistant will help it to revive its momentum after the recall of last year’s Galaxy Note 7.

In November 2016, it was revealed Samsung had filed for a trademark in South Korea that sought the protection of the word “Bixby”. The trademark application explained that the brand would be used for computer software for personal information management, mobile and PC apps uses for voice recognition, and software enabling hands-free use of a mobile phone through voice recognition.

Many reports have therefore speculated the Galaxy S8′s voice assistant will be called Bixby. However, GalaxyClub also uncovered trademark applications in both South Korea and the European Union for “Kestra” and several variations of the name “Bixby”. Although unconfirmed, Bixby and Kestra are rumoured to be the female and male names, respectively, of Samung’s digital assistant.

When will Samsung Bixby be available?

Bixby will probably launch this spring. SamMobile claimed in December 2016 that Samsung plans to use some of Viv’s artificial intelligence in its Galaxy S8 flagship smartphones. More specifically, Samsung will use Bixby (powered by Viv’s intelligence) in almost all the native apps that will come pre-installed on the Galaxy S8, which is expected to debut 29 March and go on sale 21 April in the US.

How will Samsung Bixby work?

Galaxy S8 button

The Washington Journal reported in November 2016 that internal prototypes of the Galaxy S8 flagships included a button on the side edge of the smartphone that would be used to launch Bixby, which could suggest it may not be voice-activated. The report cautioned that the prototypes weren’t final. It also noted that Samsung is building its post-Note 7 comeback around artificial intelligence.

System-wide S Voice successor

According to a SamMobile from December 2016, Bixby will be used in almost all the native apps that will come pre-installed on the Galaxy S8. It will be much more advanced than Samsung’s existing S Voice service, and it will work system-wide. Samsung will likely update most of the native apps with a new UI so that they have a similar design. Bixby will probably replace S Voice in the Galaxy S8, as well.

Contextual search and visual search

Thanks to system-wide functionality, SamMobile said a user would be able to ask Bixby to dig up and show a specific picture in the Gallery app, among other things. Bixby will also offer answers and actions based on context, just like Google Assistant, and it will provide visual search and act as an OCR tool using the camera of the Galaxy S8. The standard camera app will feature its own Bixby button.

These new camera tools will allow Bixby to recignise and process whatever the camera sees. Just aim your phone, press the Bixby button to capture an image, then Bixby will analyse the image, and identify objects or text. From there, it will help you search for that object (based on the image data or the optical character recognition data), and it may even allow you to purchase the object.

Bixby Pay

Samsung could include technology that will allow you to process payments through voice commands. The feature is supposedly being developed under the name Bixby Pay, according to SamMobile.

Third-party app integrations

In November 2016, Injong Rhee, chief technology officer for Samsung’s mobile division, told the Korea Herald that Samsung is developing a major AI interface, based on open AI platform, that will enable users to perform different tasks available from different apps just through voice commands, meaning they won’t need to jump through separate apps just to order pizza and call an Uber.

Home appliances

Injong Rhee, chief technology officer for Samsung’s mobile division, futher told The Wall Street Journal in October that the Galaxy S8 would feature technology from Viv Labs that offers services “significantly differentiated” from Siri, Google Assistant, etc. He said Samsung is planning to use the Galaxy S8 as a “springboard to expand” its AI technology into its other products, like home appliances.

Viv Labs CEO Dag Kittlaus also pointed out to the Koreah Herald in November 2016 that Samsung’s AI platform won’t just be limited to smartphones. It will work with home appliances that users interact with frequently. The platform will even double as a remote control for compatible appliances. You could ask your refrigerator to show you photos on your phone, for instance.

Harman speaker

Samsung acquired Harman audio for $8 billion in November 2016. The following month, Harman Kardon announced an upcoming speaker that packs Microsoft’s Cortana. If Samsung were to launch a Harman speaker with voice-activated Bixby, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility. Presumably, a Bix speaker would let you cue up music and ask basic questions or at least search the web with your voice.

Want to know more?

Pocket-lint’s Samsung Galaxy S8 rumour round-up has related news.