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Move over, Bixby; Gemini can now be your personal assistant on the Galaxy S25 (Updated)
- The Galaxy S25 phones lets you pick your default voice assistant.
- Gemini is now enabled by default instead of Bixby.
- Bixby is still around for the people who want it.
Update, January 22, 2024 (03:24 PM ET): Bixby is no longer the sole headlining act when it comes to digital assistants on Samsung’s flagship phones, with owners of the new Galaxy S25 able to summon Google Gemini right from their power button. But Samsung really wants to emphasize that this new prominence for Gemini doesn’t mean that Bixby is being put out to pasture, and the S25 is clever enough to contextually connect you with the right assistant for the task at hand. The company explains, in an email to Android Authority:
Gemini and Bixby can both be activated depending on the use case / what is being asked. Gemini and / or Bixby is activated depending on what you ask your device to do. For example, if you’re looking for a restaurant – Gemini will be activated because it’s a search function, but if you ask to add something to your Samsung Calendar, Bixby will activate because it’s a Samsung app.
Original article, January 22, 2024 (01:00PM ET): Bixby has been the default digital assistant on Samsung phones since 2017. Despite Samsung’s efforts to make Bixby the assistant people want to use, including giving it its own button on some older phones, it never caught on like Google Assistant or Gemini did. After nearly eight years, Samsung appears to be giving in, as Gemini is now the default assistant on the Galaxy S25 series.
Until now, Gemini has only been accessible on Samsung phones by swiping up from the corner of the display. Depending on your settings, long-pressing the power button summons Bixby or the power menu. You could assign Gemini to the power button using a Good Lock module, but it’s doubtful many people did so.
The Galaxy S25 lets users choose which voice assistant to summon with the power button without digging through Good Lock modules. Gemini is also selected by default. When asked about Bixby’s future, a Samsung representative at our briefing said that it will continue to exist in its current form and even provide the backend for other AI experiences, but Samsung will focus on Gemini as the virtual assistant moving forward.
The Galaxy S25 and other Samsung devices also benefit from some new Gemini features Google is set to roll out. Gemini is gaining the ability to “chain” actions across apps and services, like Google Maps, Messages, and more. This will depend on app extensions, and there’s good news on that front. Gemini extensions will soon support Samsung’s Reminders, Calendar, Notes, and Clock apps. All devices that support Gemini will have access to action chaining, including older Samsung models. This is good news for people like me who use Samsung’s first-party apps, as these extensions will allow them to integrate with Gemini.
Will you use Bixby or Gemini as the default assistant on your Galaxy S25?
Some will be sad to see Bixby take a backseat despite its reputation. I may joke about Bixby, but I use it frequently to locate my SmartTag 2 or turn some of my smart home devices on or off. Still, Gemini provides a more feature-rich and complete experience, and having the option to choose which assistant you want to use is a good thing.
Are you looking forward to trying new Gemini features on the Galaxy S25, or will you stick with Bixby? Let us know.