Good news for Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ owners: You can now completely disable the often infuriating Bixby button.
Samsung released an update for all three smartphones in the United Kingdom and the United States on November 3, which builds on the option to prevent the key from firing up Bixby Home when pressed, by introducing a setting to stop it from taking any action whatsoever (it won’t even wake your handset).
- Buy now: Galaxy S8 (4GB) on Vodafone, £29/month – use voucher TRUSTED10
- Buy now: Galaxy S8 (5GB) on EE – £27.99/month – use voucher TRUSTED10
This isn’t your traditional software upgrade, though. It is, instead, an overhaul for all three versions of the Bixby client – Bixby, Bixby Home and Bixby Service – on the Galaxy Apps Store, so you’ll need to make sure you have the latest version of the trio installed before you can take advantage of the functionality.
The update bundles another nifty change, as noted by the folks over at SamMobile. The Bixby Service that analyses saved contacts when a call command is issued has also been improved, leading us to believe that Bixby Voice has, at last, been armed with the ability to recognise foreign names in your address book.
- Buy now: Note 8 on Vodafone (16GB) for £34/month – voucher TRUSTED10
- Buy now: Note 8 on EE (26GB) for £47.99/month – voucher TRUSTED10
How to update Bixby on the Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+
That’s a good question.
It’s as simple as opening Galaxy Apps, tapping the three-dot toggle in the upper-right corner, selecting My Apps, followed by Update, then pressing the Update All button.
If you have a strict data cap, however, we’d recommend connecting to a Wi-Fi network before installing anything.
Related: Galaxy Note 8 Review
Did you decide to completely disable the Bixby button on your handset? Be sure to let us know over on Facebook or Twitter @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
