Bixby: How to disable, enable on Samsung phone

Bixby® is the virtual assistant that’s built into your Samsung® phone. It can make your life easier by opening apps, make phone calls, or search for the closing time of your favorite restaurant, among other things. But if you don’t use Bixby, you may want to turn it off.

Life is complex, but your tech doesn’t have to be. Here at Asurion, our experts make sure your devices work the way they’re supposed to—whether it’s a Samsung Galaxy ™ Watch that won’t turn on or you’rew worried about your digital footprint. Here’s how to turn off Bixby when it’s no longer working for you.

How to disable the Bixby button on Galaxy S21, S20, Note 10, and Note 20 phones

Bixby is a feature that’s built into your phone’s operating system, so you can’t remove it entirely. You can, however, change some settings for Bixby.

On newer Galaxy phones, for instance, you hold the Power button to turn on Bixby. But if you don’t use Bixby regularly, you may want to change that setting. Here’s how:

1. Swipe down from the top of your screen to go to the notifications menu. Once there, swipe down again to extend the menu.
2. Tap the power icon located on the top right of the screen.
3. Tap Side key settings.
4. Under the “Press and hold” options, Wake Bixby is selected by default. Tap Power off menu to disable the Bixby button.

How to turn Bixby off on older Samsung phones

Some older Samsung phones won’t let you remove Bixby either. However, you can turn off or change some of its features, like selecting how to launch Bixby with the Side button.

By going to Settings > Advanced Features > Bixby key, you can designate whether you’d like for it to be launched at a single press or a double press.

How to turn off the “Hi, Bixby!” feature

With the Bixby virtual assistant, you can send text messages, initiate calls, or even access a specific app by using just your voice. To use the hands-free Bixby Voice feature, you’d say “Hi, Bixby” followed by whatever command you want completed.

To turn off Bixby Voice, follow these steps:

1. Go to settings for Bixby by opening Settings and tapping Apps.
2. Select Bixby Voice.
3. Select Bixby Voice Settings.
4. Turn off Voice wake-up.

How to turn off Bixby Home or Samsung Free

Samsung Free is the current version of an app that compiles news, podcasts, and other information you might be interested in. Think of it as your own built-in newsfeed that lives on the left panel of your Home screen.

When it was first introduced, it was called Bixby Home. Despite the name change, its function is the same. If you’d like to remove it, just follow these steps:

1. Tap and hold in empty space on the phone’s Home screen.
2. Swipe to the right until you reach the far-left page.
3. Tap Off at the top of the page.

How to turn on Bixby

We went over how to disable Bixby, but what if you want to turn it back on? It’s easy.

Here’s how to activate Bixby:

1. Go to Settings and tap the magnifying glass at the upper right.
2. Type in Bixby and pick the entry that says, "App Info: Bixby Voice.”

Here, you can undo any changes we made previously, like turning Bixby Voice and Voice wake-up back on. You’ll also want to use the steps we mentioned earlier to allow your Side button to activate Bixby.