How to completely disable Bixby on Samsung Galaxy S & Note Phones
Ever since Samsung announced the Galaxy S8 with its on board assistant, Bixby, people have been asking for ways to disable it and forget the button ever existed in the first place. With the Galaxy S9 and Note 9, that chorus became even louder, and with the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10+ now available, a whole new generation of customers will be looking to disable Bixby.
While the hardware button’s not going anywhere, we can definitely do something about the software. Here’s how to get rid of as much of Bixby as possible.
Why do you want to disable Bixby?
One of the biggest frustrations with the Bixby button is its placement; the button is right under the volume keys and nearly directly opposite the power buttons. On larger phones like the Galaxy S10+, this often leads to accidental presses and unintended Bixby launches, especially when double-pressing the power button to launch the camera.
On the Note 10 and 10+, the power button has been combined with the Bixby button, adding a whole new level of complication to the subject.
What phone do you have?
If you have a Galaxy S8 or S8+, Note 8, Galaxy S9 or S9+, Note 9, or Galaxy S10 series, follow the directions below. Your instructions are specific because you have a power button and a separate on board assistant, which makes it slightly more difficult to completely disable Bixby (but you can still do it).
This guide assumes you’ve updated to Android 9 Pie (One UI) because you should have by now. If your Galaxy S or Note from 2017/2018 isn’t running Android 9, check for an update right now.
If you have a Galaxy Note 10 or 10+, your instructions are a bit different, but also slightly easier, since the combined Power/Bixby button means you can disable on board assistant, completely and never look back. You don’t even have to log into a Samsung account to do it!
Choose your phone below
Galaxy Note 10 and 10+ Galaxy S8/S9/S10/Note 8/Note 9
Perhaps it’s because Samsung knew how annoying it was not to be able to fully disable Bixby on previous phones, or maybe it’s just a side effect of consolidating two buttons into one, but it’s really easy to fully disable on the Note 10 series.
Not only do you not have to log into a Samsung account, but once it’s disabled you never had to interact with on board assistant, again if you don’t want to — accidentally or on purpose. Here’s how to do it.
How to disable the Bixby button
Out of the box, the Galaxy Note 10 has Bixby turned on by default: activating the Bixby Home app with a double-press of the power button; and activating Bixby Voice with a long-press. Thankfully, you can disable both of these interactions off in one fell swoop.
- Swipe down on the notifications shade.
- Tap the Power menu button in the quick settings panel.
- In the power menu, tap Side key settings.
- Change Double press interaction to Quick launch camera or Open app.
- If you select Open App, tap the cog button to select an app to open with a double-press.
- Change the Press and holdinteraction to Power off menu.
Now you won’t accidentally bring up Bixby when pressing or holding the power button. The last thing we need to do is to remove Bixby Home from the home screen.
How to remove Bixby Home from the home screen
- From the home screen, hold down on empty spaceor pinch your fingers together until the menu appears.
- Swipe to the right to reach the left home panel.
- Disable Bixby Home.
Putting Bixby in its place
Bixby has definitely improved since its inception in 2017 alongside the Galaxy S8. But while it has its place, Google Assistant is still a far better voice assistant for most people. Because it’s built into every Android phone, including the Galaxy S and Note series, it’s easy to access at any time by holding down the home button.
Galaxy Note 10
Samsung’s Note flagship is back for 2019.
The Galaxy Note is back for 2019, but it looks a little different than usual. Samsung is selling three different models, removed the headphone jack, and is starting to phase out the microSD card. However, with gorgeous AMOLED displays, faster performance, and an S Pen that does more than ever before, these new Notes are certainly worth a look.
