“When Samsung first launched Bixby as a voice assistant, it was part of a vision to create a human-to-machine interface that makes life easier and can advance over time with Samsung Galaxy innovation,” said YoungJip Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of Artificial Intelligence Team in Mobile eXperience Business, Samsung Electronics. “Today, we introduce updates to build a more intelligent interface that is proactive and adaptive, giving people greater control over their mobile experience.”

Giving People Greater Control Over Their Mobile Experience

The new Bixby updates bring several new features and improvements that allow people to customize their user experience further, including the recent availability of Bixby Text Call¹ in English. Now, English speakers can answer calls from anywhere by typing a message, which Bixby converts to audio and communicates to the caller directly on their behalf.

Users can also personalize their Bixby Text Call voice. Using the new Bixby Custom Voice Creator,² users can record different sentences for Bixby to analyze and create an AI generated copy of their voice and tone. Currently available in Korean, this generated voice is planned to be compatible with other Samsung apps beyond phone calls. And for those who want to customize their wake word, Bixby now supports changes to the Custom wake-up³ phrase within Bixby settings as well, adding a new option to create a personalized wake-up phrase.

From Intelligent Assistant to Intelligent Platform

Today, Bixby can provide more seamless continuity and better attune to user needs with the introduction of new scenarios,⁴ including playing music depending on the type of exercise in Samsung Health or saving schedules in Calendar. Now, Bixby can better understand intent and process follow-up requests by understanding context and associating words previously used in interactions. For example, Bixby users can first launch a workout on Samsung Health and then ask Bixby to play music⁵ that best suits that exercise by saying “Play music for this workout.”

Enhanced Language Recognition, Processing and Response

In addition to these great new features, Samsung also expanded Bixby’s on-device AI support.⁶ Users can run key commands entirely offline, such as setting a timer, taking a screenshot or turning on the flashlight. By integrating on-device AI with its native applications,⁷ Samsung was able to further expand its language offering⁸ and capabilities with advanced AI-based voice dictation. These updates to Bixby will be made possible by the powerful innovation found in Samsung Galaxy devices, including the industry-leading performance that enables on-device AI applications.

Availability

Bixby updates will be available for Samsung Galaxy users in February⁹ through a software update. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/apps/bixby.

¹ Bixby Text Call is available on selective models including Galaxy S23, S23+, S23 Ultra, Z Fold4 and Z Flip4. It works on phones with One UI 4.1.1 or above for Korean and phones with One UI 5.1 or above for English.

² Bixby Custom Voice Creator is available on selective models including Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra. It works on phones with One UI 5.0 or above. Availability of functions may vary depending on the device model. The application is available for download via settings within Bixby or the Samsung Phone application (native call app).

³ The feature is available in Korean as of date and on selective models including Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra. Exact timing and availability of the updates may vary by market and are subject to change.

⁴ The eight scenarios are all currently available in Korean. More languages to be supported.

⁵ Supported music applications include Melon, Bugs, Genie and FLO as of date.

⁶ Availability of the on-device AI support may vary by market and model.

⁷ Supported native applications include those apps that require on-device AI support only.

⁸ The on-device mode currently supports English, Spanish, French, Italian, German and Korean.

⁹ Exact timing and availability of the updates may vary by user and market.

In upcoming weeks, Samsung is excited to be bringing their latest One UI offering, One UI 5, to the millions of Galaxy users around the world with new features that offer everyone the freedom to choose their own mobile experience.

Read on for a closer look at what to expect from One UI 5.

Use Your Phone Your Way

One UI 5 represents Samsung’s most personalized mobile experience yet, designed to give people greater options for tailoring their devices exactly how they’d like — and this begins with communication.

The new Bixby Text Call¹ feature allows users to communicate in the manner that is most convenient to them. With Bixby Text Call, you can answer phone calls simply by typing a message. Samsung’s intelligent platform Bixby converts the text to audio and shares it directly with the caller on the line on your behalf, and shows you what the caller is saying by converting their voice to text. This feature is perfect for those moments when you need to communicate but can’t necessarily be heard, such as when on a busy train or at a noisy concert. With this feature, you can take your calls in any environment without being disruptive or missing a beat.

Match Your Phone to Your Lifestyle

What you need from your device can change throughout the day. The features you utilize for your morning routine to get you up and active might not be the same as what keeps you focused during the working day. With the Routines, you can trigger a sequence of actions on your device based on your activities, and with One UI 5’s Modes, you can create customized settings for different parts of your life from sleeping and relaxing to exercising and driving.

For example, while you’re exercising, your priority might be to mute notifications in order to stay in the zone and play music. Alternatively, when it’s time for bed, turning off sounds and turning on Dark mode can help you wind down.

One UI 5 also offers a fresh, new look and feel that makes the user experience more welcoming and seamless. From bolder, simpler app icons to a streamlined color scheme, Samsung has paid attention to the intricate details for a more engaging mobile experience.

Samsung also refined the notifications in One UI 5 to be more intuitive, making them effortless to read at a glance as well as offering more defined answer and decline buttons when receiving a call through the redesigned pop-up call display.

Beyond overall design aspects, personalization and the ability to express oneself is also a key part of everyone’s mobile experience. In order to take this to the next level, One UI 5 now supports easy and diverse customization directly within the lock screen. With just a few taps, you can trim a video to transform your most memorable moments into a moving tribute on your phone. You can make this lock screen feel even more customized by changing the wallpaper, clock style, and notification pop-ups all from one screen.

A Mobile Experience Built Around You

In addition to providing you with options to curate a customized look and feel for your device, One UI 5 also offers new features that help you get things done more efficiently. For example, widgets in One UI 5 come with exciting new options and the ability to keep your Home screen neat and tidy with new Stacked widgets. This new feature lets you drag and drop widgets on top of each other and swipe left or right to quickly and easily scroll through each one, to free up space on your Home screen and use it more efficiently.

In order to help further streamline mobile tasks and activities, One UI 5 also comes with new Smart suggestions for widgets. Based on your usage patterns and the context of your mobile activity, Smart suggestions automatically suggest apps and actions that make the mobile experience even more deeply personalized.

You can easily extract text from images and paste it into a note. Whether it’s quickly capturing event details from a poster you want to send to a friend, or easily saving a phone number from a business card, One UI 5 makes it easier than ever to be productive with smart text extraction.

Furthermore, you can also control all the devices connected to your smartphone in the new Connected devices menu, where you’ll be able to access all features that work with other devices such as Quick Share, Smart View and Samsung DeX. You also now get easy access to the Auto switch Buds menu, which lets you automatically switch your Buds from one device to another for more seamless inter-device operation.

Convenient Security and Peace of Mind

Samsung understands that there is no privacy without security, so in One UI 5, these two settings have been brought together in one clear, easy-to-navigate dashboard, making it easier than ever for you to keep your device protected and your sensitive information private.

This new Security and privacy dashboard has been designed to be as simple as possible to make quick and easy to understand your device’s status. With one quick glance, you can get a quick overview of your device’s security and find suggestions and warnings depending on the status.

To make sure your private information stays private, One UI 5 also features a new notification on the Share Panel² that warns you if you’re about to unwittingly share a photo that contains potentially sensitive information such as an image of your credit or debit card, driver’s license, Social Security card or passport.

Built for Galaxy Users, by Galaxy Users

Samsung has worked hard over the last few months to make sure One UI 5 provides our best mobile experience yet, and in order to make sure these changes resonated with real users, Samsung received feedback from the thousands of Galaxy users participating in our One UI Beta program.

The One UI Beta Program ensures that Samsung delivers mobile experiences that truly meet the needs of Galaxy users. Through this program, participants can get early access to the interface and share their feedback to help create the best experience possible. This year saw Samsung open up its Open Beta program for One UI 5 earlier than ever before to ensure everyone had access to the exciting new user interface as soon as possible.

Subsequently, the feedback received during this process has shaped the upcoming One UI 5 experience in more ways than one. From small details, such as smoother gestures for refined look and feel, to whole features, users informed the development journey. Users noted that the Security Dashboard was a much-valued feature, setting the stage for additional updates that give people greater control over their privacy, and feedback also showed that the new Bixby Text Call feature was seen as incredibly useful for answering calls in challenging environments. As a result, this feature is set to support English early next year.

Stay tuned to learn more about One UI 5 and how you can make your mobile experience exactly the way it should be — uniquely yours.

¹ Bixby Text Call is now available in Korean with One UI 4.1.1, and English version is planned for early 2023 via a One UI software update.

² Enhanced photo share feature is available only when system language is set in English (US) or Korean. In the case of ID, availability may vary depending on language.