“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.

Bixby frees you to focus on what matters the most. It quickly learns what you like to do and works with your favourite apps and services to help you get more done immediately.

So that you can do more and have the best of a connected living experience, Samsung has launched the Bixby Home Platform (BHP) for controlling smart home devices with added intelligence using Bixby Voice.

What used to require multiple voice commands is now possible with only a single voice command using the intelligence of BHP. Bixby works in tandem with Samsung’s Internet of Things (IoT) platform i.e. SmartThings to provide hands-free & convenient Smart Home Control via voice. Now, Bixby has taken this frictionless convenience a notch higher with the introduction of the Bixby Home Platform (BHP).

Read below to understand how Bixby helps with hands-free Smart Home Control and how the new Bixby Home Platform enhances this convenience further.

Bixby + SmartThings

Samsung’s SmartThings ecosystem connects millions of IoT devices and supports ever increasing number of manufacturers and developers.  Using Bixby one can control all these devices with simple and intuitive voice commands.

Here is an illustration of how to control all living room lights at one go using Bixby:

Here are other voice commands through which Bixby can help user control the Smart Home devices in a typical day:

Bixby Home Platform – What’s in it for the Smart Home User

Imagine a situation where the user does not have to remember & spell out individual commands needed to set the AC temperature. i.e. remember that the AC is off, then turn it on first and then set the desired temperature.

Now just ask Bixby to “Set the temperature to 21C” and with the advanced home platform, Bixby will figure out all the steps needed to fulfil the user’s intention and ensure the AC temperature is set to 21C.

Bixby Home Platform – What’s in it for the Smart Home Device Manufacturer

Intelligent device control has been made possible by BHP. An intelligent block  is plugged between Bixby Capsules (which interprets natural voice utterances) and SmartThings.  Commands that needed to be issued and executed as per the device state, now can be intelligently programmed by the developer through BHP.

This intelligent control flow graph is developed by device developers as per the supported custom controls and capabilities of the device

This intelligent control flow graph is developed by device developers as per the supported custom controls and capabilities of the device.

BHP provides easy to use drag and drop tool called Bixby Home Studio to define the intelligent control flow for the device. Control flow can be defined based on the state of the device, model of the device, capabilities supported by the device, etc.

Using Bixby Home Studio, device developers can define the device control flow logic, test it with the connected devices and deploy the flow logic into the production for real usage. Below image shows the AC control flow created using Bixby Home Studio.

Nodes seen in the control graph above makes the flow based on the state of the AC device for voice command “Set AC temperature to 21”.

Nodes seen in the control graph above makes the flow based on the state of the AC device for voice command “Set AC temperature to 21”.

BHP is live for Samsung Appliances and users can experience the convenience right away.  Device manufacturers connected to SmartThings ecosystem can leverage BHP and enhance Voice control experience of their devices very soon. Bixby Home Platform and studio will soon be available for all the device manufacturers in the Year 2022.

Starting today, the newly launched Samsung Galaxy Note8, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ users can enable Bixby’s voice capabilities in US English by pressing the Bixby button. Consumers can activate Bixby by holding the dedicated button on the Galaxy Note8, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones, or by simply saying, “Hi, Bixby.”

Staying true to Samsung’s legacy of ‘Make for India’, Bixby has been optimized to understand Indian accents. So it does not matter from which part of the country you are, Bixby will work hard to understand you and take care of your activities.

“At Samsung, we listen to our consumers and bring in meaningful innovations that help make their lives better. With Bixby, the phone adapts to you and not the other way around. It’s a smarter way to use your phone and get more done. Keeping in mind the diversity in Indian accents and our commitment to ‘Make for India’, Bixby has been optimized to understand Indian accents,” said Mr. Asim Warsi, Senior Vice President, Mobile Business, Samsung India.

The development of Bixby voice capabilities for Indian consumers was carried out at Samsung Research & Development Institute, Bangalore (SRI-B), Samsung’s largest R&D facility outside Korea.

Bixby brings enhanced smartphone productivity and personalization through Quick Commands, a feature that allows customers to easily create a custom voice command to use in place of a sequence of one or more commands. For example, one can use the command “good night” as a shortcut for “Turn on Do-not-disturb mode, set an alarm for 6:00 AM and turn on blue light filter.”

Bixby understands the way you actually speak, ask questions and make requests. For example, if you take a photo and then tell Bixby to “send the picture just taken to Mom”, Bixby understand cross-application commands and will know which photo you are referring to and will text it to your mom. This natural language understanding makes interacting with your smartphone easier and more intuitive. With its iterative deep learning technology, Bixby will improve over time to recognize your personal preferences and ways of speaking.

Bixby is an intelligent interface, rather than a standalone app. When an application becomes Bixby-enabled, Bixby will support almost every task that the application is capable of performing using voice, touch or text. Bixby’s deep integration is also built into the smartphone settings so that you can change phone options-such as setting the screen timeout or showing all notifications-without interrupting what you are currently doing.