Samsung"s digital assistant, Bixby, has arguably failed to take off with most consumers, but the company isn"t ready to give up on it yet. Today, Samsung announced a number of improvements to Bixby, with a focus on UI changes for the app on Galaxy smartphones.
The digital assistant has a new UI, and Samsung has replaced the dark blue background with either a light or dark theme based on the user"s system theme to improve readability. Additionally, the UI of the home screen has been redesigned to make it easier to discover all the content the app has to offer, with both vertical and horizontal scrolling elements. Samsung has also tailored Bixby"s suggestions to each user, with voice commands based on their usage patterns and more personalized app recommendations.
Another notable change in Bixby"s design has to do with the interface for voice commands. When you summon Bixby, via voice or the power/Bixby button, the assistant will now only take up the lower third of the display, rather than the whole screen. This follows in line of what other digital assistants have done, and it should result in less of an interruption to your workflow.
Finally, Samsung has announced that Bixby is now supported on DeX, the desktop-like interface for its Galaxy smartphones. You can use the digital assistant on a bigger screen when your phone is connected to an external display, so its features are more accessible.
While Samsung say these changes are "coming to the new Bixby", some of these improvements may already be available for you. If not, they should arrive on your device soon.