Samsung’s latest smartphones come with a feature that has really been getting on my nerves — and apparently I’m not the only one.
Ever since I bought a Samsung Galaxy S8 as part of my switch to a $12 cell phone plan with Xfinity Mobile, I’ve inadvertently opened up the Bixby Home app more times than I can remember.
To be honest, I didn’t even know what Bixby was until I started doing Google searches about how to disable it.
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How to disable the Bixby button on Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8
If you’re not familar, Bixby is Samsung’s virtual assistant. Using voice commands, users can ask Bixby to complete tasks like taking photos and setting reminders.
I already use Google Assistant, so I don’t see the need for another assistant unless it can cook dinner and do laundry.
Here’s the problem: Samsung has a Bixby key on its Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 devices that many people are accidentally pressing, which causes Bixby to take over the screen.
It’s easy to mistakenly hit the Bixby button because it’s located right below the volume down button.
After looking around the web, I learned from an article on Android Central that Samsung has released an update that makes it possible to eliminate this problem!
3 steps to disable Samsung’s Bixby button
1. Press the Bixby button
2. Update Bixby if prompted
3. Slide the Bixby key toggle to off
When I followed the steps above, I had to log in to my Samsung account, agree to Bixby’s terms and conditions, and then I was able to eventually disable the key. Problem solved!
You can also go to Bixby Home > Settings > Bixby key and select Don’t open anything.
Although Bixby no longer launches when I accidentally hit the button, I can still access it through my home screen by pressing down until the menu appears and then swiping left-to-right.
How to remap the Bixby button
A Clark.com reader said he downloaded an app in Google Play to remap the Bixby button so that it can do something more useful to him, such as launching the camera.
To do this, CNET recommends the bxActions, Bixby Button Remapper and Custom Bixby Button apps.
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