When Samsung launched Bixby in 2017, it wasn’t well received. The virtual assistant, intended to rival Google Assistant, wasn’t nearly as mature or capable as it is now. Nevertheless, Samsung tried to push it onto users with a dedicated button well before it was ready. The voice assistant landscape has changed significantly since then. Google Gemini has replaced Assistant as my primary voice channel, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing. I’ve encountered many problems with Google’s next-gen assistant on various devices in recent months. So, as a last resort, I turned to Bixby again. It’s something that I should’ve done much sooner.
I’m not a fervent voice assistant user. Yes, I occasionally talk to my phone, but only in certain situations — when my hands aren’t free, like when I’m driving, cooking, or in the middle of a game. I’ll also use a voice assistant if a query is better suited to verbal instruction. As a result, I value understanding, quick execution, and quality of answers above all else.