Apps
Latest Bixby improve the user experience and make its features more accessible
Since its first launch, Samsung has developed Bixby to customers from Open Voice Assistant, available anywhere, to streamline tasks to the open and scalable AI platform anytime.
Bixby is a virtual assistant that learns, evolves, and adapts to you. It learns your routines, helps you set up reminders based on time and location, and is built into your favorite apps. Bixby is the Samsung intelligence assistant first introduced on the Galaxy S8 and S8+.
The Bixby Home screen and Bixby’s voice have undergone transformations that have improved usability and allowed users to do more with devices including Samsung smart home devices, Galaxy smartphones, wearables, and tablets.
With support for more languages and a new accessibility suite, Samsung has improved the Bixby experience for millions of users worldwide. Samsung is taking a step forward with Bixby to improve the user experience and make its features more accessible.
Related Article: Bixby Voice may come as a biometric option for upcoming Samsung Galaxy S21 series
The company continued evolution to provide the best user experience for its users. Further, Samsung enhanced the combined Galaxy smartphones, wearables, tablets, and Samsung home devices as a tool to better implement voice commands on all devices. With the latest Bixby update, users can easily get touch-less control of their Galaxy devices than ever before.
Check out some of the changes coming to the new Bixby here.
Simplified user experience
Samsung has updated the design language of the new Bixby, which further enhances the user experience found in the Samsung One UI. Beyond the original blue background, the Bixby Voice app now changes depending on your phone’s display mode.
Easy horizontal and vertical scrolling offers a wide variety of new commands, but performance improvements allow users to execute commands faster. Adding light and dark themes gives the Bixby voice app a better read and a more consistent design experience, making changes already pleasing to the audience.
Users surveyed for the pre-release of the newest Bixby app found that the new version was brighter, more active, and user-friendly than previous versions.
More content at a glance
With the latest updates from Bixby, Samsung has integrated the app structure to make it easy to find what you are looking for. The latest update integrates recommended commands, trending commands, and marketplaces into a single menu, so you can search for new Bixby capsules and use voice commands from a single location.
The simplified structure eliminates the need to swipe through different menus or cards, allowing you to see at a glance the most important information you need.
Fewer Interruptions
Whether you browse the web or watch a video, you can now use Bixby without interrupting your stream. Instead of taking full screen, Bixby Voice now only takes up the lower third of your screen, so you can enter commands without leaving your current app. This means that when you are gaming or using a map to find your destination, there will be some interruptions on your screen.
The speech indicator shifts from the Bixby icon to a rising bar as you speak to indicate voice recognition for a more dynamic and modern look.
Find the Right Command
Customized voice command instructions based on your usage patterns and other devices you have registered with Bixby This service now offers a more personalized experience using Bixby in the latest update.
In addition to recommendations for a variety of apps and services, the newly created experience will help Bixby find more ways to use and enhance the Galaxy experience.
It is possible to find new ways to use Bixby by checking the popular voice commands trending in other Galaxy users and using the reference commands in Bixby Capsules. It also refreshes Bixby’s main screen tapping and provides a new list of recommended commands from the sample.
Bixby arrived on the Samsung Dex
Productivity has not been easy with the Bixby now available on the Samsung Dex. Whether you are working on a large screen presentation or streaming video, it is easy to open Bixby apps on the Samsung Dex or search for content on your computer or large monitor.
Samsung Wallet app is getting a new update with v5.5.61, which aims to improve app performance to make it easier to use. The fresh update is available on the Galaxy Store with a package size of 109.92 MB.
As more people rely on digital wallets for everyday transactions, Samsung is focused on keeping its Wallet app secure and user-friendly. The latest update addresses some issues that users have reported in previous updates to make the app run more smoothly.
In addition to fixing bugs, the update brings improvements to some features that users frequently rely on. It enhances the overall performance of the app. However, it does not include any new features or changes.
Users can download the Samsung Wallet v5.5.61 update through Galaxy Store >> Menu option >> Updates. Also, you can download the update from the third-party app link mentioned here.
Recently, Samsung introduced support for a Digital Key for Audi vehicles via the Wallet app. It offers Galaxy smartphone users a more convenient way to access and start their cars without the need for a physical key. This feature is powered by ultra-wideband (UWB) technology to ensure precise functionality and enhanced security.
Moreover, the Korean tech giant is also improving the Samsung Wallet app for Galaxy Watch to allow users to handle their financial needs conveniently, right on their wrist.
WhatsApp has pushed a new beta update for Android users, which brings a camera shortcut directly to the gallery sheet to make it easier to access the camera while sending photos or videos. The fresh beta update arrives with version 2.24.24.23, available through the Google Play Beta Program.
Previously, WhatsApp improved the way users send photo and video albums. With that, users can select multiple photos and videos at once, and add captions to entire albums to make it simpler to share media with context.
The new update is adding even more improvements. The camera shortcut, which used to be in the chat bar, is now available directly inside the gallery sheet. It saves time and makes it easier to capture something new without navigating through multiple steps.
Now, when you’re selecting photos or videos to send, you can quickly switch to the camera without leaving the gallery. This new change might feel like an extra step for some users who were used to accessing the camera with a single tap from the chat bar. However, the update aims to combine both the camera and gallery functions into one place.
Notably, not all users will see this new camera shortcut. If you still have the camera shortcut in the chat bar, you won’t see the one in the gallery sheet. This is to avoid clutter and make the app more organized.
This feature is currently available to a limited number of beta testers, and it will be rolled out to more users in the coming days or weeks.
Google Messages introduces a new Backup and Restore feature to make it easier for users to back up and restore their text messages, media, and settings directly within the app. This feature’s strings have been spotted in the Google Messages 20241118_02_RC00 beta version.
Currently, Android users back up their messages through Google One at the system level, but this new update lets users manage backups from within Google Messages itself.
The backup system will offer end-to-end encryption, ensuring that your messages are fully secured. Only you will be able to access the backup, with protection provided by your device’s screen lock.
When signing into the app on a new device, your conversations will automatically restore, providing a seamless transition. However, some devices without a screen lock may not be eligible for encrypted backups.
The backup feature is closely associated with your Google Account and Google One storage, which means you’ll need some extra storage space for backups. While users can choose to turn off backups at any time. Turning off the backup will permanently delete your conversations from your Google Account, although they will still be on your device.
You can also choose to back up media only over Wi-Fi, which can help save mobile data. Additionally, Google Messages will allow you to sync messages across different devices as long as you’re signed into your Google Account.
Aside from this, Google Messages recently rolled out the “Double tap heart ‘feature for Android users. This makes it easier to send a red heart emoji in response to messages.
Google Messages rolls out ‘Double tap to heart’ for easy reactions