During the launch of the Galaxy Note 9, one of the things that Samsung was harping on was that Bixby 2.0 was a much-improved version of their virtual assistant. However, it looks like they may have forgotten to push some buttons because commands that it previously can do on Bixby 1.0 doesn’t seem to be working now. So if you’re a Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9+ owner, you might want to hold off updating to Android Pie since it will bring you Bixby 2.0.
Well, of course, you should only hold off on updating to Android Pie if you use Bixby a lot, since the problem lies in the virtual assistant and not Google’s update to version 9. There is no word from Samsung as to why Bixby 2.0 fails to understand some of the commands that 1.0 was clearly able to do. It’s understandable if it’s not able to do the new things shown during the Note 9 launch, but it’s the commands that the previous version could do, so there’s something obviously wrong there.
Some of these commands are pretty basic but useful, like ordering an Uber, updating apps, showing your YouTube subscriptions, checking for a software update, enabling Dolby Atmos, etc. For a virtual assistant that is being marketed as all about letting you control your device without having to pick it up, this is a pretty huge misstep for Samsung, especially given the intense competition with other smart assistants like Google Assistant, Alexa, etc.
So again, if you use Bixby Voice for a lot of your interaction with your Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9+, don’t upgrade to Android Pie just yet. However, know that the Google update and the One UI bring a lot to your device like Night Mode, “lift to wake” gesture, recycle bin for the Gallery, etc. So you may have to choose between having a fully functional Bixby and a better phone.
VIA: SAM Mobile
