Introduction

Bixby is Samsung’s virtual assistant designed to help users control their phones through voice commands, routines, and contextual suggestions. While it can be useful for some, many users find Bixby intrusive — especially when it accidentally activates with a button press or interrupts tasks.
If you’re one of those users who prefer Google Assistant or no assistant at all, this guide will walk you through every method to completely disable Bixby on Samsung Galaxy phones, step by step.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Disable Bixby Button or Side Key

On most modern Samsung devices, the Bixby button has been merged with the Power (Side) Key, so pressing and holding it may launch Bixby by default.

To disable that:

  1. Open Settings ⚙️

  2. Scroll down and tap Advanced Features

  3. Tap Side Key

  4. Under Press and Hold, select Power off menu instead of Bixby

Now, holding the power button will open the restart/shutdown menu — not Bixby.

Step 2: Disable Bixby Voice Activation

Even if you disable the button, Bixby Voice might still activate when you say “Hi Bixby.” Here’s how to stop it:

  1. Open the Bixby app

  2. Tap the Menu (☰) icon in the top-left corner

  3. Go to Settings

  4. Toggle Voice wake-up → Off

💡 Tip: If you never use Bixby, you can also disable microphone permissions for extra assurance:

  • Go to Settings → Apps → Bixby Voice → Permissions → Microphone → Deny

Step 3: Remove Bixby from the Home Screen (Samsung Free or Samsung Daily)

Older versions of One UI used Samsung Daily or Samsung Free, which opened when you swiped right from your main home screen. Here’s how to remove that:

  1. Tap and hold on an empty space on your home screen

  2. Swipe to the leftmost panel

  3. Toggle Samsung Free (or Samsung Daily) Off

You’ll no longer see Bixby-related panels when swiping left.

Step 4: Disable Bixby Home / Bixby Services (via App Info)

While you can’t fully uninstall Bixby without rooting your phone, you can disable its key services to prevent background activation.

To do this:

  1. Go to Settings → Apps

  2. Tap the three-dot icon (⋮) and select Show system apps

  3. Find and open the following apps:

    • Bixby Voice

    • Bixby Service

    • Bixby Vision

  4. For each one: tap Disable or Force stop, then Disable again if available

⚠️ Note: Some system updates may re-enable these apps automatically. You can revisit this section after an update to ensure Bixby stays off.

Step 5: Disable Bixby Routines (Optional)

If you’ve previously used Bixby Routines, disabling them will stop any automation still running in the background.

  1. Open Settings

  2. Tap Modes and Routines

  3. Tap the ⋮ (three dots) > Settings

  4. Toggle Modes and Routines Off

Troubleshooting / Common Issues

Bixby Keeps Turning Back On After Update

Samsung sometimes re-enables Bixby after major software updates. To fix this:

  • Repeat Steps 1–4 above.

  • Optionally, disable auto-updates for system apps in the Galaxy Store → Menu → Settings → Auto-update apps → Never

Bixby Button Still Launches Assistant

If disabling the Side Key didn’t work, try clearing defaults:

  1. Go to Settings → Apps → Bixby Voice

  2. Tap Set as default → Clear defaults

  3. Restart your phone

Additional Tips or Settings

  • Replace Bixby with Google Assistant:
    If you still want a voice assistant, you can map the side key to Google Assistant instead.

    1. Install Good Lock from the Galaxy Store

    2. Open Good Lock → Keys Cafe or RegiStar module

    3. Assign Double Press or Long Press of the Side Key to Launch Google Assistant

  • Disable Background Data:

    1. Go to Settings → Apps → Bixby Voice → Mobile Data

    2. Turn off Allow background data usage

  • Use ADB (Advanced Option):
    For advanced users, you can disable Bixby entirely with a computer:

    adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.samsung.android.bixby.agent
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.samsung.android.bixby.service
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.samsung.android.app.spage

    (Requires developer options and USB debugging enabled)

Conclusion

Disabling Bixby on a Samsung Galaxy phone isn’t complicated once you know where to look.
By following the steps above — from disabling the side key to turning off voice wake-up — you can make sure Bixby never interrupts you again. Whether you prefer using Google Assistant or simply want a cleaner experience, these settings will help you regain full control of your device.

FAQ

1. Can I uninstall Bixby completely?
Not without rooting your device. However, disabling it as shown here makes it effectively inactive.

2. Will disabling Bixby affect other Samsung apps?
No. Apps like Samsung Pay, SmartThings, and Camera will continue to work normally.

3. Does Bixby still use battery in the background?
After disabling all services and voice activation, Bixby consumes no noticeable power or data.

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