How to Turn Off Bixby on Samsung Galaxy S23 (Step-by-Step Guide)

Introduction

If you own a Samsung Galaxy S23 series phone, chances are you’ve accidentally launched Bixby by pressing the side button or saying “Hi Bixby.” While Samsung’s voice assistant can automate tasks and control apps hands-free, not everyone finds it useful.

Many Galaxy users prefer Google Assistant or simply don’t want any voice assistant at all. The good news is that you can’t completely uninstall Bixby (since it’s part of Samsung’s One UI system), but you can turn it off almost completely — disabling voice activation, button triggers, and background services.

This guide will walk you through every method to turn off Bixby on the Galaxy S23, S23 Plus, and S23 Ultra safely and permanently.

1. What Is Bixby and Why It’s Always On

Bixby is Samsung’s AI voice assistant, integrated across the Galaxy ecosystem. It can:

• Launch apps and settings using your voice.

• Control smart home devices via SmartThings.

• Perform system commands like “Turn on battery saver.”

• Automate daily actions with Bixby Routines.

However, since Bixby is built into the One UI system, Samsung keeps it always available — which is why pressing and holding the Side Key or saying “Hi Bixby” often triggers it by default.

2. Why You Can’t Fully Uninstall Bixby

Before disabling it, understand that Bixby is a system component, not a normal app. You can’t remove it without root access or developer commands because other Samsung features rely on it (like Routines and Voice Assistant).

That said, disabling Bixby won’t break your phone — you just need to switch off its triggers.

3. How to Turn Off “Hi Bixby” Voice Activation

The first and easiest step is to stop Bixby from waking up when you say “Hi Bixby.”

Steps:

1. Press and hold the Side Key to open Bixby Voice.

2. Tap the three-dot menu at the top right corner.

3. Select Settings.

4. Find Voice Wake-Up and toggle it off.

✅ Result: Your S23 will no longer respond to the “Hi Bixby” command.

4. How to Reassign or Disable the Bixby Button (Side Key)

By default, pressing and holding the Side Key launches Bixby Voice. To stop that:

Steps:

1. Open Settings → Advanced features → Side key.

2. Under Press and hold, choose Power off menu instead of Bixby.

3. Optionally, under Double press, select Quick launch camera or Open app → choose your preferred app (for example, Google Assistant).

✅ Result: The side button will no longer launch Bixby — it will show the power menu or open your chosen app instead.

5. Remove Bixby Home / Samsung Free from the Home Screen

That leftmost screen that shows Samsung Free or Bixby Home can also be disabled easily.

Steps:

1. Long-press an empty space on your home screen.

2. Swipe right until you see Samsung Free.

3. Toggle the switch Off at the top.

✅ Result: The Bixby Home feed disappears from your home screen permanently.

6. Disable Bixby Voice and Bixby Services

Now that you’ve disabled voice activation and the button, let’s stop the background services.

Steps:

1. Go to Settings → Apps.

2. Tap the Search icon and type Bixby.

3. Select Bixby Voice, then tap Force Stop and Disable.

4. Repeat this for Bixby Service and Bixby Vision if available.

✅ Result: Bixby will no longer run background processes or consume battery.

7. How to Disable Bixby Routines

Bixby Routines (now part of Modes and Routines) can trigger automated actions. If you don’t want any background automation:

1. Go to Settings → Modes and Routines.

2. Tap Routines tab → My routines.

3. Turn off or delete any active routines.

✅ Result: Bixby automation stops completely.

8. Alternative: Use Google Assistant Instead

Once Bixby is turned off, you can use Google Assistant as your main voice helper.

1. Launch Google Assistant (hold Home gesture or say “Hey Google”).

2. If asked, set it as your default digital assistant.

3. To map it to your Side Key, go to
   Settings → Advanced features → Side key → Double press → Open app → Google Assistant.

✅ Result: Google Assistant becomes your default voice assistant, replacing Bixby.

9. What to Do If Bixby Reactivates After Updates

Samsung software updates occasionally re-enable some Bixby features. To prevent this:

• After every major update, revisit the Side Key and Bixby Voice settings.

• Keep Auto-update apps off for Bixby packages in Galaxy Store.

• Use Good Lock → RegiStar module (Samsung’s official customization tool) to permanently remap or disable Bixby actions.

10. Optional: Advanced ADB Method (For Power Users)

If you want to disable Bixby even deeper, you can use ADB commands on a computer.

Steps:

1. Enable Developer options (tap Build number 7 times).

2. Enable USB debugging.

3. Connect your phone to a PC with ADB installed.

4. Run the following commands one by one:

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

⚠️ Warning: Use at your own risk. These commands hide system packages but don’t delete them.

11. Does Turning Off Bixby Affect Other Features?

Not really — your S23 will function normally. But note:

So you can safely disable Bixby without losing important functions.

12. Troubleshooting: Bixby Still Appears

If Bixby keeps showing up:

• Clear cache/data of all Bixby apps under Settings → Apps.

• Sign out from Samsung Account → Settings → Accounts and backup (optional).

• Restart your device once.

This removes leftover Bixby triggers completely.

13. Why Samsung Keeps Bixby on Galaxy Phones

Samsung keeps Bixby for a few strategic reasons:

• It integrates with SmartThings, Galaxy Buds, and Watches.

• It offers offline voice commands without internet.

• It supports Samsung’s new Galaxy AI features.

• It strengthens Samsung’s independence from Google’s ecosystem.

So, while you can hide Bixby, you can’t uninstall it entirely — similar to how Apple keeps Siri.

14. Final Thoughts

Although Samsung doesn’t allow you to uninstall Bixby completely, you can make it virtually disappear from your Galaxy S23, S23 Plus, or S23 Ultra.

By disabling voice activation, removing it from the Side Key, and stopping background services, you’ll have a smoother, distraction-free experience — with no accidental wake-ups or pop-ups.

If you still need voice control, Google Assistant is the best replacement: lighter, faster, and compatible with all Android apps.