Galaxy Tips: 3 ways to use the 'Bixby' Button : Machine translation

This article is based on the Japanese version of Engadget and was created by machine translation.

The flagship phones from the Galaxy S8/S8 + have a 'Bixby' button on the side. Press here to display the screen 'Bixby Home'. However, it is difficult to understand how to use it. Also, it may be troublesome to touch it by chance. In this article, we will introduce you to the basic operation procedure of the function and how to apply it.

*The instructions in this article use a Galaxy S8 running Android 8.0. The Bixby Home version is 2.1.10.4.

Customize your Cards with Bixby Home

By default, you can launch Bixby Home apps by pressing the Bixby button on the left side. You can also do the same by swiping from left to right on the Home screen.

Once Bixby Home has started, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the initial setup. Weather forecasts, calendars, news, Twitter trends, Facebook notifications, and more are all displayed on the 'Cards' screen and are arranged vertically. Fix the Cards you see often to the top and hide the ones you don't need.



▲Left: Tap the menu at the top right of the Cards to customize the display. Right: The top card has a blue mark in the upper right corner.

You can also customize them all at once from the 'Settings' screen. You can also adjust whether or not you can access it from the lock screen, whether or not to display a card related to 'Marketing' and whether or not to use mobile communication for updates.

▲Top Left: On the Bixby Home screen, tap the top-right menu icon. Bottom Left: Tap "Settings" that appears. Right: The "Settings" screen appears. Customizable from here.

Start another app with the Bixby button

If you don't use Bixby Home, you can use it as a shortcut button to start the application. To do this, use the third-party app 'bxActions'.

▲Left: Install bxActions from the Google Play Store. There are free and paid versions. Right: Screen for selecting the application to be quickly launched by bxActions.

Once you've done the initial setup of the app, select Actions, Bixby, Standard action, and Launch application. Tap Launch application again to select the application you want to start. For example, if you assign Calendar, the Calendar app will start with a single button.

▲Then long-tap the home screen and swipe left to right. Turn off Bixby Home.

Preventing the Bixby Home from starting up by screen operation reduces malfunction.

Disable Bixby button

If the Bixby button is too cumbersome to use, you can also use bxActions to turn it off. Please also set Bixby Home not to start by screen operation as described above.


▲Left: Launch bxActions and select 'Disabled' in the upper 'Bixby' column of the 'Choose action' screen. Right: Also turn off the Bixby Home switch.

We've shown you three options for using the Bixby button: (1) customize and use Cards, (2) use it as a shortcut button for another app, and (3) turn off the function. Try it all first, and then choose the method that works for you.

This article is based on the Japanese version of Engadget and was created by machine translation. The Japanese edition of Engadget does not guarantee the accuracy or reliability of this article.