I’ve got some bad news for all you Samsung Galaxy S8 buyers: you’re going to have to wait a while before you can interact with one of its biggest features, the Bixby voice assistant.
In a statement to Axios, Samsung explained that voice features will be available at a later date:
Key features of Bixby, including Vision, Home and Reminder, will be available with the global launch of the Samsung Galaxy S8 on April 21. Bixby Voice will be available in the U.S. on the Galaxy S8 later this spring.
That’s a bummer for folks who are eagerly awaiting a chance to try the dedicated hardware button to invoke Bixby when they first receive their new S8. Samsung didn’t give a reason for the delay and reportedly couldn’t even demo the voice features properly to press.
Hopefully it won’t be too long a wait. If it’s any consolation, you can configure the hardware button to launch Google Assistant or any other app you like with this unofficial hack.
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Beyond the S8, Samsung’s R&D head for mobile software and services operations Injong Rhee said the company hopes to bring Bixby to more devices, and predicts that any touch-based actions you can carry out on your phone will soon be possible using just your voice.
One thing at a time, I always say.
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