Bixby is now part and parcel with Samsung’s flagship devices starting from the Galaxy S8. The new Galaxy Note 8 also features the Bixby button. In the presence of so many virtual assistants on the Play Store, very few of which can match the performance of Google Now, one might be forgiven for wanting to reassign the Bixby button to something better. It can come in very handy if you have a faulty power button. However, if you want to disable the Bixby button altogether, then there is a way to accomplish that.
This process was carried out on a Samsung Galaxy S8, but it is identical for all devices that have the Bixby button. You should be running version 2.0.03.3+ of Bixby for this to work
Disable The Bixby Button
Launch Bixby by pressing the Bixby button, most likely located under the volume rockers on the left of your device. This will take you to Bixby Home, Samsung’s tepid response to Google Now. Here, you will see a cog wheel icon at the top right. Tapping it and from the dropdown menu, select the Settings option.
On the Settings screen, scroll down to Bixby Key and tap it. On the Bixby screen, you will see two options. Select ‘Don’t open anything’, to disable the Bixby button.
If you don’t see the cog wheel icon, you will likely see the more options button represented by three dots. Tap it and go to Settings. Scroll down and tap Bixbby Key and select the ‘Don’t open anything’ option.
You can also close Bixby Voice from the same menu (required if you want to shut down Bixby altogether).
Disabling Bixby Home
The above procedure only prevents Bixby from launching when the button is pressed. If you scroll to the right of your phone (where Flipboard once used to reside), you will still have access to Bixby Home. If you want to disable this as well the following procedure is how you would go about it.
Start at the Homescreen and Longpress on any empty space. When the UI Settings menu launches, scroll to your left until you see a template of the Bixby Home. On top of this view will be a toggle switch. Toggle it off and Bixby will stop intruding in your life altogether.
Enabling Bixby Home and Button
Enabling Bixby is simple enough. Just like when trying to disable Bixby Home. Long press the wallpaper on the homescreen. Swipe to your left and enable Bixby Home. Then, go to Bixby Home, tap on the settings button and enable the Bixby Button. That simple.
Do keep in mind that Bixby will continue to be functional as long as the voice function is enabled. You will need to keep it disabled to be free of Bixby once and for all.