How to Disable the Bixby Button | Digital Trends

Virtual assistants are very common, and every phone manufacturer seems to have their own version. For Samsung phones, the assistant is Bixby. Samsung even has a special button to call up Bixby. Unfortunately, many users would prefer if this button did not exist.

If the Bixby button is driving you crazy, then it is time to learn how to disable it. Then, you won’t have to worry about Bixby popping up when you’d rather it stay hidden.

How to disable the Bixby button (for Samsung Galaxy S20 and Note 10)

If you’re using a Samsung Galaxy S20 or Samsung Galaxy Note 10, the side key below the volume rocker functions as a Bixby button and a power button. By default, the side key will trigger Bixby with a long press instead of opening up your power-off menu, but that can be tweaked by accessing the side key settings.

1. Press and hold the side key of the device.
2. Tap on Side key settings.
3. Toggle on Power off menu under Press and hold. 
4. To fully disable Bixby on the side key, make sure Open Bixby isn’t toggled on under Double press.

How to disable the Bixby key’s single press (for Samsung Galaxy S10 and older)

You used to be able to disable the Bixby key on older Galaxy smartphones, but with software updates, that’s no longer the case. However, while you can’t stop the Bixby key from activating Bixby, you can make it harder to accidentally trigger by requiring a double-press to bring up Bixby Home. To do so, you’ll need to access a specific setting in a specific part of Bixby — as nothing tied to Bixby is allowed to be simple, apparently.

1. Press the Bixby key to bring up the Bixby Home page.
2. Tap the three vertical dots and tap Settings.
3. Scroll down until you find the option titled Bixby key.
4. Change your option to Double press to open Bixby to make it harder to accidentally open Bixby.
5. That’s all!

Reassigning the Bixby key (for Samsung Galaxy S20 and Note 10)

While you can’t reassign the Press and hold function of the side key, you can for Double press. Instead of opening Bixby or quick-launching the camera, the function can be assigned to opening an app of your choice.

1. Return to the side key settings by pressing and holding it and tapping Side key settings.
2. Toggle on Double press.
3. Tap on the gear icon next to Open app.
4. Select an app from the drawer of installed applications to assign it.
5. The name of the app should be under Open app if done correctly.

Reassigning the Bixby key (for Samsung Galaxy S10 and older)

The Bixby button doesn’t have to be all bad. In fact, you might find some convenience in using that button for a different app. If the thought appeals to you, you can actually adjust your settings to assign a different app to the key, such as your maps.

1. Head back to Bixby Home and the area where you changed the Bixby key originally.
2. Tap (or double-tap, if you’ve already changed the Bixby key) to open Bixby Home.
3. Tap the three vertical dots.
4. Hit Settings > Bixby key.
5. If you haven’t already, you’ll need to enable Double press to open Bixby.
6. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to select the option to Use single press. Tap the slider to turn it on.
7. Tap Open app to choose a single app from your list of currently installed apps to launch that one, or tap Run quick command to run a Bixby quick command when pressed.
8. You can find a bunch of good examples by tapping Go to Quick commands after tapping Run Quick command.

You can always put the Bixby back just as easily as you switched it in the same settings location. All you have to do is choose single press to reactivate Bixby. Keep in mind this will overwrite any reassignments of the Bixby key you’ve set up

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