Remember the startling discovery about the Bixby physical button? That it could be used to trigger other functions? Well, it’s not true anymore. Samsung took care of that. #mobilemagic
After much controversy around the remapping of Samsung S8′ special button, the company decided to put an end to it. According to XDA Developers, a recent Galaxy S8 firmware update has eliminated the possibility of using it for other purposes than to summon Bixby. Before this update, you could remap it with the help of a third-party app. One user even showed, on camera, how to do it. He chose to open Google Assistant instead, but the button could have been easily used to open the camera or a frequently-used app.
The dream was short-lived, though. Samsung found out and made sure the additional button wasn’t going to turn into a liability. From this moment on, no third-party app is going to be able to control it in your favor.
After purchasing the device later this week, you’ll be stuck with a pointless button. Yes, every time you push it, Bixby will open and show you notifications and events, but that’s about it. Bixby’s main function, to understand voice commands like other successful virtual assistants (like Siri and Google Assistant), will not be available immediately after purchase for users who live outside of South Korea. For an obvious reason, too: Samsung has not perfected Bixby’s English enough.
Does this change affect your decision to get a Galaxy S8 or S8 Plus?
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