Welcome to a guide dedicated to helping you achieve a Bixby-free experience on your Samsung Galaxy S23. But before we jump into the process, let’s take a moment to understand the context.
Bixby is a virtual assistant developed by Samsung. This AI assistant is integrated into many Samsung devices, designed to make life easier by automating tasks, offering reminders, and responding to voice commands.
Despite the convenience Bixby promises, some users find it less than helpful. It’s not uncommon for individuals to accidentally trigger Bixby when they have no intention of doing so. Some might prefer other virtual assistants like Google Assistant, while others may not want to use an AI assistant. These accidental activations and personal preferences have led many users to explore ways to disable or uninstall Bixby completely.
If you are looking for a way to disable or even uninstall Bixby without rooting your device, you’re in the right place! In this guide, we will walk you through how you can disable and uninstall Bixby from your Samsung Galaxy S23 without rooting your device.
Understand the Default Setup
To grasp why disabling or uninstalling Bixby may be desirable, it’s essential to understand the default setup on Samsung Galaxy S23 devices. Bixby comes integrated as part of the device’s system, making it one of the first features you may encounter. Right out of the box, Bixby is set to be accessible via several points, including a dedicated Bixby button in older models, voice activation and the power button in the latest S23 series.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 has made a significant change to the power button functionality, which is set to ‘Wake Bixby’ by default instead of bringing up the power-off menu. The default setting on the power button does not allow the traditional power-off or restart options. Instead, it summons Bixby, making it easier for users to inadvertently activate it when their actual intent was to switch off or restart the device.
Moreover, Bixby Voice, another feature of the assistant, is set up to run in the background. It allows Bixby to listen to your voice commands and act upon them. While this feature can be handy, it might also contribute to battery drain or unwanted activations.
For users who prefer a different virtual assistant or none at all, these default setups can cause frustration. The accidental triggering of Bixby, potential battery drain and the power button’s changed functionality often leave users searching for ways to disable or even uninstall Bixby entirely from their Samsung Galaxy S23.
Reverting the Power Button Functionality
You might have noticed that the traditional power-off mechanism via the power button does not work by default on these devices. Instead, it activates Bixby. However, you can revert this setting to normal with a few simple steps.
Revert the Power Button Functionality
- Open the “Settings” application on your Galaxy S23 device.
- Use the search bar to look for the keyword “side”.
- Tap the option that says “Side Key”.
- Change the “Press and Hold” setting from “Wake Bixby” to “Power Off Menu”.
- Test the setting by pressing and holding the power button.
For some users, this might be enough to avoid unwanted Bixby interruptions. However, if you want to go a step further and disable Bixby completely, you can do so.
Disable Bixby Voice Service
Here is a step-by-step guide to disabling the Bixby Voice service:
Accessing Bixby Settings
Open the ‘Settings’ application on your Galaxy S23. From there, select the ‘Apps’ option. You will see a list of all the applications installed on your device.
Revealing System Apps
At the top right corner of your screen, tap the three vertical dots to open the ‘Show System Apps’ toggle. It will reveal a host of system apps that do not typically show in the list. Enable this option.
Searching for Bixby
In the apps list, use the search bar at the top to look for ‘Bixby.’ You will find several Bixby-related services listed.
Disabling Bixby Voice
Among the services listed, locate ‘Bixby Voice’. Tap on it to open it’s app info page. Here, you will see an option to “Disable” the service. Tap ‘Disable’.
By doing this, you will have successfully disabled the Bixby Voice service from running in the background. However, there are other Bixby apps that you cannot disable using this method because of Samsung’s restrictions. However, if you wish to completely rid your device of Bixby, the next section will guide you through uninstalling the Bixby-related services entirely.
How to Completely Remove Bixby from the Samsung Galaxy S23
You might have noticed that even after disabling Bixby and Bixby Voice, there are still a number of Bixby-related services present in your device’s settings. Samsung, wanting to keep it’s native apps and services integral to it’s devices, has restricted the removal of some Bixby components through regular settings. However, there is a way around this, thanks to ADB or Android Debug Bridge.
Use ADB to Uninstall Bixby Apps
Before you begin, note that you need to have ADB installed on your computer. If you haven’t done so yet, there are plenty of online guides available to help you through the process. Please proceed with caution, as incorrect usage of ADB can potentially harm your device.
- Connecting the Smartphone to a PC
Firstly, you will need to connect your Galaxy S23 to your PC using a USB cable. Make sure the connection is secure.
- Using the ADB Shell to Execute Uninstallation Commands
With your device connected, open the command prompt on your PC and enter the ADB Shell by typing ‘adb shell’. Once in the shell, you will need to execute the following commands to uninstall each Bixby service:
These commands will uninstall the respective Bixby apps for the current user, which is you.
As you run each command, make sure no error messages appear. An absence of error messages typically indicates that the command has been executed successfully.
After running all the commands, you can check your device to confirm the removal of the Bixby apps. You should no longer see them listed in your settings.
By using the ADB tool, you will have effectively removed all Bixby-related services from your Samsung Galaxy S23. You can now enjoy a totally Bixby-free experience on your device!
Experiencing difficulties with your Device, check out our “How To” page on how to resolve some of these issues.
