Samsung is getting Google Assistant with the Bixby digital assistant on mobile devices, smart TVs, and Tizen-powered smartwatches. Bixby not only focuses on answering user questions, but also handles offline tasks on the phone. Samsung has a neat Bixby Routine plugin packaged that performs various functions on the device based on voice commands.
What is Bixby Routine?
Samsung’s Bixby Routines are your predefined rules that are triggered when a certain phrase or command is spoken to the digital assistant. It follows the ‘If This Then That’ form of things.
Bixby takes actions based on your settings using rules or commands. For example, you can set Bixby to share your calendar events every morning or open it whenever you want. Read on to learn how to set it up.
Where are Bixby Routines
Bixby Routines is part of the Bixby digital assistant. You can access it from the Bixby main menu. Long press the Power key on your phone to wake up the Bixby assistant.
Tap on the small Home icon from the bottom menu and it will open the Bixby main menu. Now tap on the hamburger menu in the top left and select Quick commands from the menu below.
By default, Bixby offers several ready-to-use Bixby commands. You can use them and edit tasks or create one from scratch. Here we will create the Bixby command from the home screen and add tasks according to our preferences.
Generate Bixby Command
Now that you know what the Bixby command is and how to access it, let’s create a Bixby routine.
Stage 1: Go to Bixby Home and open Quick commands.
Step 2: Tap the + icon in the upper right corner.
Stage 3: First, you need to specify a quick command or phrase. We added “What’s Up” as a quick command.
Step 4: In Bixby’s what menu, tap Add command.
Step 5: Here you can see all the apps that support Bixby commands.
For this post we will use a combination of Calendar, Email, time and weather conditions.
Step 6: Select Calendar and tap ‘Show my schedule’ from the menu below.
Step 7: Go back and select the Gmail app. Tap on ‘Show my emails in Gmail’.
Each time, you will need to select the Add command option to continue adding commands to the expression.
Step 8: Select Date & Time and ‘What time is it?’ Tap on it. action.
Step 9: Now select the Weather Channel app and you will see that the command we want to use is not listed here.
You can select Type Below and use the built-in keyboard to type a custom command. We wrote the query “How is the weather today” for the Weather Channel application.
From the main menu, you will see the last Bixby phrase and its associated actions. You can always tap the x and remove commands or change command location.
For example, you want Bixby to announce the time first, then the schedule, emails, and weather. Drag and drop the ‘What time is it’ command at the top and you’re good to go with the Save button at the bottom.
Go back to the main screen. Wake Bixby using the side button or the ‘Hey Bixby’ voice command. Say the ‘what’s up’ command and Bixby will perform actions based on the commands you specify. Look at the screenshots and you’ll see Bixby in action, showcasing the current time, upcoming day’s schedule, Gmail, and today’s weather details.
Here are a few more Bixby routines you can implement in your life.
Add a “Good Night” phrase and Bixby will do the following.
- Turn on do not disturb
- Disable AoD (Always On Display)
- Set the wake-up alarm for 8 am tomorrow
- Open location
- How is the weather tomorrow?
- Read tomorrow’s schedule
Add a “I’m driving” phrase and Bixby will do the following.
- turn on bluetooth
- Turn off Wi-Fi in Settings
- Play the commute playlist
Delete Bixby Commands
If you no longer need Bixby commands, open the Bixby homepage and go to Quick commands > My commands. Tap the three-dot menu in the upper right corner and select Delete. Select the commands you want to delete and confirm your decision.
Use Bixby Like a Pro
Bixby is an integral part of the Samsung ecosystem. It’s good to see the Korean giant take a different route to stand out from the crowd with a handy Bixby Routines function. Let us know how else you plan to use Bixby commands on your Galaxy device.
Next: Samsung Gallery is another nifty app from Samsung. Read the post to learn about the best Samsung Gallery app tips and tricks.
