One of the main features of the brand new Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, introduced at the launch event, was Samsung’s new assistant Bixby. The intelligent AI-powered assistant acts as both a quick source of information and a new (hopefully easier) way for users to interact with Bixby-enabled apps using voice, screen context searching, and more. It’s definitely an exciting idea, and I hope it works as well as Samsung has come up with. However, the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are the only phones that support Bixby (and come with a dedicated button for the same), so if you want to try Bixby, you’re out of luck. Don’t worry because there is a way to get Bixby on your Samsung device as long as your device is running on Nougat. If you can’t wait to check out Bixby, Here’s how to get Bixby on any Samsung device running Nougat:
note: We’re showing this on a Samsung Galaxy S7 running Android 7.0 Nougat.
Installing and Switching S8 Launcher
Before installing and running Bixby on your Samsung device, you need to install the following: S8 Launcher (Free) on your device. After doing that, you can switch to S8 Launcher by following these steps:
- go Settings -> Apps. Here, tap on the three-dot menu and then tap on “.Default Apps“.
- Tap on “Main monitor”and choose “TouchWiz homepage” from the list.
Then you can tap the home button to switch to the new launcher. Let’s move on to get Bixby with the S8 launcher installed on your Samsung device.
Installing Bixby on Any Samsung Device
Installing Bixby on a Samsung device running Nougat is pretty easy. However, there is a catch. The Bixby assistant that you will get on your Samsung device will only work when it comes to the card screen. Image, sound and screen context recognition are not yet available. To install Bixby on your Samsung device running Nougat, simply follow these steps:
- Download Bixby APK (Free).
- Once complete, install the APK on your Samsung device. Make sure you have it enabled “Unknown sources” in your device’s security settings.
- After installing the APK, return to the home screen and hold to go to the S8 Launcher settings. Here, tap onHome screen Settings” and then “Hi Bixby“settings.
- Tap on “Hello Bixby cards” and enable the apps in it.
- Restart your phone. When the phone restarts, long press home screenYou will see a transition for “Hello BixbySimply open it and then you can swipe from left to right on the home screen to get to the Bixby cards.
When you do, Bixby works on your Android device. Granted, it won’t be full Bixby, as you won’t get features like screen context-based results, image-based search, and voice features Samsung has demonstrated, but the Bixby cards are all there like a glorified Google Assistant. it sits exactly where Google Assistant does. We’ll have to wait and see if Bixby cards are better than Google Assistant cards, and whether Bixby (in all its glory) will be better than Google Assistant already is.
SEE ALSO: 15 Best Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ Accessories You Can Buy
Easily Get Bixby On Any Samsung Device Running Nougat
While Bixby isn’t really useful in its current state, it gives users a good idea of how Bixby might work when the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are finally here. While the card interface you currently get with Bixby is an exact replica of the Google Assistant cards, the thing is, Bixby looks like it has the potential to be the next big thing, provided it works well enough. Want to browse Bixby on your smartphone? What are your thoughts on Bixby and the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus? Let us know in the comments section below.
