Samsung appears ready to give Bixby a serious overhaul, even as the virtual assistant has largely faded from public discussion in recent years. With the upcoming One UI 8.5 update, Bixby is set to gain advanced conversational abilities, powered by a new partnership with Perplexity AI.
The company briefly published, and then deleted, an announcement on Tuesday about a new Bixby beta. While the link now shows a ‘Page not found’ error, the original text, saved by Droid Life, offers a clear preview of Samsung’s plans.
According to the announcement, Samsung has upgraded Bixby to function as a ‘conversational device agent.” In practical terms, users will no longer need rigid voice commands. Instead, they can speak naturally to control settings and features.
For instance, users could ask Bixby to adjust display settings or enable eye comfort features using everyday language. Unlike earlier versions, Bixby will be able to make these changes directly, even when users are inside other apps.
Samsung has already taken steps toward natural language control. Since One UI 7, users can search the Settings app using phrases such as ‘my eyes are tired” to surface relevant options.
One UI 8.5 pushes this further. Bixby will not just suggest settings but actively apply them, removing the need to navigate menus manually.
For queries that go beyond device control, Bixby will rely on Perplexity’s web-based AI. This allows the assistant to answer complex, general questions, similar to how other AI-powered assistants operate today.
What does This Mean for Samsung’s Gemini Strategy?
The move raises fresh questions about Samsung’s long-term alignment with Google’s Gemini. The Galaxy S25 series debuted with a customised Gemini experience, and Samsung has heavily promoted it across marketing campaigns.
With Perplexity now embedded into Bixby, Samsung appears to be diversifying its AI stack rather than betting on a single partner.
Samsung says the revamped Bixby will roll out with One UI 8.5 in select markets. The update is currently in beta and is expected to arrive in stable form alongside the Galaxy S26 series in the coming weeks.