Let’s face it, not everyone is a fan of Bixby,Samsung’svirtual assistant. If you’re a Samsung smartphone owner who opts not touse Bixby, you may be wondering what you should do with the dedicated Bixby key on the edge of your Galaxy S9 or S10. Even though Samsung has integrated the Bixby key into the Power button on the S20 and S21 series, you may still change things up if Bixby isn’t your thing.

Difficulty

What You Need

Samsung device

Thankfully, you can remap the Bixby key, allowing you to improve the functionality of your device without Bixby enabled (you can always switch it back if you don’t like it). To do so, just follow the steps below.

Remapping the Bixby key

On older phones like the Galaxy S9 andS10, the Bixby key will still always open Bixby one way or another. Remapping the button simply gives you the option to launch another app via a single press (in that case, a double press will open Bixby), or through a double press (where a single press will open Bixby). Pressing and holding the button will also still launch walkie-talkie mode for Bixby. Unfortunately, there’s no native way to use the button to open Google Assistant, but we’ll get to that in a second.

Step 1:Head toSettings > Advanced Features > Bixby Key. We recommend choosingDouble PresstoOpen Bixby, which means you’ll just need to tap the button once to launch another app.

Step 2:Tap onUse Single Press, and then tap on the gear icon next toOpen App.

Step 3:Look for the app you want to launch — it can even be the camera — and select it. That’s it! You’ve successfully remapped the Bixby button.

Quick Command option

You’ll also see the option to trigger aQuick Commandwhen you tap the Bixby key. Quick Commands let you trigger a series of actions on your phone when you say a phrase. For example saying, “I’m driving,” could turn off Wi-Fi on your phone, turn Bluetooth on, and start playing a “Commute” playlist if you have one. Attaching a Quick Command to the Bixby key would mean you won’t need to say it out loud, and can just press the button instead. Considering there’s a good chance of pressing the Bixby key accidentally, though, you may want to use this as aDouble-Pressinstead.

Remapping the Bixby key on Galaxy S20 and S21 phones

On newer phones like the S20,S20 FE, and theS21 series, the Bixby key is integrated into the Power button. Luckily, you can still remap it. Here’s how:

Step 1:Hold down thePower Button, then tapSide Key Settingsat the bottom of the screen.

Step 2:UnderDouble Press, tapQuick Launch Camerato remap a double-press to open the camera, orOpen Appto select the app you’d like to use a double-press to launch.

Step 3:Alternatively, you can turn theDouble Presstoggle off to switch this feature off entirely.

Step 4:To disable Bixby entirely, you’ll also want to ensure that thePower Offmenu is selected underPress and Hold.Once selected, pressing and holding down the power button brings up thePower Offmenu rather than waking Bixby.

Remapping the Bixby key to open Google Assistant

Note:This method works on any device that supports Bixby button remapping, which includes the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus, S10 andS10 Plus, and Galaxy Note 8 and Note 9.

If you use Google Assistant a lot, you may want to launch it with the dedicated Bixby button instead of pressing down on the home button. There is a way to do it, but it requires a third-party app (which can always be a cause for concern in terms of security). The app and instructions come fromXDA Developers.

Step 1:We first recommend heading toSettings > Biometrics and Security > Install Unknown Appsand tappingChromeorSamsung Internet— whatever your default browser is currently.

Step 2:Toggle onAllow From This Source. You can change this back later, but this is what allows the browser to download unidentified files, which is necessary if you want to launch Google Assistant with the Bixby key.

Step 3:Nowhead to this linkand download XDA’s Bixby Remapper APK. We’ve tried this on multiple phones and the process worked smoothly. Follow the instructions to download the app and then install it.

Step 4:Once installed, head back toSettings > Advanced Features > Bixby Key.

Step 5:TapUse Single Press, and then tap on the gear icon next toOpen App.

Step 6:Look for an app calledBixby Button Assistant Remapper. That’s it.

Step 7:Press the Bixby Button, and you should get a choice to open Google Assistant or Bixby (or it will automatically launch Google Assistant).

Step 8:TapGoogle Assistantand then tapAlwaysto make sure it will always open Google’s A.I. instead of Samsung’s.

There you go, now you can use the Bixby key to launch Google Assistant.