Bixby is not dead: Samsung is developing a new interface, with the Galaxy S26 series set to debut it

Reports indicate that Samsung has not abandoned its own voice assistant, Bixby. Internal screenshots reveal that the company is developing a new Bixby floating interface for One UI 8.5 (the first to debut on the Galaxy S26 series).

IT Home Note: On the flagship Galaxy S25 series, Samsung has replaced the default voice assistant with Google Gemini, a move that led many to believe Bixby had been marginalized. Although minor improvements have been made since then, the market response has remained lukewarm.

According to the latest leaked images, Samsung is developing a brand-new floating window interface for Bixby. The interface showcases design styles under both dark and light themes, maintaining a high level of consistency with the recently leaked One UI 8.5 quick settings panel in terms of overall style.

It is worth noting that the appearance of this new floating window also bears a striking resemblance to Google Gemini's screen overlay. However, the current leak primarily focuses on the visual design and does not mention whether the One UI 8.5 update will bring any substantive performance improvements to Bixby.

In addition to the interface redesign, recent reports indicate that One UI 8.5 may further enhance the integration of Bixby with Samsung's "Modes and Routines" feature. This will give Bixby a greater advantage in handling local task automation on devices.

Nonetheless, compared to Google Gemini, which boasts formidable AI capabilities, Bixby still lags significantly in overall performance. Gemini is now deeply integrated into core applications of the Galaxy S25 series, such as reminders, calendar, and notes.

According to the plan, the One UI 8.5 system, developed based on Android 16, will be officially launched with the Galaxy S26 series in early next year. Samsung may announce significant updates to Bixby at that time.