NEWS
Galaxy S25 lets you choose your default voice assistant: Gemini or Bixby
At Galaxy Unpacked 2025, Samsung highlighted that Gemini is now the default assistant on the Galaxy S25 series, a change it has seen in nearly eight years. Now, Samsung has confirmed that either Gemini or Bixby can be activated as a default assistant on Galaxy S25 depending on the use case/what is being asked.
You can access Google’s Gemini AI by simply long-pressing the Galaxy S25 series’ side (power) button for the default digital assistant. This action was previously limited to Bixby, which has been the default digital assistant on Samsung phones since 2017.
Despite Samsung’s efforts to make Bixby an assistant user use, including giving it its button on some older phones, it never became as popular as Google Assistant or Gemini.
Now, the Galaxy S25 series lets you choose the best AI assistant between Gemini and Bixby. By default, Gemini can be accessed by long-pressing the side button on the Samsung Galaxy S25. Now, depending on your settings, long-pressing the power button summons Gemini, Bixby, or the power menu. You can assign anyone under the Settings > Side Button > Log press.
In addition to YouTube, Google Maps, Gmail, and Spotify, Samsung also integrated some of its stock apps – Samsung Calendar, Samsung Notes, Samsung Clock, and Samsung Reminders – into the Gemini.
Bixby with One UI 7 and Galaxy S25 series
Bixby has been upgraded with the Galaxy S25 and One UI 7, which can remember your last conversation and take that into account when accepting your next command.
For example, you can say
- What’s on my schedule tomorrow?
- Can you add garage cleaning at 5 PM?
- Take a photo in 5 seconds
- Make the screen brighter
- Set language as Indian English
Gemini and Bixby can both be activated depending on the use case / what is being asked. Gemini and / or Bixby is activated depending on what you ask your device to do. For example, if you’re looking for a restaurant – Gemini will be activated because it’s a search function, but if you ask to add something to your Samsung Calendar, Bixby will activate because it’s a Samsung app: Samsung said to Android Authority
Samsung started to roll out the January 2026 software update for the Korean models of Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 FE smartphones. This flagship device will be the next to grab One UI 8.5 as a major software release.
Samsung Galaxy S24 series January 2026 software update is released in batches with One UI 8 version SKT and a package size of 383 megabytes. Your Samsung Galaxy S24 series phone will get up to 55 fixes with the January 2026 patch.
This update provides that both Android and One UI systems remain secure. It also improves performance by clearing the system-level cache partition during installation.
Users of this phone can download this version with improved system security and better user experience. However, you should know that the software is released in batches and may take some time to reach all of the Samsung Galaxy S24 series users in the market.
You can download the latest software update on your Galaxy S24 series smartphone with the following instructions:
- Open Settings
- From here, now tap on Software update
- Click on Software update
You will be notified with updated information if an upgrade is available.
On the other hand, Samsung is also testing the One UI 8.5 update for dozens of Galaxy models. While the beta program is open to Galaxy S25 users, developers are ensuring that users of other phones don’t have to wait too long by conducting internal testing.
After the Ultra variant, the Standard Galaxy S26 smartphone has appeared on Geekbench with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset. The flagship phone has made significant scores on the benchmarking platform and seems ready to enter the real world.
On the other hand, a report from a French publication claims that the Galaxy S26 series will be launched across Europe on March 11, 2026. However, the company has not yet officially confirmed either the date of the Unpacked event or the release date.
In the latest edition, the Standard Samsung Galaxy S26 has reached Geekbench and revealed some of its key specifications. It has seemingly performed well in the single-core and multi-core tests on version 6.5.0, as well as achieved good points.
As per the listing, the device with model number SM-S942U obtained 3,379 points on the single-core test and 11,097 points on the multi-core test. The details reveal that the Galaxy S26 smartphone will equip the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, an overclocked version of the chipset.
The chip includes 12-gigabyte RAM, 3.63 GHz base frequency, six high-performance CPU cores running at a clock speed of 3.63GHz, and two prime cores at 4.74 GHz.
Samsung is rolling out the One UI 8.5 Beta 3 update for the Samsung Galaxy S25 series. This latest update is available in Germany, India, South Korea, the UK, and the US, and will be released in more countries soon. The update includes several important fixes and improvements to enhance the overall user experience, as well as carries the January 2026 security patch along with battery life improvements and some additional fixes.
One UI 8.5 Beta 3 can be identified via the PDA build version ending with ZZA3. It’s hitting the Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra in Beta markets.
Last month, Samsung launched the One UI Beta Program for Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra devices in four countries. At the same time, the company released the first Beta software. Two weeks ago, Samsung distributed the second Beta update, which expanded to India and Poland for key fixes and new features.
As Samsung gears up to start the official rollout, the Galaxy S25 series has received a new Beta software. The One UI 8.5 Beta 3 for the Galaxy S25 series brings fixes for clock display error on the lock screen and issues related to favorites in the phone app.
Users reported that the Now Briefing does not display after the Beta, which has been resolved. Plus, it improved the screen lagging issue when using Live Effect in the gallery.
In addition, the beta release also includes improvements to battery life. The issue of excessive power consumption when certain apps are running has now been fixed. For Galaxy S25 users waiting for the stable version, Beta 3 will feel like a significant upgrade.
If you’re on the One UI 8.5 Beta 2 build, you should have already received the third Beta. Update your Samsung Galaxy S25 phone’s software by navigating to Settings, followed by Software update, and Download and install.
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