Samsung's voice assistant, Bixby, had a
rocky launch in 2017, but it was able to rebound, thanks to a handful of
updates that expanded its functionality and capabilities. It may not the perfect AI assistant out there, but Samsung is still working toward fulfilling its initial vision. We even learned recently that the company intends Bixby to be one of the
defining features of the Galaxy S9, along with the
revamped camera.
What this entails exactly, we don't know for sure at this point, though it's a relatively safe bet that Bixby will have learned plenty of new tricks in time for the launch of the
Galaxy S9 and
S9+. What we do know, however, is that Samsung may use the assistant to guide users through the initial setup of their new phone. Recently uncovered code in the unreleased Android Oreo builds for the
Galaxy Note 8, more specifically in the SetupWizard APK, suggests that Bixby may guide new users through the initial setup of their device.
Seeing as how setting up Samsung phones are a tad more complicated to setup than, say, a Pixel, this could potentially turn out to be a useful, albeit a somewhat minor, new feature. For example, instead of typing, users could simply use their voice to answer questions during the setup process.
Keep in mind, however, that this evidence, found by the folks over at XDA, comes from an unreleased Android Oreo beta build for the Galaxy Note 8, so things could be different on the S9. But seeing as how Samsung is really pushing for AI, this could be one of many new tricks that Bixby will have learned in time for the S9/S9+.
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