When Samsung introduced Bixby with its 2017 flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, the whole tech world instantly went up in arms and shot down the smart assistant before it even took one breath. Even we were a little sceptical about the need of a new smart assistant when Google Assistant was already available for the Android devices. Not only the Google Assistant was available, it single handedly beat other assistant present at that time. However, our views changed when we really started using Bixby with its voice commands. Although Google Assistant is still the best when it comes to contextual awareness and general internet based queries, our test showed that Bixby is the king when it comes to controlling your phone with your voice. There’s nothing which you can do with touch which you cannot do with voice using Bixby. That is a very impressive feat, to say the least. So, today we thought we will bring you the 50 best Bixby commands you can use to get the most out of it:
Note: You can access the Bixby on your Samsung device by wither holding the Bixby button or activating it with your voice by using the “Hi Bixby” command. For this tutorial we are using the “Hi Bixby” command. Officially, Bixby is only present on the new Samsung Galaxy S8, S8 Plus, and Note 8.
Common Bixby Commands
We will start with some common commands which not only Bixby but other voice assistants like Siri and Google Assistant can also easily perform. However, these are one of the most common tasks which you will want to perform with Bixby and hence they are here.
1. Launching Apps
You can easily launch any app on your device with the help of Bixby. Just say, “Hi Bixby, launch < insert app name>” and Bixby will launch that app for you.
Instead of the command “launch”, you can also say, “open” and Bixby will launch the app without any problem.
2. Setting Up Alarm
It’s also very easy to set up alarms on your phone using Bixby. Just say, “Hi Bixby, set up an alarm from 7 AM tomorrow” and Bixby well set up the alarm for you.
Alternatively, you can also ask Bixby to wake you up at a certain time and it will set up an alarm to wake you up at that time. For example, when I say, “Hi Bixby, wake me up at 7 AM tomorrow“, the assistant is smart enough to set up an alarm for that time.
3. Adding Calendar Events
You can also add events to your calendar using the Bixby smart assistant. Just say, “Hi Bixby, add meeting with Carol on Saturday at 3 PM to my calendar” and Bixby will add that meeting to your calendar. Remember, this is just one example, you can create any such event in your calendar.
For example, I can also say. “Hi Bixby, Create a calendar event for tomorrow 3 PM, buy groceries”. Here “buy groceries” is the name of the event and can be replaced with any event that you want to create.
4. Turning on Flashlight
I don’t know about you but I am constantly using my smartphone’s flash as a flashlight. Now, you can unlock the device and then turn on flashlight manually, or, you can ask Bixby to do that for you. Just say, “Hi Bixby, turn on the flashlight” and Bixby will turn on the flashlight without you having to unlock your device.
5. Restarting the Phone
Bixby can also be used to restart or shout down your phone. Just say, “Hi Bixby, restart my phone” and it will be done. You can use the command “Shut down” instead of the restart command to switch off your phone.
6. Adding Reminders
Adding reminder is something which I do almost daily on my phone. There are some tasks which come up abruptly but I don’t want to add them to my calendar as they are small and take a few minutes at max. In that case, I just add them as reminders. To add reminders using Bixby, say, “Hi Bixby, remind to me to pay bills tomorrow at 3 PM” and you are done.
Alternatively, you can also say, “Hi Bixby, add a reminder to pay bills tomorrow at 3 PM”.
7. Starting a Countdown Timer
It’s one of the easiest commands you can use with Bixby. Say, “Hi Bixby, start a timer for 5 minutes” and your timer will be set.
Bixby Navigational Commands
Did you know, you can navigate the entire user interface of your smartphone just using your voice? It might sound crazy, but you actually can. Here are some common commands you can use to navigate the user interface on your device.
1. Navigate to System Apps
As we saw earlier we can easily launch third-party apps with Bixby, so it should not come as a surprise that we can also launch system apps. To do that we can say, “Hi Bixby, launch (open) Settings app”.
Similarly, other commands which can be used are “open dialler”, “launch messages”, and so on.
2. Go to Home-Screen
No matter where you are on your smartphone, you can always go to home-screen by asking Bixby. Just ask, “Hi, Bixby, go to home screen” and you will be taken to the home screen.
3. Scroll up/down
Till now, we were using simple commands and we didn’t see anything impressive. Well, it’s time to change that. Did you know that you can scroll pages using Bixby? Bixby not only allows to scroll pages in built-in apps, it also allows you to do that in 3rd party apps such as Chrome, Facebook, and any other app which supports scrolling. Just say, “Hi Bixby, scroll down” or “Hi Bixby, scroll up” and your page will automatically scroll. Now, how cool is that.
4. Swipe left/right
Just like scrolling, you can also swipe pages left or right, by just using the Bixby commands. Say, “Hi Bixby, swipe left/right” to swipe one page to the left or right of your current page.
5. Go Back
Similarly, you can go back one page by using the “Hi Bixby, go back” command. This is really handy if you are browsing the web just using your voice.
6. Turn Off Screen
Lastly, you can turn your device’s screen off by using the simple, “Hi Bixby, turn off the screen“.
System Tasks using Bixby Commands
Apart from allowing you to navigate the interface of your smartphone, Bixby also allows you to perform certain system tasks such as taking screenshots, changing the quick settings, and more. Let’s see how we do that.
1. Taking a Screenshot
Taking a screenshot is as easy as saying, “Hi Bixby, take a screenshot’’. However, remember that taking a screenshot will not work on apps which natively prevent you from doing so. Examples of such apps are password managers, banking apps, Telegram, and similar apps.
2. Changing the Quick Settings
You can easily toggle all the quick settings on and off using the Bixby Voice. Just say, “Hi Bixby, turn on/off WiFi”. Replace WiFi with other commands such as Bluetooth, Airplane mode, Mobile data etc to control them with your voice.
3. Open the Recent Apps Menu
Bixby also allows you to interact with apps which you have already opened. You can say, “Hi Bixby, open the recent apps menu” and Bixby will go to the recents menu.
Alternatively, you can also ask, “Hi Bixby, show me my recent apps” to achieve the same.
4. Open the Last App
If you just want to go back to the last app that you opened just ask the voice assistant; “Hi Bixby, open my last app” and Bixby will open the last app.
You can also say, “Hi Bixby, open the last app”.
5. Zoom in/out
If you want to zoom in on a text or picture, just say, “Hi Bixby, zoom in”. After you are done, use the “zoom out” command to go back to normal scaling.
6. Send a Message
This is one of the most well-known commands you can perform using Bixby or any other smart assistant for that matter. Just say, “Hi Bixby, send a message to <contact name>” and it will open the messages app with that contact in the sender tab. Now, you can dictate your message and confirm to send it.
If your message is short, you don’t even need to wait for Bixby to open the messages app. For example, I can just say, “Hi Bixby, send a message to Rupesh that I won’t be coming to the office tomorrow” and Bixby will send the message for me.
7. Calling a Contact
Calling a contact is even easier than messaging someone as you don’t have to dictate anything. Just say, “Hi Bixby, call Rupesh (insert you contact name)” and your phone will initiate the call.
Controlling Apps via Bixby
Did you know, you can even control certain functions of apps using Bixby? If you didn’t, well I am here to tell you that you certainly can. Now, I will show you this by simply controlling the camera app.
1. Change the Camera Mode
Let’s say you are using your smartphone with one hand as you are taking a selfie. Well, now you want to record a small video but the everything is in its perfect position and you don’t want to change that. Well, just say, “Hi Bixby, change the camera mode to video” and your smart assistant will do the same. Now, don’t tell me that’s not cool.
2. Take a Picture
You can easily take pictures with your smartphone’s camera without even touching it. Just say, “Hi Bixby, take a picture” and the phone will do that for you.
3. Take a Selfie
The same goes for the front-facing camera. Replace the word “picture” with “selfie” and you are done.
4. Set a Timer For Your Camera
If everyone in the group wants to be in a group picture and there is no one else to help out, we generally tend to set a timer and then run back to be in the frame. With Bixby, the process is even simpler. Since Bixby can listen from a distance, you can set the perfect frame and then say, “Hi Bixby, set the timer for the rear camera to 10 seconds” and you are done, no more running around now.
You can also use the take a picture command, but the timer sound lets you have an auditory clue so that you and others in the group are ready for that perfect shot.
5. Apply an Effect
Bixby is even smart enough to apply effects on pictures which come built-in with the Gallery app. Just say, “Hi Bixby, apply an effect” and Bixby will apply any random effect.
However, if you know the name of the specific effect that you want to use, you can change the statement to “Hi Bixby, apply the Forest effect”. Of course, you can substitute “Forest” with any other effect of your choice.
Bixby Commands to Manage Notifications
Bixby also gives more control over your notifications that any other smart assistant including Google Assistant and Siri. You can view notifications, clear notifications, and even clear the notifications for a specific app. Let’s see how to do it.
1. Show All Notifications
To view all your notifications just say, “Hi Bixby, show all notifications”.
Alternatively, you can also say, “Hi Bixby, show me all my notifications” to receive the same result.
2. Show the Latest Notifications
If you just want to see the latest notifications, you can just ask, “Hi Bixby, show me my latest notification”.
3. Clear All Notification
The process is same as showing the notification, you will just have to replace the word show with clear, like this, “Hi Bixby, clear all notifications”.
4, Clear Notifications From A Specific App
Bixby gives you precise control over your notifications. Not only you can clear all notifications at once, you can also clear notification from a single app. Suppose, you have notifications from many apps but you only want to clear notifications of the Facebook app. Just say, “Hi Bixby, clear notifications from Facebook”. Similarly, you can do this for any app.
5. Close the Notification Panel
If you don’t want to clear the notification but just want to close the panel after viewing the notification, you have to say, “Hi Bixby, close the notification panel” and Bixby will close the notification panel without clearing the notification.
6. Read All Notifications
If you are in a position where you don’t want to look at your phone, you can just ask Bixby to read them for you. Just say, “Hi Bixby, read my notifications” and Bixby will read all your notifications one by one aloud.
7. Read the Latest Notification
Similarly, if you just want to hear the latest notification, just say, “Hi Bixby, read my latest notification”.
Advanced Bixby Commands
When I used Bixby for the first time, the most surprising thing that I discovered was that Bixby can understand complex commands which contain multiple steps and execute them without any error. Below are some complex commands that you can use, and also take inspiration from them to execute complex tasks on your smartphone with the help of Bixby.
1. Open Facebook and Show My Notifications
If you want to see notifications inside any app, you can just ask Bixby, and it will open the app and go directly to the notifications page. For example, if you want to see notifications inside the Facebook app, just say, “Hi Bixby, open Facebook and show my notifications”. Now, Bixby will launch the Facebook app and directly navigate to the notifications page.
2. Open Gallery and Show Me My Latest Pictures
Another example of a complex command is asking Bixby to open the Gallery app and showing you the latest photo that you captured. Just say, “Hi Bixby, open Gallery and show me my latest pictures” and it will do exactly that.
3. Posting Photos to Instagram
You can even directly pictures to various social media platform just by asking. For example, if I wanted to post the latest picture on Instagram, just say, “Hi Bixby, Open Instagram and post my latest picture”.
Alternatively, I can also say, “Hi Bixby, “Post my latest photo to Instagram” and it will be done.
4. Use Bixby to Tweet
Just like posting photos, you can even use Bixby to post tweets. To do that just say, “Hi Bixby, open Twitter and compose a new tweet”.
Alternatively, you can also say, “Hi Bixby, create a new tweet” or “Hi Bixby, post a new tweet” to do the same.
5. Navigating Settings Menu
We have already seen that Bixby can launch any app, however, you can do much more. If you know which part of an app you want to visit, you can ask Bixby to directly take you there. Let’s say we want to go to Developer settings in the main Settings page. We will say, “Hi Bixby, open the Settings app and go to the Developer settings” and Bixby will navigate directly to that setting.
6. Creating a New Contact
You can even create an entirely new contact just be telling Bixby. To do that, just say, “Hi Bixby, create a new contact as <contact name> with the number <contact number>”.
For example, it will go something like this; “Hi Bixby, create a new contact as Beebom with number 9898989877”. Don’t believe me? Try out for yourself.
7. Call Someone Hands Free
If you want to call someone and talk to them without even touching your phone, you can initiate a hands-free phone call using Bixby. Just say, “Hi Bixby, call Beebom on speaker phone”. Now, Bixby will initiate the call and turn on the speakerphone for a hands-free calling experience. Of course, you will need to substitute Beebom with someone in your contact list.
8. Tell Callers You Are Busy
Sometimes your hands are not free and you are not able to take a call, however, the person calling you might be important, and you want to let them know that you are going to call them back. In that case, you can use Bixby to convey the same. Just say, “Hi Bixby, decline the call and send a text that I will call back in 10 minutes”. Now, this is pretty useful.
The best part is that you are not restricted to automated responses. You can send any text that you want to. Replace the text after the word “that” with anything which you want your text to say.
9. Discovering All the Nearby WiFi Networks
You can also ask Bixby to show you all the nearby available WiFi networks. Just say, “Hi Bixby, search for nearby WiFi networks”. Bixby will now open the settings app, go to the WiFi settings and search for all the available networks and show it to you.
10. Send Your Location to Specific Contacts
You can also send your location to any contact in your contact list just by using your voice assistant. Just say, “Hi Bixby, send my location to <contact name>” and your location data will be sent to that contact.
11. Download Apps From Play Store
Bixby can also help you download apps from Play Store. Just say, “Hi Bixby, download <app name> from Play Store” and Bixby will launch the Play Store, search for the App, and initiate the download and install process.
General Questions and Answers
Apart from controlling your smartphone, you can also ask Bixby some general questions which can be found with a simple internet search.
1. Ask About Factual Questions
You can ask Bixby simple factual questions like the distance between the sun and the earth and so on. For example, say, “Hi Bixby, which is the closest planet to earth” and you will get the answer.
2. Ask About Current Affairs
Apart from factual questions, you can also ask questions related to current affairs. For example, ask, “Hi Bixby, who is president of United States of America” and you will get your answer.
3. Ask Simple Mathematical Questions
Bixby can help you with simple mathematical problems, such as addition, multiplication, etc. You can say, “Hi Bixby, what’s 5 plus 3“ or “Hi Bixby what’s 5 times 3”.
4. Ask About Entertainment (Tv Shows, Movies, Games and More)
You can ask any questions related to Tv shows, movies, games, and more. For example, you can ask, “Hi Bixby, who plays John Snow in Game of Thrones”. Other similar questions include, “Hi Bixby, who wrote the Harry Potter series” and so on.
5. Ask Spelling and Definitions
You can also ask Bixby to tell you the spelling or definition of words for you. For example, ask “Hi Bixby, define electricity” or “Hi Bixby, spell Manchester”.
6. Ask Location Based Questions
You can ask location-based questions, like “Hi Bixby, what’s the weather like” or “Hi Bixby, will it rain today” or “Hi Bixby, what movies are playing nearby” and so on.
Create Your Own Quick Bixby Commands
I have saved the best for the last. Bixby allows you to create Quick Commands to execute multiple actions at one command. If you want to learn how to do that, click here as we have an article dedicated to it. The basic premise is that Quick Commands make it easy for you to initiate a chain of actions which you would normally do. For example, my quick command “Hi Bixby, I’m driving” enables the do not disturb mode, turn on the location toggle, and launches the Google Maps for me. Now, this is something which I certainly use on a daily basis.
SEE ALSO: How to Get Bixby on Any Samsung Device Running Nougat
50 Best Bixby Commands You Can Try
Use these best Bixby commands to get the most out of your smart assistant. I have found that Bixby is really powerful when controlling the interface of my phone. That being said, my most used feature of Bixby is Quick Commands. I use the Quick Commands feature every day at multiple places. At home, my quick command “I am home” disables the mobile data, enables the WiFi, and disables the “do not disturb” mode. How you are going to use Bixby, is entirely up to you, but I certainly hope that these commands will help you in getting the most out of your smart assistant. So, what are your favourite Bixby commands? Share them with us in the comments section below.
Abubakar Mohammed
