Paul Briden 21/07/2017 - 9:00am

Samsung's Bixby Voice is finally going live in the US

Samsung's Bixby Voice component of the firm's Bixby AI assistant - the one embedded in the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ - has finally begun rolling out in the US as the full English language edition.

The Bixby AI assistant debuted onboard the new Galaxy S8 range at its launch in April, three months ago, but at launch the main component - Bixby Voice - was non-functional everywhere but Samsung's home of South Korea.

Now, following several delays, reported difficulties inside Samsung with the English language translations, and an early access program; Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ owners in the US can get the full functionality by updating their device. Just ensure your Bixby app is updated to the latest version, and you should have full Bixby Voice functionality.

These are the applications that Bixby will work with once it’s available:

  • WhatsApp
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Gmail
  • Google Play Store
  • Google Play Music
  • Google Maps
  • Uber
  • Pandora
  • Yelp

That means virtually every aspect of the phone can be controlled with voice commands.

"At launch, Bixby will be fully integrated across core Samsung apps, so almost anything you could do with touch or typing, you can now do with your voice, including multi-step, and cross-app requests," said Samsung.

"Support for additional native and third-party apps will be available via Bixby Labs, which includes select applications that are offering preliminary integration with Bixby."

"With full voice capabilities for U.S. English, Bixby can help users get more out of their connected lives. With voice capabilities, Galaxy S8 and S8+ users can easily activate voice commands to get more done in their day – simply and efficiently. Users can ask Bixby to complete simple tasks, like turning on the flashlight or taking a selfie, or complex tasks, like “remind me to pick up milk at the grocery store,” or “find photos I took in Spain and create an album called ‘Vacation.’”

So now those of us in the UK, you know, where English was invented, have to wait for the wider rollout. Hopefully, and it's a vain hope, we'll get a version where "colour" and the like are spelled properly.

Here are Samsung's promotional videos for Bixby, showing you how it can help in your day-to-day life: