Samsung Upgrades Bixby With Perplexity-Powered AI Features Takes Page Out of Apple’s Playbook

Samsung announced a new beta for its upgraded AI-powered Bixby assistant, which will be available on eligible Galaxy devices with the Android 16-based One UI 8. UP 5 update The update adds a number of features and capabilities to the voice assistant, which will now use Perplexity’s web search engine for creating answers to user queries like Apple did when it added ChatGPT with its Siri assistant. In addition, Samsung noted that users will soon be able to chat with the newer version of Bixby in natural language (as opposed to having to state exactly the names of the settings or commands).

Samsung’s AI-Powered Bixby to Leverage Perplexity’s Web Search Capabilities

The tech giant in South Korea said it is ‘upgrading its on-device assistant with AI features, which will be released first to eligible Galaxy devices in select markets using the Android 16-based One UI 8. UP 5 update Soon, Bixby will allow users to use natural language to ask questions and execute commands. If users are asked to change settings or perform tasks on the AI chatbot, they will no longer need to mention specific keyboards when requesting that user’s input for this new feature is changed.

The company highlighted the fact that Samsung’s Bixby is based on an AI-powered version does not need to know “how device menus are structured or remember specific terms” for certain tasks on command. This, according to Samsung, reduces the “time and effort” a user has to exert on his or her Galaxy devices in order to change settings and features.

The tech giant, for example, cited an instance where one user wants his phone’s screen not to be off during inactivity. A Bixby can simply say, “I don’t want the screen to time out while I’m still looking at it” and the AI-powered assistant will understand the command and turn on the Keep Screen on While Viewing setting.

A major update to Bixby’s latest is the Perplexity-based real-time web search capabilities that are a key feature of its newer version, which uses Percy. with one u 8 , and the One. If Bixby is allowed to access information from the internet while displaying results within the BiXby user interface, it will be able to display the results in 5 update. This means users won’t have to open a browser on the web to search for information, as all relevant links will be displayed within the chat window and thus provide – in this case more “consistent” experience.

The playbook of Apple seems to be a bit like this, as the Cupertino tech giant also uses third-party AI companies for on-device AI tasks. Despite iPhone models now redirect users to ChatGPT for complex questions, the company is also working with Google on adding Gemini’s capabilities to the newer version of Siri (first unveiled at the WWDC in 2024) and its AI features. The Google will offer Gemini versions of Apple’s ‘next-generation’ foundation models – which will provide users with a more personal experience. is due to launch later this year.