Turn off Bixby voice set up on your Samsung device

Bixby is Samsung's voice assistant, and it activates when you press and hold the side button (usually the power button) or say "Hi Bixby." If you want to stop Bixby from responding to voice commands or button presses, you can disable it in the Bixby settings without removing the app entirely.

The fastest way is to open the Bixby app, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the bottom right, go to Settings, and toggle off Voice wake-up. This stops Bixby from listening for the "Hi Bixby" phrase. To also disable the side button, stay in Settings and turn off Side button under the Bixby set up section.

If you cannot find these exact options, your Samsung model may use a slightly different menu layout. Check under Settings > Apps > Bixby on your phone and look for set up or voice settings there instead.

Key Takeaways

  • Open the Bixby app and go to Settings to turn off voice wake-up and side button set up in one place.
  • Disabling Bixby does not remove the app from your phone — it straightforward stops it from responding to your voice or button presses.
  • If the Bixby button still launches something after you disable it, your phone may be set to open a different app instead, which you can change in Settings.
  • On some Samsung tablets and older phones, the side button settings may be in the main phone Settings app rather than inside Bixby itself.

Disable the Bixby side button entirely

The side button (usually the power button on newer Samsung phones) can be set to launch Bixby with a long press. If you want that button to do nothing when held, or to open a different app, go to Settings > Advanced features > Side button.

From there, choose what happens when you press and hold: you can set it to open nothing, to open a different app, or to keep Bixby. On some models, this menu is labeled Power key instead of Side button. The exact name depends on your Samsung model and Android version.

Turn off Bixby on your Samsung tablet

Samsung tablets use the same Bixby system as phones, but the button location and menu paths can differ. Open the Bixby app and look for Settings > Voice wake-up to disable voice listening. If your tablet has a dedicated Bixby button, go to Settings > Apps > Bixby and look for button or set up settings there.

Some older Samsung tablets do not have Bixby at all, so if you cannot find the app, your device may not have it installed. Newer tablets (Galaxy Tab S series and later) usually include Bixby by default.

Stop Bixby from opening when you press the power button

If pressing the power button opens Bixby instead of turning your screen on or off, the side button is mapped to Bixby. Go to Settings > Advanced features > Side button and change the action to Power off only or Power off menu. This restores normal power button behavior.

On some Samsung phones, you may also see an option called Bixby key or Bixby button in the same menu — toggle that off as well if it appears. After you change this setting, the power button should work normally again.

Uninstall Bixby if you want to remove it completely

If disabling Bixby is not enough and you want to remove it from your phone, you can uninstall it through the app settings on most Samsung devices. Go to Settings > Apps > Bixby, tap the three-dot menu, and select Uninstall.

Some Samsung phones do not allow you to uninstall Bixby because it is a system app. If the Uninstall button is grayed out, you can only disable it. Tap Disable instead, which removes Bixby from your app drawer and stops it from running in the background, though the app files remain on your phone.

What to do if Bixby keeps reactivating

After you disable Bixby, it should not respond to voice commands or button presses. If it keeps opening, check that you turned off both Voice wake-up in the Bixby app and the Side button setting in your main Settings menu — you need to disable both.

If Bixby still activates after that, restart your phone. Sometimes settings changes do not take effect until you reboot. Power off completely, wait 10 seconds, and turn it back on. If the problem continues, go back to Settings > Apps > Bixby and make sure the toggles are still off — occasionally a system update will re-enable them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off Bixby slow down my Samsung phone?

No. Disabling Bixby does not improve performance noticeably because it uses very little resources when idle. If you want to free up storage space, uninstalling it removes a small amount, but the difference is usually less than 100 MB.

Can I turn off just the voice part and keep the side button?

Yes. In the Bixby app Settings, toggle off Voice wake-up only, and leave the side button setting alone. The button will still open Bixby when you press it, but "Hi Bixby" voice commands will not work.

What if I change my mind and want Bixby back?

If you disabled Bixby, go to Settings > Apps > Bixby and tap Enable. If you uninstalled it, go to the Galaxy Store or Google Play Store, search for "Bixby," and reinstall it from Samsung's official app page.

Does disabling Bixby affect Samsung Pay or other Samsung services?

No. Bixby is a separate app from Samsung Pay, Samsung Health, and other Samsung services. Turning off Bixby does not affect those apps or their functions.