For years, Samsung Galaxy phone owners have lived under a quiet but persistent constraint: no matter how much they preferred Google’s Gemini or another AI assistant, Samsung’s own Bixby was deeply embedded into the device experience, often serving as the default for key hardware interactions. That era is drawing to a close. Samsung has announced that beginning with its next major software update, Galaxy phone users will be able to select their preferred AI assistant — including Google’s Gemini — as the default for the side button, a change that reflects a broader strategic recalibration in the mobile AI wars.
The announcement, first reported by Digital Trends, confirms that Samsung will introduce full AI assistant choice in its One UI 7.1 update. The update is expected to roll out alongside the launch of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 7 later in 2025, though it will also reach other recent Galaxy devices. Under the new system, users will be able to assign either Bixby or Gemini to the side button press-and-hold action — a feature that has been one of the most requested changes among Samsung’s Android user base for years.
A Long-Overdue Concession to User Preferences
Samsung’s decision to open up assistant selection is not merely a quality-of-life improvement. It represents a significant philosophical shift for a company that has historically insisted on promoting its own software services, even when third-party alternatives were widely regarded as superior. Bixby, launched in 2017, never gained the traction Samsung hoped for. Despite being deeply integrated into Galaxy hardware — from the dedicated Bixby button on older models to the side key on newer ones — the assistant consistently lagged behind Google Assistant and, more recently, Google’s Gemini in terms of natural language processing, third-party app integration, and general user satisfaction.
The frustration among Galaxy owners was palpable. Online forums and social media have been filled for years with complaints about the difficulty of fully replacing Bixby with a preferred alternative. While workarounds existed — third-party apps could remap the side button, for instance — Samsung never officially sanctioned a clean swap. The One UI 7.1 update changes that, giving users a native toggle in the settings menu to choose their assistant of choice.
What One UI 7.1 Actually Changes
According to Digital Trends, the update will allow users to configure the side button’s press-and-hold function to launch either Bixby or Gemini. This is a direct integration at the system level, meaning the chosen assistant will respond with full functionality, including voice commands, on-screen context awareness, and smart home controls where applicable. Samsung has confirmed that the feature will be available on flagship devices first, with broader availability expected as One UI 7.1 propagates across the Galaxy lineup.
The timing is notable. Google has been aggressively pushing Gemini as the successor to Google Assistant on Android devices, and Samsung’s cooperation here suggests a deepening partnership between the two companies on AI. Google has been positioning Gemini not just as a voice assistant but as an integrated AI layer capable of handling complex, multi-step tasks — summarizing emails, generating content, and interacting with apps in ways that traditional assistants could not. By allowing Gemini to sit at the system level on Galaxy phones, Samsung is effectively acknowledging that its own AI efforts in the assistant space have not kept pace.
Samsung’s AI Strategy: Bixby Isn’t Dead, But Its Role Is Changing
It would be a mistake to interpret this move as Samsung abandoning Bixby entirely. The company has invested heavily in a revamped version of Bixby powered by its own large language model, and the assistant remains central to certain Samsung-specific features, including SmartThings home automation, device settings control, and Samsung’s on-device AI processing capabilities. Samsung has framed the One UI 7.1 change not as a retreat but as an expansion of user choice — a framing that allows the company to save face while responding to market reality.
Still, the competitive dynamics are hard to ignore. Google’s Gemini has access to the vast resources of Google’s search index, its cloud AI infrastructure, and its integration with Gmail, Google Docs, Google Maps, and other services that hundreds of millions of people use daily. Bixby, for all its improvements, cannot match that breadth. Samsung appears to be betting that by offering choice, it can retain users who might otherwise consider switching to Pixel or other Android devices where Gemini is already the default assistant.
The Broader Context: AI Assistants as the New Battleground
Samsung’s move comes at a moment when the AI assistant market is undergoing rapid transformation. Apple has been integrating its own Apple Intelligence features into Siri, while Google continues to expand Gemini’s capabilities across Android. Meanwhile, companies like OpenAI and Meta are exploring their own mobile AI assistant strategies, raising the possibility that future smartphones could host a range of competing AI agents.
The question of which AI assistant controls the primary hardware interaction — the button press, the wake word, the lock screen — is not trivial. It determines which company gets first access to user queries, which in turn shapes data collection, advertising opportunities, and the overall user experience. Samsung’s willingness to cede that prime real estate to a competitor speaks volumes about the pressure the company faces to keep its devices attractive in an increasingly AI-driven market.
What This Means for Samsung’s Relationship with Google
The Samsung-Google relationship has always been complex. Samsung is by far the largest manufacturer of Android devices, giving it enormous influence over how billions of people experience Google’s operating system. At the same time, Google has its own hardware ambitions with the Pixel line, creating an inherent tension between the two companies. The Gemini integration in One UI 7.1 suggests that, at least for now, cooperation is winning out over competition.
Google reportedly pays Samsung billions of dollars annually to maintain Google Search and other Google services as defaults on Galaxy devices, a financial arrangement that mirrors the deals Google has struck with Apple for Safari search defaults on iPhones. The Gemini assistant integration could be part of a broader renegotiation of these terms, though neither company has disclosed specifics. What is clear is that Google views Samsung’s massive installed base as a critical distribution channel for Gemini, and Samsung views Gemini as a feature that makes its phones more competitive.
User Reaction and Industry Implications
Early reaction from Samsung’s user community has been overwhelmingly positive. On X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit, Galaxy owners have expressed relief and enthusiasm about the change, with many noting that the ability to set Gemini as the default assistant was a primary reason they had considered switching to Pixel devices. The sentiment underscores a broader truth about the modern smartphone market: hardware differentiation is narrowing, and software experience — particularly AI-powered features — is becoming the primary factor in purchase decisions.
For the broader Android market, Samsung’s decision could set a precedent. If the world’s largest Android manufacturer is willing to let users choose their AI assistant at the system level, smaller manufacturers may face pressure to do the same. This could accelerate the commoditization of AI assistants on Android, pushing companies to compete on quality rather than on lock-in tactics.
The Road Ahead for Galaxy AI
Samsung has made clear that its own AI ambitions extend well beyond Bixby. The company’s Galaxy AI initiative, launched with the Galaxy S24 series in early 2024, includes features like real-time translation, AI-powered photo editing, and intelligent summarization tools that operate independently of whichever assistant is set as the default. These features are powered by a combination of on-device processing and cloud-based AI, and Samsung has indicated that future updates will expand their capabilities significantly.
The One UI 7.1 update, then, should be understood as part of a larger strategy in which Samsung differentiates its devices through AI features that are unique to Galaxy hardware, while allowing commodity assistant functions to be handled by whichever service the user prefers. It is a pragmatic approach — one that acknowledges the limits of Samsung’s own AI assistant while doubling down on areas where the company believes it can add genuine value. Whether this strategy will be enough to keep Samsung at the top of the Android market in an age of increasingly powerful AI remains to be seen, but for now, Galaxy users can at least celebrate a long-awaited freedom of choice.