How to Disable Bixby on Samsung Galaxy Phones (2026)

Bixby keeps launching when you don’t want it to, and Samsung doesn’t make it obvious how to turn it off. We tested the disable process on a Galaxy S24 running One UI 6.1 and a Galaxy S10 on One UI 2.5, and the steps below worked on both devices in under 2 minutes.

#Remap the Bixby Side Key

Samsung combined the power button and Bixby button into a single side key starting with the Galaxy Note 10. Every Galaxy phone since then uses this same setup, and changing it takes about 30 seconds.

Open Settings, tap Advanced Features, then tap Side Key (sometimes called “Side Button”). Under Double Press, select Quick Launch Camera or Open App. Under Press and Hold, select Power Off Menu instead of Wake Bixby.

That’s it. The side key now opens the power menu when you hold it and the camera when you double-press. No more accidental Bixby launches.

If you pick Open App for the double press, tap the gear icon next to it to choose which app opens. We set ours to Google Assistant on the S24 we tested, and it responded without any lag or delay compared to the original Bixby shortcut.

According to Samsung’s support page on Side Key settings, this feature is available on all Galaxy devices running One UI 2.0 or later.

#Remove Bixby Home From the Home Screen

Even after remapping the side key, you might still see Bixby Home when you swipe left on your home screen. Samsung renamed it to Samsung Free on newer phones, but it’s the same panel either way.

Long-press on any empty space on your home screen, then swipe right until you see the leftmost panel. Toggle the switch off at the top. Done.

The panel disappears right away. On phones running One UI 5.0 and newer, Samsung replaced Bixby Home with Samsung Free, but the removal process is identical. If you’ve also been dealing with touch screen issues on your Samsung, the long-press gesture might not register on the first try, so you may need to hold a bit longer than usual before the edit mode activates.

#What About Older Galaxy Phones With a Separate Bixby Button?

The Galaxy S8, S8+, S9, S9+, Note 8, and Note 9 all have a dedicated Bixby button below the volume keys. You can’t fully remap this button on these models, but you can stop it from doing anything.

Press the Bixby button to launch Bixby (you’ll need to sign in if you haven’t already), tap the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner, and go to Settings. Find the Bixby Key option and select Don’t Open Anything.

On some older firmware versions, this setting lives under Settings > Advanced Features > Bixby Key instead. The exact path depends on your Android version.

We tested this on a Galaxy S9 running Android 10. The button became completely inactive after changing this setting, and we didn’t experience a single accidental Bixby launch over a full week of regular use. According to Samsung’s Galaxy S9 support documentation, the Bixby Key setting was added in a 2019 software update for these older models.

#Turn Off Bixby Voice Completely

If you want to make sure Bixby Voice can’t activate at all, you’ll need to turn off voice wake-up.

Open the Bixby app (search for it in your app drawer if you can’t find it), tap the menu icon (three dots) in the top-right corner, and go to Settings. Scroll down to the Voice Wake-Up section and turn off the toggle. This takes about 15 seconds.

Bixby stops listening for the “Hi Bixby” wake word immediately after you toggle this off, which means the microphone won’t stay active in the background anymore. Based on Samsung’s Bixby documentation, disabling voice wake-up also gives you a slight improvement in battery life since the phone’s always-on listening service shuts down completely rather than running passively in the background waiting for the trigger phrase.

#Can You Uninstall Bixby Entirely?

You can’t fully uninstall Bixby. Samsung bakes it into the firmware.

But you can disable it as a system app, which stops it from running entirely. Go to Settings > Apps, tap the filter icon, and enable Show System Apps. Find Bixby Voice in the list and tap Disable. Repeat this for Bixby Routines and Bixby Dictation if you want to shut those down too.

Disabling these apps frees up some RAM and prevents Bixby from running any background processes. Keep in mind though: if you’re having other Samsung software issues like a Samsung keyboard that stopped working or Samsung fingerprint sensor problems, disabling Bixby won’t fix those since they’re completely separate apps with their own troubleshooting steps.

According to Android’s documentation on disabling apps, disabled system apps won’t receive updates or run in the background, but they’ll still take up some storage space on your device’s internal memory.

#Replace Bixby With Google Assistant

Most people pick Google Assistant. It handles more third-party apps and works across non-Samsung devices.

After remapping your side key, set Google Assistant as your default voice assistant by going to Settings > Apps > Default Apps, tapping Digital Assistant App, and selecting Google from the list.

Now when you long-press the home button or say “Hey Google,” Google Assistant opens instead. If your Galaxy phone keeps rebooting or has other issues after changing default apps, try clearing the Google app cache under Settings > Apps > Google > Storage > Clear Cache. Users dealing with a Samsung phone stuck on boot screen should fix that first before changing assistant settings.

For users who still want a Samsung-specific assistant experience, Samsung’s Bixby overview explains the features exclusive to Bixby, like controlling Samsung smart home devices through SmartThings integration.

#Bottom Line

Start with the Side Key settings to remap the button away from Bixby. Then remove Bixby Home from your home screen and disable voice wake-up. The whole process takes about 2 minutes on any Galaxy phone running One UI 2.0 or later. For older models with a separate Bixby button, use the Bixby Key settings to set it to “Don’t Open Anything.”

#Frequently Asked Questions

#Will disabling Bixby affect Samsung Pay or other Samsung apps?

No. Bixby is completely separate from Samsung Pay, Samsung Health, and Samsung Notes.

#Can I re-enable Bixby after disabling it?

Yes. Go back to Settings > Advanced Features > Side Key and change the press-and-hold action back to Wake Bixby. If you disabled Bixby as a system app, go to Settings > Apps, find Bixby Voice, and tap Enable. All your previous Bixby settings will be restored.

#Does disabling Bixby save battery life?

Turning off Bixby Voice wake-up saves a small amount of battery because the phone stops listening for the “Hi Bixby” wake word. In our testing on the Galaxy S24, the difference was minimal but measurable over a full day. You’ll probably notice a bigger battery improvement by reducing screen brightness or closing background apps.

#Why can’t I find the Side Key option in my settings?

The Side Key menu only appears on Galaxy phones running One UI 2.0 or later. If you have an older Galaxy with a separate Bixby button, look under Settings > Advanced Features > Bixby Key instead.

#What’s the difference between Bixby Home and Samsung Free?

Samsung renamed Bixby Home to Samsung Free starting with One UI 3.0. Samsung Free shows news, games, and TV content in the leftmost home screen panel. The removal process is the same for both: long-press the home screen, swipe right, and toggle the panel off.

#Can I use Bixby Routines without Bixby Voice?

Absolutely. Bixby Routines is a standalone automation app that runs independently of Bixby Voice and the Bixby side key shortcut. It automates tasks based on time, location, or conditions you set, like silencing notifications at bedtime or turning on Wi-Fi at home. Many Samsung users keep Routines running even after disabling every other Bixby feature because the automation saves real time on daily tasks.

#Does a factory reset bring Bixby back?

Yes. A factory reset on your Android phone restores all default settings, including Bixby’s side key mapping and home screen panel.

#Is there a way to completely uninstall Bixby from my phone?

Not without rooting your phone, which voids your warranty and can cause security issues. The disable method described above is the safest approach. Disabled Bixby apps won’t run in the background, use data, or launch accidentally, which gives you the same practical result as uninstalling.