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Bixby is the AI-powered assistant that no one asked for at a time when Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa were already side by side in that market. It brought at least one feature that even the Google Assistant hasn’t picked up yet, but the rest of its capabilities have mostly doubled what is already available on more devices and platforms. Now Samsung is retiring some of the features related to its Bixby Vision, but while some still remain, it could be a slippery slope.
Bixby’s only remaining unique skill is hands-free voice control of apps, something that’s only possible if apps opt for the Bixby API and integrate those commands. Its other features, like Bixby Vision with augmented reality technology, you can also find in Google Lens, Google Assistant or the Amazon app, just with a few specialized cases here and there.
However, some of those specialized cases will disappear as SamMobile reports on the removal of Places, Makeup, Home Decor and Styling. The site also notes that other Bixby Vision features in other markets may still be available, but only in certain countries and only because Samsung has commercial obligations to business partners for those features. However, once these expire, you can expect Samsung to remove them as well.
This isn’t Samsung’s first worrying sign regarding Bixby. Although it recently announced a new suite of AR apps powered by Bixby, it has also reduced the number of people working at Bixby, especially those communicating with third-party developers. It appears that Samsung is slowly but surely reducing the features and reach of Bixby.
It really wouldn’t be a surprise considering that Bixby hasn’t really compared favorably to Google Assistant and Alexa. In the end, Samsung could be forced to adopt Google’s AI helper as part of its collaboration with the Android maker. Or you could also get closer to your best friend Microsoft, but Cortana isn’t much better at this point.
