Bixby Keeps Popping Up on Samsung S21 – How to Stop It

Bixby, Samsung’s AI assistant, has been around for quite some years now. Despite its features and ability to understand human interactions and perform as a helpful assistant, some Galaxy S21 users are experiencing various issues with the AI feature.

One of the common issues that users experience is Bixby keeps popping up on their Samsung S21. Even if the screen is locked, it just keeps appearing and annoys the user. 

Does Bixby keep popping up on your Samsung Galaxy S21, too? No worries because in this guide, you will learn how to stop that from happening again.

First, we will enlighten you about the possible reasons for this issue. After that, you will learn the different solutions to address this concern. Let’s get started!

Note: Solutions in this guide will work on any Samsung Galaxy S21 model (S21, S21 Plus, S21 Fe, and S21 Ultra models.)

Editor’s note: We created these instructions using a Samsung Galaxy S21 running Android 12. Depending on your device’s software version, some steps and menu positions may look slightly different.

Why Does Bixby keep popping up on Samsung S21?

If you wonder why this happens, well, there are a few possible reasons.

One of the main reasons why Bixby keeps popping up is the glitch of the feature itself; the Android system can also cause the Bixby to glitch. 

Another thing that makes Bixby wake up is the side key of your Galaxy S21, and that happens if the key is jammed or pressed accidentally. If you also have enabled the wake-up word, Bixby can get triggered by noises around the device.

Other reasons that make Bixby pop up repeatedly are the caching and Bixby’s app data which is corrupted or outdated.

Fix 01: Restart the Device and Check Bixby Button (Side Key)

If you haven’t tried this yet, you can restart your smartphone to see if the Bixby’s pop-ups get fixed. Sometimes, doing a restart solves temporary glitches that have caused the problem.

1. Press and hold the power button + volume down button together.
2. Release the keys once your device turns off. Then, it will restart automatically.

Another thing you should do is to make sure the side key is not stuck or jammed. You can check this by pressing the key multiple times. If it seems to not working, you can assign the side key to another option. But it is better to take the device to a Samsung service center for repair.

Fix 02: Remove Bixby From the Preferred Digital Assistant

By default, the Bixby AI is the preferred assistant of your Samsung S21. You can change this by going to Settings in an attempt to fix the issue. Here is how you can do that:

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Apps.
3. Tap on “Select default apps”.

4. From the list, tap on “Device assistant app”.

5. Tap on “Device assistant app” again.
6. Change from the Bixby voice to None or select another assistant.

7. Restart the device.

Fix 03: Remap the Bixby Button

This method works best if you are having problems with the Bixby button (side key) especially if it is jammed.

1. Press and hold the power key to get the power options menu.
2. Tap on “Side key settings” below the power options.

3. Turn off the double press option, or choose another feature like “Quick launch camera”.

4. Also, change the Wake Bixby to Power off menu under the press and hold settings.

Fix 04: Turn Off Bixby Wake Word

You can turn off Bixby’s wake word, “Hi Bixby” to stop triggering the AI by the noise around your phone.

1. Open Bixby app.
2. Tap on the menu button.
3. Select “Settings”.
4. Tap on “Voice wake up”.

1. Toggle off the button next to the Wake with “Hi Bixby” option.

After doing that, restart your S21.

Fix 05: Clear Bixby data, and Disable Bixby Entirely

If configuring the Bixby and settings didn’t work to prevent the Bixby from popping up on your Galaxy S21, then you can disable the Bixby feature entirely from your device.

To do this, first, you have to clear its app data. Then, only the disable option will be available. Let’s see how you can do that.

1. Go to Settings > Apps
2. Scroll down and find the Bixby voice, then tap on it
3. Tap on Manage storage
4. Tap on clear data

5. Go back and tap on the Disable button to turn off Bixby entirely

Fix 06: Update the Software

Software updates carry various improvements and more importantly, it allows bug fixes for your smartphone.

Tip: Check our Samsung software update tracker for Samsung Galaxy S21.

You can update your Galaxy S21 system software to the latest version. If you don’t know, here is how to do that:

1. Go to Settings > Battery and device care.
2. Go to Software update.

3. Tap on “Download and install”.

You will be notified if there is any software update available. Once you are ready, go ahead and install the update.

Fix 07: Do a Factory Data Reset

If none of the above solutions worked, you can reset your Samsung device to get rid of Bixby’s pop-ups. However, this will be a time-consuming task, and you will have to back up your data before doing the hard reset.

On the other hand, you can proceed to this if you feel comfortable. How? Check these out:

1. Go to Settings > General management.
2. Tap on Reset.

3. Tap on Factory data reset.

4. Enter the password or draw the pattern if you have set up the screen lock previously.
5. Confirm.

Wrapping Up

Which solution worked for you? Comment below so it will be helpful for others who will also read this guide.

If you have any questions or need help regarding this guide, leave a comment below.

Have a nice day!