Gemini Takes Center as Galaxy S25’s Default AI Assistant

Samsung has officially introduced Gemini as the new default voice assistant for its Galaxy S25 series. This shift means the reduction in the prominence of Bixby, Samsung’s original voice assistant.

According to Samsung, users now can access Gemini by long-pressing the side button on the Galaxy S25 devices. While Bixby remains pre-loaded and can be manually launched, it no longer handles voice assistant tasks by default. Instead, Gemini is will be managing most voice commands and integrating with Samsung applications.

Previously, Bixby has undergone an upgrade, enabling it to remember previous conversations and context, which improves its functionality. For example, if a user discusses their next holiday trip, Bixby can remember and incorporate that context into subsequent commands.

In China, Samsung had previously launched a next-generation version of Bixby powered by large language models, which included advanced features. However, this version has not yet been rolled out in other countries alongside the Galaxy S25 and One UI 7.0.

Samsung has clarified that both Gemini and Bixby will be activated based on the user’s requests. For example, if a user seeks restaurant recommendations, Gemini will respond, whereas Bixby will activate for tasks involving Samsung apps like Calendar. Nevertheless, users can only access Bixby by launching it manually or adjusting the side button settings.