According to a new report, one of the new features in the upcoming One UI 9 based on Android 17 will be a new way to summon Bixby. Yes, Bixby is still alive and Samsung shows no intention of getting rid of it even though we have to assume its usage numbers are lower and lower with every year that goes by.
Anyway, if you are a die-hard Bixby fan, in One UI 9 you will be able to talk to it by simply picking up your phone and bringing it to your face. Bixby will automatically activate based on this gesture and you can immediately start talking to it without having to say “Bixby” or “Hi, Bixby” beforehand.
So with this you’ll have three ways to summon Samsung’s assistant in One UI 9: the hotword, holding down the power button, or the new way which Samsung is labeling “Gesture Wake-up”. The Gesture Wake-up has the potential to be the most useful if it doesn’t accidentally trigger, and if it reliably triggers when you want it to.
One UI 9 is expected to be launching in July on the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Z Flip8. Following that, it should become available as a software update for devices that Samsung still supports in the coming months.
