14 DAY TRIAL // One of the biggest drawbacks of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 for part of the buyers is the lack of an option that makes it possible to disable the dedicated Bixby button on the side.
While for those who use Bixby this is quite a neat feature because it helps launch the digital assistant faster, for others it’s one frustrating method to accidentally invoke it, especially because it’s extremely easy to press the button.
Samsung isn’t offering any option to disable the Bixby button, but if a tweet posted by Samsung Germany is anything to be believed, there’s a chance that the company may soon reconsider this approach.
“We are working on it. Deactivation of the Bixby button on lock screen should return until end of September,” an uncanny tweet reads.
Bixby on the lock screen
I’m saying uncanny because the information that it provides raises a few questions regarding the way the Bixby button disabling feature would be implemented.
The tweet mentions the lock screen as the place where Bixby will be turned off, but the button doesn’t work here anyway. If you press the Bixby button while on the lock screen, the Galaxy Note 9 prompts you to unlock the phone, unless no unlocking system is being used, in which case the assistant launches immediately.
At the same time, there’s a chance that Samsung might let users disable the Bixby button only in certain areas, leaving it enabled in others.
SamMobile speculates that the reason for forcing Bixby on users in the first months of availability of the Galaxy Note 9 is to make customers aware of its existence, especially because the device comes with the second-generation voice recognition system.
It remains to be seen when these new options would be released, but when they do, expect the number of users launching Bixby every day to drop significantly.