Lack of Data Causing Big Problems for Samsung’s Bixby
Samsung’s Bixby woes continue. The Korea Herald is reporting that the continuous delay of the English version for Samsung’s voice assistant is due to a lack of big data, which is key for the voice assistant to learn how to understand user requests and deliver the appropriate answers. “Developing Bixby in other languages is taking more time than we expected mainly because it needs more accumulation of data. More data is needed to provide quality service and contents, and to increase the number of apps compatible. The service will have enough big data soon through the beta test we launched in June in the US,” a source from Samsung told The Korea Herald. However, it is unclear whether the beta test will produce enough data for Samsung to launch a competent voice assistant, as the company even stated that there have been “mixed responses” towards Bixby due to unsatisfactory results.
It’s July and Still No Use for That Bixby Button
In April, Samsung promised that the English version of its voice assistant would launch in May or June. Now, it’s looking more like sometime this fall. This isn’t just frustrating for Samsung, it is also frustrating for its consumers. The Galaxy S8 launched with a dedicated Bixby button for its flagship voice assistant and for English users and currently, it is useless. Clever developers have created ways to reroute the Bixby button to make it function as a button for the Google Assistant, but Samsung is not having it. It shut down the first round of apps with a software update but developers kept at it. Then, even Bixby itself started inadvertently suggesting rerouting apps like BxActions due to its popularity. But Tech Times is reporting that as of today, Samsung has released yet another software update that blocks the remapping apps.
Samsung is looking after its own best interest by shutting down these apps. If consumers get comfortable with the Google Assistant, they will never look at Bixby again, even when it does become a viable option this fall. However, it is not looking after their customers’ best interest. Samsung, needs to give the people what they want – a working voice assistant for the Bixby button. It’s not their fault Bixby cannot deliver what Google Assistant can.
No Bixby Yet, But Samsung Restricting Bixby Button Reassignment
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