With the rollout of One UI 8.5 Beta 5 for the Galaxy S25 series, Samsung has quietly introduced a major refresh to Bixby. The changelog only mentions an applied Bixby version upgrade, but early testers are reporting much bigger changes under the surface.
The update is currently rolling out in regions including the US, UK, Germany, India, Korea, and Poland, with a download size of around 550MB and the February 2026 security patch.
According to beta users, the assistant now delivers noticeably faster and more detailed answers. It can generate longer, structured content, such as poems, essays, and in-depth explanations, directly on device.
There are also signs of deeper web integration. Bixby appears to pull real-time information from online sources, and some testers have noticed a small Perplexity icon appearing in certain search results. Samsung hasn’t officially confirmed the integration in this beta, but the visual cue strongly suggests backend support from Perplexity AI.
In practical terms, that means Bixby is starting to feel less like a basic voice command tool and more like a conversational assistant.
Better device control
Beyond web queries, Bixby seems more responsive when controlling the phone itself. Natural-language commands such as “Set display brightness to 30 percent” or “Change system sound to level 3” execute instantly, without requiring users to navigate through menus. That may sound minor, but smoother system-level control is exactly where voice assistants often fall short.
The assistant now appears to better understand both the device and online context, blending hardware control with web-powered intelligence.
Samsung has also updated the visual experience. When activated, Bixby now displays a cleaner, pill-shaped animation bar at the bottom of the screen. The Bixby icon sits on the left, the microphone on the right, and the edges glow subtly while listening. The overall design feels more modern and less intrusive.
Bixby has long struggled to compete with Google Assistant and, more recently, Gemini. But this update suggests Samsung is taking its assistant more seriously again. With the stable version of One UI 8.5 expected to debut alongside the Samsung Galaxy S26 at Galaxy Unpacked on February 25, this beta may be laying the groundwork for a broader AI push.
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