Samsung, which delayed the voice command component of its new digital assistant Bixby, has finally released the feature in South Korea.
Bixby, which was supposed to debut alongside Samsung's latest flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, was incomplete upon the launch of the devices.
Full Version Of Samsung Bixby Delayed
Upon the launch of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, users receive access to Bixby Vision, Bixby Home, and Bixby Reminder. Bixby Vision is an augmented reality camera, Bixby Home is a widget panel, and Bixby Reminder sets reminders.
Bixby Voice is the most important feature of the digital assistant, as it is said to be capable of learning the speaking habits of users along with other information to offer a more accurate service, through the utilization of deep learning technology.
Samsung, however, decided to delay the launch of Bixby Voice on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. The delay was due to performance issues with the English version of the digital assistant. According to Samsung, the voice recognition capabilities of Bixby for the English language proved to be subpar compared to the Korean version during testing leading up to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus launch.
Samsung Rolls Out Bixby Voice In South Korea
Samsung has now rolled out Bixby Voice in South Korea, completing the digital assistant's features in its home country. The service was launched May 1 at 1:00 p.m. South Korea time, after a notification was sent to Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus owners in the morning of the same day.
Bixby Voice has so far only arrived in South Korea. No specific date has been set on when the feature will arrive to Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus users in the United States, though Samsung previously stated that it will be released within spring. This means that it should arrive sometime within May.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Mishaps
The incomplete Bixby is just one of the several mishaps that Samsung has already suffered for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus.
Samsung has blocked the possibility of remapping the dedicated Bixby button for the smartphones, a move that upsets users who are not fans of the digital assistant. The pending launch of Bixby Voice may cause some users to rethink their disdain for the feature, but Samsung is already receiving criticism for removing the option of assigning another function to the button.
There were also reports that some Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus units had screens with a prominent red tint, which Samsung initially said was not a defect and can be fixed through the settings of the smartphones. The company has since released an update that provides users with more options to correct the red tint.
Some users have also complained that their Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus units have been restarting randomly, and that even a factory reset does not fix the issue. Samsung has not yet rolled out a fix nor has issued an official acknowledgement for this problem.
