How to Disable Bixby on Samsung Galaxy Phones

Bixby, Samsung’s voice assistant, is handy for some, but many find its pop-ups and accidental triggers more annoying than useful. This guide walks you through turning off Bixby entirely—including the dedicated button, the side-key activation, and the voice wake-up—so you can reclaim your phone’s buttons and stop those unexpected interruptions. You don’t need any special tools or apps, just a few minutes and your phone’s Settings menu.

What You’ll Need

Your Samsung Galaxy phone (any recent model, from the S10 series to the S24 series, or the Z Fold/Flip lines)
Access to the Settings app
A few minutes of patience—the exact menu names can vary slightly depending on your phone’s model and One UI version

Step-by-Step

Open the Settings app. Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification shade, then tap the gear icon. Alternatively, find the Settings app in your app drawer.
Scroll down and tap “Advanced Features.” This is where Samsung groups most of the side-key and gesture controls. On some older One UI versions, it might just be called “Advanced Features” without any submenu.
Tap “Side Key” (or “Bixby Key” on older models). On phones with a dedicated Bixby button (like the Galaxy S10 or Note 10 series), this will be labeled “Bixby Key.” On newer phones with a combined power/Bixby key (S20 and later), it’s “Side Key.”
Change the “Press and hold” action. You’ll see two options: “Press and hold” and “Double press.” For “Press and hold,” select “Power off menu” instead of “Wake Bixby.” This is the key step—it stops Bixby from launching when you hold the button.
Set the “Double press” action. If you don’t want Bixby to launch on a double-press either, choose “Quick launch camera” or “Open app” (you can pick any app you like, or set it to do nothing if your phone allows).
Go back to the main Settings screen. Now scroll down to “Apps” (or “Applications”).
Find Bixby in the app list. Tap “Apps,” then tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner and select “Show system apps.” This reveals hidden system apps. Scroll down and tap “Bixby” (it might be listed as “Bixby Voice” or just “Bixby”).
Tap “Open by default” and then “Clear defaults.” This removes any default actions Bixby has taken over, like handling certain voice commands.
Go back to the app info page and tap “Permissions.” Deny all permissions, especially Microphone and Phone. This prevents Bixby from listening for “Hi Bixby” or responding to any voice input.
Return to the app info page and tap “Storage” then “Clear cache” and “Clear data.” This resets Bixby to its factory state, which effectively disables its active functions. You might see a warning that this will delete some settings—that’s fine.
Disable Bixby entirely (if possible). On the app info page, look for a “Disable” button. If it’s there, tap it and confirm. If it’s grayed out, you can’t fully disable it, but the steps above have already cut off its main functions.
Turn off Bixby’s voice wake-up. Open the Bixby app (if it’s still on your phone), tap the three-line menu in the top-left, then tap the gear icon (Settings). Find “Voice wake-up” and toggle it off. Also, turn off “Bixby voice responses” if you don’t want it to speak.

That’s it. After these steps, Bixby should no longer pop up when you press the side key, double-press it, or say its wake word. Your phone will behave like a normal Android device.

Common Mistakes

Only changing the side key setting. Many people stop after step 4, but Bixby can still be triggered by voice or by tapping the Bixby app icon. You need to follow through with the app permissions and disabling steps.
Forgetting to show system apps. If you don’t tap “Show system apps” in the Apps menu, you won’t see Bixby in the list, and you’ll be stuck.
Clearing data before clearing defaults. Clearing data first can sometimes reset the default associations, but it’s cleaner to clear defaults first, then data.
Expecting a “Disable” button on every model. On some carrier-locked phones, the disable option is hidden. Don’t worry—the other steps still neutralize Bixby.

Tips

Use the side key for something useful. After disabling Bixby, set the double-press to launch your camera or a favorite app. It’s a free shortcut.
Check for Bixby routines. If you’ve ever set up a Bixby Routine, it might still run. Open the Bixby Routines app (or find it in Settings > Advanced Features > Bixby Routines) and delete any active routines you don’t want.
If you miss Bixby, you can reverse this. Just go back to the same menus and re-enable the permissions and side key actions. Nothing is permanently broken.
Consider using a third-party button remapper. If you want even more control over the side key (like single-press actions), apps like Button Mapper (available on the Play Store) can help, but they require some setup and accessibility permissions.

Troubleshooting

Bixby still opens when I hold the side key. Double-check that you changed the “Press and hold” action to “Power off menu.” If it’s still set to “Wake Bixby,” change it. On some phones, you might need to restart the phone for the change to take effect.
Bixby still listens for “Hi Bixby.” Go back to the Bixby app settings and make sure “Voice wake-up” is off. Also, check that you’ve denied the microphone permission in the system app settings. If it still triggers, clear the app’s data again.
There’s no “Disable” button for Bixby. This is normal on many phones, especially those with carrier bloatware. The combination of clearing defaults, denying permissions, and turning off voice wake-up effectively disables it. You can also try using ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to fully uninstall it, but that’s advanced and not recommended for most users.
Bixby button still shows up in the notification shade. That’s just a shortcut notification. You can long-press it and select “Don’t show notifications” or swipe it away. It doesn’t mean Bixby is active.
I can’t find “Side Key” in Advanced Features. On some older One UI versions, the setting is under “Display” > “Navigation bar” > “Full screen gestures” > “Side key.” If you still can’t find it, search for “Side key” in the Settings search bar at the top.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will disabling Bixby affect other Samsung features?

No. Bixby is separate from Samsung Pay, Samsung Health, and other core apps. Disabling Bixby won’t break those. Bixby Routines might stop working, but you can still use them if you re-enable Bixby later.

Can I use the side key for Google Assistant instead?

Yes. After disabling Bixby, you can set the “Press and hold” action to “Open app” and choose Google Assistant. Or, on many phones, you can just say “Hey Google” if you have the Google app set up.

Will this stop Bixby from showing up in my app drawer?

If you can disable the app, it will be hidden. If you can’t disable it, it will still appear in the app drawer, but it won’t function. You can also hide it using a third-party launcher.

Does this work on the Galaxy S24 series?

Yes, the steps are essentially the same on all recent Galaxy phones. The menus might be slightly different, but the core settings—Side Key, App permissions, and Bixby app settings—are consistent.

Will this save battery life?

Potentially, yes. Bixby’s background processes and voice listening can consume some battery. Disabling it may give you a slight improvement, though it won’t be dramatic.

I accidentally disabled Bixby and now I can’t find it. How do I re-enable it?

Go to Settings > Apps > tap the three-dot menu > Show system apps. Find Bixby, tap “Enable” if it’s disabled, then re-grant permissions. You’ll also need to re-enable the side key action in Advanced Features.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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