Samsung Galaxy S8 Will Not Launch With The Bixby Voice Assistant; Other Bixby Features To Be Included

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Samsung's attempt to bounce back from its Galaxy Note 7 debacle has hit a snag even before its new flagship phone the Galaxy S8 gets launched. Bixby, Google's voice assistant, will not be included in the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S8. All eyes are on the tech giant after their faulty battery scandal last year.

Tech Crunch reports that the Bixby voice assistant will only be available until "later this spring." However, other features such as the deluxe notification screen Bixby Home and Vision will be included in the Apr. 21 launch of the Samsung Galaxy S8. The Korean smartphone maker stated that Bixby will not be launching in full force and that voice controls will be integrated into native apps with support for several languages.

Samsung revealed that Bixby is different from Siri or Google Now because it integrates text and camera-powered queries aside from voice capabilities. This new development is an indication of Samsung's attempt to gain experience in voice assistants after it acquired Viv Labs last October. Viv Labs is also co-creator of Siri. According to reports, Bixby will be developed using Samsung's in-house technology while Viv Labs will be incorporating Viv's features and technology. Viv is Viv Labs own assistant.

CNN Money reveals that recall of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has cost the tech giant over $5 billion. which resulted in the eventual death of the Note 7. However, some analysts say that not including Bixby Voice in the launch of Samsung Galaxy S8 is a sign that the Korean telecommunications firm has learned from their past debacle. "Of course it would have been nice if everything were ready at launch. But it's better for them to make sure that the technology is ready rather than rush it." said Bryan Ma, an analyst with research firm IDC.

Bixby Voice was heavily promoted by the Korean tech firm when it announced the Samsung Galaxy S8 last month. Samsung insisted that Bixby is fundamentally different from its rivals Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, and Cortana. It did not give a reason for the delay or when voice activation will be available when the smartphone is launched in South Korea.