Google Assistant is probably the most popular AI-powered voice assistant for Android. But with Samsung adding new capabilities to Bixby all the time, the question begs: Bixby vs Google Assistant, which is better?
How Bixby and the Google Assistant stack up when it comes to features, device integration, performance, and supported languages.
Activation
Both digital assistants are similar in the way they are activated.
You can activate Bixby Voice with:
Press and hold a Bixby button (on Samsung phones).
Saying, "Hey, Bixby."
The Google Assistant is activated by:
Say "Hey, Google" or "OK, Google."
Press and hold the Home button.
Swipe up from the bottom corner of the screen (on an iPhone or Android phone).
Accessibility and availability on all platforms
Samsung's Bixby voice assistant is tightly integrated with the Samsung SmartThings platform, but that's all you can do you can't use it on non-Samsung devices. The SmartThings app allows you to control multiple devices, integrating through the Samsung Galaxy Home speaker.
If you only use Samsung devices, this is not a problem. But if you have a more diverse digital ecosystem or multiple users with different non-Samsung Android devices, using Bixby may be limited. The Google Assistant is available in many more places and comes installed on all Android devices running version 6.0 or higher. Integrates with devices from all Google Home including some other brands such as Apple (with limited functionality). The Google Assistant is also compatible with many of the best multimedia services and is integrated into Android Auto for hands-free driving.
Features and Capabilities
Google Home and Bixby are comparable in most ways, but Google Assistant is generally more accurate. more work AND faster results. Google Assistant and Bixby can perform similar tasks, including controlling smart home devices, turning on your phone, reading and sending text messages, and providing information based on online searches. But, Google Assistant can do more than Bixby, mainly because of the larger number of devices it can integrate with.
Google Assistant is generally considered one of the best apps out there for Voice Assistants for recognizing voice commands and performing actions. While Bixby isn't slacking off, it still doesn't have the same level of precision and speed as Google Assistant. This is mainly evident with the online search functions.
The Google Assistant excels in online searches and integrates with more third-party apps (for example, WhatsApp ), allowing users to do more things hands-free. By comparison, Bixby's main strength lies in offline tasks, such as optimizing your Samsung device's settings in different environments (for example, saying "I'm driving" will turn off Wi-Fi, turn on Bluetooth, and launch a list of reproduction). Bixby also has many unique capabilities, most of which are only available on newer Android models like the Galaxy S9 and S10. For example, Bixby Vision is an application powered by Bixby that allows users to select image elements, translate languages, scan QR codes, and provide assistance for blind people.
Supported languages
Bixby and Google Assistant work with most major world languages.
Google Assistant Supports English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Hindi, Chinese (Traditional), Korean, Portuguese (Brazilian), Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish. Additionally, Google Assistant supports six English accents, two French accents, and two Spanish accents.
Bixby Supports English, Korean, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazilian), and Chinese (Mandarin).
Google Assistant | Bixby |
It targets Google's well-established smart home products. | It focuses on Android phones from Samsung. |
Compatible with many non-Google apps and tools. | Focus on Samsung devices, with third-party app compatibility on the way. |
It has a broader range of capabilities and works better with Internet-based queries. | ​It has many features specific to Samsung devices and apps, but it lags a bit behind in general usage. |
Compatible with many older devices. | Many features are limited to the latest Samsung models. |
Google Assistant is the ultimate smart assistant. It outperforms most other digital assistants like Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri. It has improved functionality, greater compatibility with third-party apps and tools, and a more established ecosystem.
But that doesn't mean Bixby isn't worth using. If you own a bunch of Samsung devices, Bixby might be the voice assistant you've been looking for. Better yet, Bixby is expanding rapidly and offering new and unique features to compete with Google Assistant.