Perplexing: Samsung's latest beta update seems to be ghosting Bixby upgrades

One UI 8.5 beta program is now live for the Galaxy S25 series in some regions. The update has just started rolling out now, and while everyone is busy diving in and figuring out what is new, there has been one curious omission from the official changelog: Bixby.

Bixby was a prominent line item in the leaked One UI 8.5 changelog, but is curiously absent from the official changelog as presented in the UK. As it turns out, the leaked changelog was very largely accurate, except for Bixby.

This is what the leaked changelog mentioned about Bixby:

• Bixby:
  • Smarter device control: Talk to Bixby in your own words. Bixby is now better at finding the setting or feature you need, even if you don’t use exact commands or feature names. Just say what you need and let Bixby do the rest.
  • Ask anything, anytime: Whether you need a quick answer or detailed information, just ask Bixby for an instant response. There’s no need to spend time on multiple searches or switching between apps.
  • Conversation history: Looking back at past conversations with Bixby is easier than ever. You can now access your conversation history from the side panel in the Bixby app.

The language used in the leaked changelog doesn’t indicate that this is a translation; it seems like the Bixby bits were intended to be displayed in regions where English is spoken as a first language, so the argument that the Bixby changes are intended only for some areas (potentially South Korea) doesn’t hold as much water.

With the launch of the Galaxy S25 series earlier in the year, Samsung had ceded ground from Bixby, giving prominence to Gemini. However, the company had confirmed that Bixby isn’t axed at the time, as the Galaxy S25 is said to be “clever enough to contextually connect you with the right assistant for the task at hand.”

Even now, there’s a fair chance that Samsung has added these features to the update but not mentioned them in the changelog — we often find features later on that aren’t part of the changelog. There’s also a good chance that the company could introduce these Bixby features in a later beta — we’re in the first beta only, after all.

Of course, Samsung could reserve this improved version of Bixby for the Galaxy S26 series, in which case Galaxy S25 users might not have the chance to try it out until the stable update is released. Samsung has reportedly been testing Bixby with integrated Perplexity, where basic tasks will be handled by Bixby, while complicated tasks will be supported by Perplexity. The leaked changelog’s language lends heavily to natural language commands, which is usually a telltale sign of AI integration. It is possible that Samsung is still ironing out the details of its deal with Perplexity and has therefore delayed the upgraded Bixby from the initial One UI 8.5 beta.

Despite Bixby’s shortcomings, we’re optimistic about its inclusion as an AI digital assistant. Competition is good, and it benefits consumers the most when competition drives product innovation. Features like conversation history are already present in One UI 8, so only Samsung can clear the air on this.