Samsung Integrates Perplexity AI into Bixby

Samsung is enhancing its Bixby voice assistant by integrating Perplexity AI's search capabilities, a move aimed at improving its handling of complex queries on Galaxy smartphones. The upgrade, which began testing in the One UI 8.5 beta for the Galaxy S25 series, allows Bixby to provide more detailed and contextual responses, marking a potential revival for the long-standing assistant amid competition from Google's Gemini.

The integration first appeared on Samsung televisions, where Bixby uses Perplexity to answer challenging questions. Now, it is extending to mobile devices through the One UI 8.5 beta, available exclusively on the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra. Beta testers running Bixby version 4.0.50.4 have reported the feature in action, particularly for queries like weather forecasts. Instead of basic information such as temperature, Bixby now analyzes data to offer practical suggestions, such as recommending a jacket or umbrella based on rain probabilities. Screenshots shared by users on social media platforms illustrate this, showing a redesigned card-style overlay that credits Perplexity as the source and aligns with Samsung's current visual guidelines.