The Galaxy S25 power button swaps Bixby for a smarter companion

The new Galaxy S25 series comes with a quick and easy way to summon Google Gemini: by pressing and holding the power button. This action was previously reserved for Bixby, but now, Samsung's virtual assistant is being replaced by Gemini.

The Galaxy S25 trio came with quite a few upgrades: a faster and more capable chip, a plethora of AI features, and even (finally) seamless Android updates. The new phones will come with Google Gemini as an assistant, which will be available for you to summon quickly from the side button (power button).

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On older Galaxy phones, when you press and hold the power button, you can either access the power menu or Samsung's virtual assistant, Bixby. If you want to access Gemini on an older Galaxy phone, you have to say "Hey Google" or open the Gemini app.

With the Galaxy S25 series, you're getting quick access to Gemini instead. You can always customize the power button to get back the power menu or even Bixby, but by default, this action is reserved for summoning Gemini's powers. The fact that the button will still be customizable is great: even the latest iPhone, the iPhone 16 and its Action button, shows that people love the ability to customize buttons, so there’s that.

Meanwhile, Google Gemini is now able to interact across Samsung and Google apps, including third-party apps such as Spotify. During the Unpacked event on Wednesday, Samsung gave an example of the integration: you can ask Gemini to find your favorite sports team's season schedule and add it to Samsung Calendar.

Accessing Google Gemini by the power button may not be reserved just for the new Galaxy S25 series though. Although this is not confirmed by Samsung at the moment, it's possible the action would be introduced to older Galaxy phones with a software update, possibly together with One UI 7.

Samsung's offering six months Gemini Advanced for free to Galaxy S25 buyers, after which, you'll have to pay for the subscription. Of course, if you choose not to take advantage of Gemini Advanced, you'll still be able to use the regular Gemini.

Gemini Advanced offers you the Gemini AI 1.5 Pro model, Deep Research features, and Gemini being able to work with complex files, summarize and analyze books up to 1,500 pages. You’ll also be able to use custom AI experts for any topic.

Of course, the existence of Google Gemini on the S25 phones doesn't necessarily mean that Bixby is gone. For now, it's not, and we haven't heard anything about Samsung getting rid of it completely just yet. However, I reckon many people would rather have an AI assistant that can maintain a more normal-sounding conversation and remember context instead of good-ol' Bixby, which is more limited.  

Samsung's own Galaxy AI features have been elevated to a very high level, and the company is betting heavily on them as a focus of the Galaxy S25 series. Meanwhile, we're still (somewhat) waiting for Apple to deliver on its promises with Apple Intelligence.