Samsung released a major update for its AI assistant Bixby earlier this year, bringing a slew of improvements to the assistant’s user experience, performance, and features. As part of the update, the South Korean technology giant also introduced the Bixby Text Call feature in English, which empowers the assistant to answer and respond to incoming calls on Samsung phones. Bixby Text Call support is now rolling out to select Samsung devices in India, the company has announced.
In its newsroom post announcing the development, Samsung confirmed that its Bixby Text Call feature is now available on select few models in India.
To enable the Bixby Text Call feature, users can head to the Phone app on supported Samsung Galaxy devices, tap on the three-dot menu to access more options and then tap Settings. Then, select Bixby text call and turn on the feature in the Bixby text call window. Some users might get a prompt to download and install a language package for the feature to work.
Once enabled, Bixby text call feature will let the assistant’s automated voice answer your incoming calls. The feature essentially will turn the incoming call into a text message exchange, where users can start typing with the keyboard during the ongoing call or select a quick response, and Bixby will read out their messages to the caller. Once a Bixby Text Call is over, users can also check a log of their previous conversations. Samsung users can also change Bixby Text Call settings such as language and voice, or add and edit quick responses.
According to Samsung, the following phones currently support the Bixby Text Call feature: Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy Z Fold 4, Galaxy Z Flip 4, Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3, Galaxy Z Fold 2/ Galaxy Z Flip 2, Galaxy Z Flip 5G, Galaxy Z Fold 5G, Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy S22 series , Galaxy S21 series, Galaxy S20 series, Galaxy A34, Galaxy A54, Galaxy A52s 5G, Galaxy A82 5G, Galaxy A53 5G, Galaxy A33 5G, Galaxy S20 FE, Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Note 20+, Galaxy A71 5G, and Galaxy A51 5G.
Bear in mind, the voice assistant feature is only available in English in India and can only be used during incoming calls. The Bixby text call option will show up each time you receive a call, and users can tap on the option and swipe on the green icon in the next screen to take the call using Bixby. The AI assistant will then answer the incoming call and ask the caller their name and purpose. The caller’s transcribed response will then appear on your screen as a text message. Users can select from a list of quick responses or reply to the message by typing their response, which Bixby will read out to the caller. Users can also stop using Bixby text call and switch to a voice call at any point during the call. Users can also view a log of their Bixby text call conversations in the Recents tab on the Phone app.
Samsung introduced the text call feature in English in February as part of a major Bixby update. The feature was first rolled out with One UI 5.0 in October 2022, though it was available in Korean only.