How to Disable the Bixby Button on Galaxy S8

There is definitely a lot to like about the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the larger Samsung Galaxy S8+. That Infinity display really is something else and the camera performance is as awesome as ever. One major sticking point, though, is that Bixby button on the left side of the device. You can’t remap it to anything else, rendering it completely useless if you’re not interested in using Samsung’s smart assistant. At long last, there is now a solution. Sort of.

Samsung has pushed out a firmware update where you still can’t remap the Bixby button to another function, but you can finally disable it. This will prevent any of those accidental button presses that may have been plaguing you for the past several months.

The assumption is that we will (if we haven’t already) receive a similar update for the Galaxy Note8 that will also allow us to disable the Bixby button. All you have to do is dig into the settings menu, look for your Bixby settings (as shown in the screenshots above), and you’ll discover a new toggle switch that lets you turn that blasted button off. Say goodbye to accidental presses.

This is hardly the perfect solution that everyone has been clamoring for, since you still can’t use the Bixby button for a different purpose like quick-launching the camera or taking a quick screenshot, but at least it’s something. It doesn’t eliminate Bixby Home or Bixby Voice. They’re still there. You just don’t quick launch them with the button anymore.

The update is currently rolling out to Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ owners, so if you don’t see the option yet, just hang tight and keep checking for new updates.