Galaxy S26 Could Let Users Wake Perplexity With “Hey Plex”

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With the Galaxy S25 series, Samsung tightly integrated Google Gemini into One UI, making system apps smarter and more context-aware. The company is now ready to expand its AI ambitions even further, bringing Perplexity into the mix. Not just as part of the revamped Bixby, but Perplexity may be available as a standalone AI assistant on the Galaxy S26 series, complete with its own “Hey Plex” voice command.

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Perplexity may come pre-installed on Galaxy S26 phones

Rumors of a partnership between Samsung and Perplexity have been circulating for months, and several pieces are already in place. Most notably, the company has begun integrating Perplexity-powered answers into Bixby. Now, starting with the Galaxy S26 series, the AI chatbot may gain deeper system-level visibility. The app may come pre-installed on Samsung’s next flagship lineup, new discoveries by Android Authority suggest.

That’s not the full story, though. The publication also spotted new strings and references inside the latest Perplexity app for Android that point to support for a “Hey Plex” voice command. It should function similarly to wake-up phrases for other AI assistants, including Google Gemini and Bixby. Users should be able to wake the assistant hands-free, even when the phone’s display is turned off.

While the functionality itself wouldn’t be exclusive to Galaxy devices, the timing of these developments suggests it’ll all begin with the Galaxy S26 series. The new flagships may ship with Perplexity pre-installed, with the company offering free Pro access for a few months. Of course, this integration will be part of One UI 8.5 and should roll out to other devices with the upcoming update. The Galaxy S26 series launches sometime in February.

Written by

Sumit Adhikari

Sumit, a life-long Samsung user, is passionate about technology and has been professionally writing on tech since 2017. He’s a mathematics graduate by education and enjoys teaching basic mathematics tricks to school kids in his spare time. Sumit believes in artificial intelligence and dreams of a fully open, intelligent and connected world.

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