Samsung Quietly Boosts Bixby with Perplexity AI in One UI 8.5

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Samsung’s in-house AI assistant Bixby may have faded into the background in recent years, but the company hasn’t abandoned it entirely. A new leak suggests Samsung is quietly giving Bixby a major boost in One UI 8.5, this time by tapping an external AI partner. And no, it’s not Google’s Gemini. It’s Perplexity.

Perplexity comes to rescue Bixby in Samsung Galaxy phones

Google Gemini has replaced Bixby as the default AI assistant on Galaxy phones. However, Samsung still plans to keep Bixby around, and it’s not just about giving users more choices. While it has integrated Gemini with many first-party apps for task execution, Bixby holds a key advantage. It’s an in-house solution with deeper access to system-level features and One UI controls.

Samsung is now supercharging the in-house assistant by integrating Perplexity. This integration first appeared on Samsung TVs, where Bixby began routing queries through Perplexity to deliver more detailed, context-aware answers. That same capability recently made its way to Samsung phones.

Users have spotted Bixby tapping into Perplexity for tasks like weather queries, offering not just a forecast, but additional insights and practical recommendations, such as whether carrying an umbrella makes sense. A screenshot shared by X user @achultra shows the new Bixby opens as a card-style interface aligned with One UI 8.5’s refreshed design language.

By pairing Bixby with Perplexity’s mature AI search and reasoning engine, Samsung is effectively closing the intelligence gap, without giving up platform control. The assistant can now execute web-based and research-heavy, complex prompts in real time.

The Perplexity-powered upgrade is currently tied to Bixby version 4.0.50.4, with access seemingly limited to One UI 8.5 beta users. Samsung may still be testing this integration with plans to formally introduce it with the Galaxy S26 series. The new flagships will go official in the first quarter of 2026.

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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