Samsung's recent update to block the ability to remap the Bixby button on the new Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ couldn't last for long as a developer named Dave Bennett has come up with an app that lets you bypass that blockade.
The new app called BixRemap is a simple app that allows you to launch Google Assistant on top of Bixby whenever you press the dedicated Bixby button on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. Once you press the button, you will first see a brief Bixby start up before Google Assistant kicks it out of the way to take over the show.
The best thing about BixRemap is that it allows the Bixby button to be remapped without requiring you to reboot the device. All you need to do is install the app, which is now available on the Google Play Store, toggle on one switch to allow it to access Usage Data and hit a big Start Service button.
"I was really determined to find a new way to Launch Google now when I pressed the Bixby button. So I threw together a quick app in 20 minutes to do just that. It looks for Bixby in the foreground and launches Google Now on top of it. I can develop it further if there's any interest, right now it's just a basic app," Bennett wrote on Reddit.
Although the app is not a very elegant solution at this point of time, a more polished version of it is expected soon as Bennett is counting on suggestions from those who have tried his app.
Meanwhile, some users on Reddit have suggested Bennett to add a launch on boot option, and also to set the notification priority to the lowest to avoid the persistent icon on the status bar. Bennett said he liked the idea, and is apparently working on it.
Following the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, an app called All in One Gestures surfaced online allowing users to remap the exclusive Bixby button to anything they wanted. There was another app called Button Mapper, which could exploit Accessibility Services to intercept the key events generated after pressing the Bixby button, and redirect the system to launch a different app.
However, it did not bode well for Samsung, and the company rolled out an OTA updated to remove this functionality. A Samsung executive even took to Twitter to confirm the move.
What might have triggered users' lack of interest towards the Bixby button is the fact that Samsung's new AI-based virtual assistant is still a half-baked solution with no support for voice commands. It was one of the most important features the company boasted about while announcing the Galaxy S8.
Bixby currently allows consumers to use on-screen features like the 'Vision' camera software, the 'Home' panel of widgets and 'Reminder' while the voice activation capability is not expected to arrive until "later this spring".
