Bixby has always been the underdog of virtual assistants. While many Galaxy users quickly looked for ways to disable it, Samsung never quite gave up on its homegrown AI . Now, Now, thanks to a press release that was briefly published by Samsung itself and then mysteriously pulled, we have confirmation that a massive Bixby overhaul—powered by Perplexity—is coming with One UI 8.5 .
This is not your typical minor update. The “accidental announcement” suggests that Samsung is transforming Bixby into a “conversational device agent.” The goal is to move away from rigid voice commands and toward natural, intent-based dialogue. Instead of digging through five sub-menus to find a specific toggle, you can simply describe your problem. For instance, if you tell your phone you’re tired of the screen turning off while you’re reading, Bixby will understand the context and enable the “Keep Screen On” feature automatically.
Samsung just leaked the new Bixby update with Perplexity AI
The real surprise, however, isn’t just how Bixby handles your settings, but how it handles the queries. Samsung is officially leaning on Perplexity AI to give Bixby real-time search capabilities.
This partnership mirrors what Apple is doing with Siri and ChatGPT. When you ask a complex question—like finding a family-friendly hotel in Seoul with a pool—Bixby won’t just kick you over to a browser. Instead, it uses Perplexity’s engine to pull live data and present it directly within the assistant’s interface. It keeps the experience fluid and, frankly, much more useful than the Bixby we used to know.
A peek behind the curtain
The fact that Samsung took down the official blog post shortly after publishing it adds a layer of mystery to the launch. Whether it was a premature click of the “publish” button or a last-minute change in the rollout schedule, the cat is out of the bag.
Beta builds of One UI 8.5 have already shown glimpses of these features. But this ‘accident’ confirms Samsung’s strategy: they want an AI that actually knows your phone’s guts as well as it knows the internet while achieving a bit of independence from Google. It is clear that Gemini AI remains a dominant force on Android. However, Samsung would now bet on a Perplexity-powered Bixby for a more cohesive experience for Galaxy loyalists.
Of course, this doesn’t mean Gemini will disappear from Galaxy devices. Both conversational AI assistants will be available at the user’s discretion.
We expect the stable version of this new Bixby to debut alongside the Galaxy S26 series . Beta testers on the S25 lineup might get a taste of it sooner, though. If Samsung can deliver on the promise of an assistant that truly understands “why is my screen doing this?”, Bixby might finally earn its place on your home screen.
