Samsung is going out of their way to keep users from remapping the Bixby button

Samsung's new AI assistant Bixby is supposed to rival Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, but it is still an unproven feature of a highly anticipated device: the Galaxy S8. As a few users have already gotten their hands on the device and Bixby won't even be ready by the time it's launched in the US, some have been trying to remap the physical button on the phone so it can become more useful. Samsung doesn't seem too happy about that.

In early April, we first learned it was possible to use the All in One Gestures app to remap the Bixby button. This app, and others like it, work by intercepting button press events with Accessibility Services, then remapping them to perform another function. An S8 owner and app developer using Canadian carrier Telus received the latest system update from Samsung (NRD90M.G950WVLU1AQD9), and he reports that the update has already blocked the ability to remap the Bixby button (without root) just a couple of weeks after users discovered they could actually do this in the first place.

Opinion by Brittany McGhee

This is a disappointing move by Samsung

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This almost certainly won't be limited to a specific carrier, as this was a swift and deliberate act by Samsung. A Samsung employee responsible for the reviews program in the US tweeted a confirmation that the ability to remap the button has been removed, and it won't be officially supported down the line.

This move was clearly done to encourage S8 owners to use Bixby, but it's not likely to achieve that goal. The only people who would be remapping the button are those who go out of their way to download a third party app just to do so. Samsung is deliberately blocking their ability to customize their phone, and doing so isn't going to make people want to use the Bixby button, it's only going to alienate them. Samsung is showing that it cares more about forcing a feature on people that they don't want than pleasing their customers who only want their very expensive phone to be a little bit more useful.

What do you think of Samsung blocking the ability to remap the Bixby button? Is it a smart strategic move on their part or just a disappointment for users? Let us know in the comments below.

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