Samsung Says 'Bixby 2.0' Smart Speaker Will Feature Multi-User Voice Recognition - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Samsung Says 'Bixby 2.0' Smart Speaker Will Feature Multi-User Voice Recognition

Samsung has announced at the Mobile World Congress that version 2.0 of its Bixby voice assistant will launch with the Galaxy Note 9 and come with support for recognizing individual voices (via ZDNet).

Samsung mobile chief D J Koh said that Bixby 2.0 is being tested by approximately 800 partners and is helping the company to develop a "wider scope of voice assistant features", one of which is the ability to recognize individual voices on devices supporting multiple users.

704Bixby thumbnail sub KV
Development of the feature makes sense given Samsung's plans to launch a television set with built-in Bixby next month, as well as a Bixby-enabled smart speaker set for release in the second half of 2018.

Amazon's Echo devices and Google's Home smart speakers already include voice matching settings which let multiple users access personalized services, however Apple's HomePod lacks such a feature.

For Siri commands that interact with user-specific information, only the Apple ID account holder who sets up the HomePod speaker is able to use the additional functionality, and Apple hasn't revealed any plans to bring multi-user voice recognition to its Siri virtual assistant anytime soon.

Related Roundup: HomePod
Tags: Bixby, Samsung
Buyer's Guide: HomePod (Caution)

Popular Stories

Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Iridescent 1

Apple Approves Production of OLED Panels for Foldable iPhone

Monday June 22, 2026 8:00 am PDT by
Samsung Display has received Apple's approval to begin module production of OLED panels for Apple's first foldable iPhone, according to a report today from TheElec. Citing industry sources, the report says Samsung Display has started operating part of its back-end production lines in Vietnam to fulfill an initial order of around three million panels scheduled for delivery this year. Module...
samsung galaxy unpacked july 2026

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Event Set for July 22 With Foldable iPhone Rival Expected to Debut

Wednesday July 8, 2026 4:11 am PDT by
Samsung has announced it will introduce its latest Galaxy smartphones at a July 22 event, including what is believed to be a Galaxy Z Fold 8 with new passport-style dimensions similar to Apple's upcoming book-style foldable iPhone. It's no secret that Samsung has been working on a new foldable form factor to go head-to-head with Apple's rumored iPhone Ultra, and the company has been hinting...
Vision Pro M5 Announcement

Report: Cheaper Apple Vision Pro Display Work Winds Down at Samsung

Wednesday July 8, 2026 5:16 am PDT by
Apple has suspended development of the display for a cheaper, lighter version of the Vision Pro that it originally planned to launch in the next few years, according to The Elec. The Korean outlet says Apple supplier Samsung Display is set to internally wind down the panel project – known in the industry as "G-VR" – with development set to be formally terminated by September. G-VR is ...

Top Rated Comments

Return Zero Avatar
109 months ago
I love Bixby... It's the one reason I can honestly say that Siri isn't the worst digital assistant out there.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
109 months ago
I’ve seen a real time demo of the new translate feature from the Bixby camera in the new S9. Holy crap it works amazing fast and smooth.
It's there on S8 too. I bought a boy scout survival kit for my son from Amazon. And the instruction sheet inside was in Chinese. All I had to do was turn on bixby and point the camera at the sheet. In a few second, I got the whole translation in English.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TrueBlou Avatar
109 months ago
Other than Reminders and SMS text, is there anything else it currently can access as personal information?

So if multiple persons are sharing the same Home, only the main owner can use Siri? This looks different from other users reports...
(Still waiting wife to come back home to test this by myself)
No, anyone can use the HomePod, but it’s only linked to the account which set it up for the time being. My wife uses Siri on my HomePod.

So any commands to add things to reminders or send messages, or whatever all happen on the account which set the HomePod up.

It’s bound to change to multi-user voice recognition eventually. Apple filed a patent for just such a feature last year. So once they’ve perfected it, it’ll come in a software update.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pratikindia Avatar
109 months ago
Those who are bashing Bixby, should watch the following video or many other videos on Youtube.

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
109 months ago
I love Bixby... It's the one reason I can honestly say that Siri isn't the worst digital assistant out there.
It's pretty clear you haven't used Bixby. You'll be surprised how capable it is. Siri IS the worst digital assistant.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
109 months ago
Siri > Bixby

That's rare. Lol. Apple Maps and Siri are hilariously bad.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)