{"id":73762,"date":"2023-03-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joggingvideo.com\/tech\/mobile\/samsungs-voice-assistant-answered-my-calls-it-was-weird\/"},"modified":"2023-03-20T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-03-20T00:00:00","slug":"samsungs-voice-assistant-answered-my-calls-it-was-weird","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1800birks4u.com\/tech\/mobile\/samsungs-voice-assistant-answered-my-calls-it-was-weird\/","title":{"rendered":"Samsung’s Voice Assistant Answered My Calls. It Was Weird"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/span><\/p>\n My sister calls me almost every day — often at inopportune times, like when I’m in a meeting or out at dinner with friends. That’s why I was intrigued to learn about Samsung’s Bixby Text Call<\/a><\/span>, a feature that lets you blend traditional phone calls with texting. Instead of interrupting my meeting or dinner to answer the phone verbally, I can answer through texts using Bixby, i.e., Samsung’s version of Siri.<\/p>\n Samsung’s digital helper essentially acts as a mediator that converts my texts into speech. It works both ways by also transcribing the caller’s words into text. I’ll admit, it’s a confusing concept to grasp until you try it. But it shows that smartphone giants like Samsung and Google are thinking about ways to shake up the traditional phone call.\u00a0<\/p>\n Though phones themselves have evolved tremendously over the last decade, the experience of making a call has largely remained the same. Google sought to change that over the last five years by launching new phone-centric features for Pixel devices, such as those that allow the Google Assistant to screen spam calls<\/a><\/span> and wait on hold for you<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n Bixby Text Call feels like Samsung’s way of putting its own spin on the modern phone call, though there’s an important distinction between Google’s and Samsung’s methods. Unlike Google’s Call Screen feature, which uses the Google Assistant to screen calls on your behalf, Bixby isn’t actually answering the phone for you. You’re still the one answering the call, just through Bixby’s voice.<\/p>\n Whether that approach is useful, however, is still up for debate. I’ve been using Bixby Text Call sporadically over the past week to occasionally answer calls in scenarios where it would be inconvenient to pick up. I’ve found it helpful at times, but there have been instances when it may’ve created more confusion than it’s worth.\u00a0<\/p>\n The English version of Bixby Text Call is available for Samsung devices running One UI 5.1, the company’s latest software update, which just launched in February.\u00a0<\/p>\n Getting started with the Bixby Text Call feature is simple enough. Just open the Phone<\/strong> app, tap the three dots in the right corner of the screen, and choose the Settings<\/strong> option. From there, you should see a menu item called Bixby text call<\/strong>. Tapping this choice will bring you to a page that explains what the tool does and allows you to switch it on or off.<\/p>\n Once the feature is activated, you’ll see a button that says Bixby text call<\/strong> on your incoming call screen. Tap that button and swipe up on the green phone icon when answering a call to use Bixby Text Call.<\/p>\n After you turn on Bixby Text Call, you’ll see this oval-shaped button.<\/p>\n <\/span> Here’s where things get interesting. Instead of seeing the traditional phone interface and hearing the caller’s voice, you see a text message thread on your screen. Meanwhile, the caller hears Bixby’s automated voice instead of yours. It says the following: “Hi. I’m using Bixby Text Call to convert your voice into text and respond to you. If you want to continue, say who you are and why you’re calling.”<\/p>\n From then on, Bixby transcribes whatever the caller says into text and also recites the recipient’s texts on the other end. The idea is that the caller speaks on the phone as if it’s a normal phone call, and the recipient types responses. You can also switch to a regular phone call anytime by tapping a green button labeled Voice call<\/strong> that sits above the text thread.\u00a0<\/p>\n When announcing Bixby Text Call, Samsung said the feature works on-device, meaning it doesn’t send data to the cloud for processing. The company also says audio is deleted after the recognition process is completed. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Here’s what the chat interface for Bixby Text Call looks like for the recipient.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/span> Bixby Text Call is easy to set up, but there’s one problem. Using it can feel socially awkward. Since my friends and family expected to hear my voice answering the phone, Samsung’s automated speech caused some confusion. Because of this issue, it would be wise to decide when it’s appropriate to answer using Bixby Text Call, based on who’s calling, says business etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore, founder of the Protocol School of Palm Beach.<\/p>\n “I think those people who embrace technology would find it to be fascinating, innovative, unique, maybe cool,” she said. “But for someone like your grandmother, who doesn’t understand what’s going on, that could certainly be confusing.”<\/p>\n My sister, for example, initially hung up after stating her name following Bixby’s greeting. A close friend of mine said he almost ended the call right away because he initially mistook Bixby’s voice for a telemarketer’s.<\/p>\nHow Bixby Text Call works<\/h2>\n
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\n James Martin\/CNET
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\n Screenshot by Lisa Eadicicco\/CNET
\n <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBixby is socially awkward but sometimes helpful<\/h2>\n
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\n Screenshot by Lisa Eadicicco\/CNET
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