Technologies

Samsung’s Voice Assistant Answered My Calls. It Was Weird

Samsung’s Bixby Text Call feature has potential, but it can also cause confusion.

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 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.

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.

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 and wait on hold for you.

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.

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.

How Bixby Text Call works

James Martin/CNET

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.

Getting started with the Bixby Text Call feature is simple enough. Just open the Phone app, tap the three dots in the right corner of the screen, and choose the Settings option. From there, you should see a menu item called Bixby text call. Tapping this choice will bring you to a page that explains what the tool does and allows you to switch it on or off.

Once the feature is activated, you’ll see a button that says Bixby text call 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.

A screenshot of the Bixby text call button on an incoming call — After you turn on Bixby Text Call, you’ll see this oval-shaped button.

Screenshot by Lisa Eadicicco/CNET

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.»

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 that sits above the text thread.

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.

Bixby is socially awkward but sometimes helpful

A screenshot showing what the chat interface for Bixby Text Call looks like for the recipient. — Here’s what the chat interface for Bixby Text Call looks like for the recipient.

Screenshot by Lisa Eadicicco/CNET

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.

«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.»

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.

Samsung is hoping to remedy this issue with a new tool that lets you create an artificial copy of your voice. (Yes, you read that correctly: Samsung wants to make an AI clone of your voice!) It’ll be launching in Korean before becoming available in English later this year, according to Samsung.

That raises many questions, perhaps the biggest of which involves whether this tool could be used to impersonate others. Users will need to read specific sentences to create a voice copy, Samsung previously told CNET, which should prevent others from creating a voice clone by using any random clip of a person’s voice. We also have no idea what this voice copy will sound like. For example, we don’t know whether the intonations and cadence will sound natural.

Bixby Text Call requires that you trust Samsung’s virtual helper to accurately translate speech into text and vice versa. I was able to get through simple, quick conversations pretty easily using the feature. But there were times when Bixby made some obvious mistakes. As shown in the screenshot below, Bixby transcribed the speaker’s comment as, «Hey outstanding just calling a check in this event,» which, of course, doesn’t make sense. (I’m still not quite sure what my husband was trying to say there.)

A screenshot showing a conversation in Bixby Text Call — Bixby’s speech translation isn’t always correct.

Screenshot by Lisa Eadicicco/CNET

It can also be difficult to manage the natural flow of a conversation over Bixby Text Call. Since one party can hear and the other can’t, it’s challenging to know when to speak or type. For example, the listener can’t always tell when Bixby is about to finish speaking, especially during its long-winded (but much needed) introduction. And when the recipient is typing, the caller hears nothing.

Even without a feature like Bixby Text Call, it’s easy enough to respond to the wrong message or misconstrue someone’s words over text. That’s why it’s even more important to pay close attention when using an intermediary like Bixby, says Diane Gottsman, a national etiquette expert and owner of the Protocol School of Texas.

«With this type of technology, we are going to have to be even more cognizant and aware that what I’m responding back to, and [what] you’re responding back to me, may be out of order,» she said.

In most scenarios, it would probably just be easier to decline the call and send a separate text message if you can’t answer. But despite these shortcomings, I can imagine some scenarios when Bixby Text Call might make sense.

The Galaxy S23 (left) and S23 Plus (right) against a brick wall — Samsung phones running One UI 5.1, such as the Galaxy S23 (left) and S23 Plus (right), can make use of the Bixby Text Call feature.

Lisa Eadicicco/CNET

For example, the feature came in handy recently when I was out with some friends at a crowded bar and my husband needed to ask me a quick question while at the store. It was too loud for me to answer the call at the bar, but it also would’ve been inconvenient for him to text since he was roaming around grocery store aisles. Since it wasn’t our first time using Bixby Text Call, my husband knew what to expect. Hearing Bixby answer the phone didn’t seem as jarring, so it ended up being the right solution for that specific situation.

I could also see it being helpful in scenarios where the caller simply can’t text, such as while driving, cooking or caring for a child. Though it’s true you can just dictate a text message in those situations, Bixby Text Call might be a better option if the caller wants a timely answer or needs to quickly send follow-up messages.

I don’t think Samsung is reinventing the phone call with Bixby Text Call, nor do I think this feature is compelling enough to convince non-Samsung users to switch to a Galaxy phone. Google’s phone calling features, such as wait time predictions, generally feel like more practical solutions to real problems.

That said, it’s interesting to see companies other than Google thinking about ways to modernize the phone call. This just feels like a first step for Samsung, rather than the final answer.

Technologies

Zelle App Is Gone. Use These Alternatives to Send Money Digitally

You still have lots of free ways to send money to friends and family electronically.

If Zelle has been your go-to app for sending money digitally, it’s time to find a new method. The digital payment app shut down on April 1.

That doesn’t mean you can’t use Zelle altogether, however. Zelle has only discontinued its standalone app. You can still send money using Zelle if your bank belongs to the Zelle network. You’ll just need to do it through your bank’s app or website. You also have other services to choose from. Here’s what you need to know about this change and your options moving forward.

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Why the Zelle app is shutting down

When Zelle launched in 2017, only about 60 US financial institutions offered the service by the end of that year. Today, that number exceeds 2,200. As a result, less than 2% of Zelle transactions occur through the standalone app. Zelle has been phasing out the ability to make transactions on its mobile app since October 2024.

«Today, the vast majority of people using Zelle to send money use it through their financial institution’s mobile app or online banking experience, and we believe this is the best place for Zelle transactions to occur,» Zelle said in an October 2024 press release.

In December, Zelle was in the spotlight when the Consumer Financial Protected Bureau sued the company and three of the largest US banks for failing to protect consumers from widespread fraud on the peer-to-peer payment network. The lawsuit has since been dropped.

Other ways to send money digitally

You can still use Zelle through your bank’s app or website if it belongs to the Zelle network. You can also switch to another digital payment app, such as:

Apple Wallet
Cash App
PayPal
Venmo

Take some basic precautions when using Zelle or any other digital payment service. These apps are a frequent target for scammers, and Chase Bank has started blocking some Zelle payments it believes could be fraudulent. Only send money to people you know and trust, and watch for red flags like an urgent message claiming to be from your bank or an online ad for concert tickets that seem impossibly cheap.

Technologies

Marvel Rivals Season 2 Starts Next Week, Devs Drop Big News

Emma Frost and Ultron are joining the Rivals roster in season 2, and developers are upping the pace to one new hero per month starting with season 3.

After surviving the endless night in New York City with the Fantastic Four, Marvel Rivals players are getting invited to the shores of Krakoa for the start of season 2 on April 11. The game dropped the first trailer for the new season, giving us our first official look at the new heroes, and a developer vision video dropped major news about the future of hero releases.

The trailer features the former foe and sometimes-leader of the X-Men, Emma Frost, inviting people from across Rivals’ various timelines to the mutant nation of Krakoa, where everyone gets dressed up for a fancy gala — even Wolverine puts on a white tux. The event, however, is unceremoniously interrupted when Ultron shows up preaching extermination.

We also got a look at some of the cosmetics in season 2, though it’s unclear which are from the shop and which might be in the battle pass. In addition to the dressed-up Wolverine, we also got looks at Magik and Psylocke in the traditional X-Men blue and yellow. Nonmutant guests are also getting in on the fun, with fancy attire for heroes like Cap, Widow and Luna Snow.

New Heroes and balance changes in Marvel Rivals Season 2

Emma Frost joins the roster as a Vanguard. We don’t have detailed information about her abilities yet but expect that information to drop ahead of next week’s season launch. Ultron is coming in the season 2.5 update, which should be in late May.

Some team-ups are changing in season 2, including three new team-up abilities that were previewed in the newest developer vision video.

Emma Frost allows Magneto and Psylocke to create illusions of themselves.
Doctor Strange teams up with Scarlet Witch allowing her to use small portals to seemingly increase her damage output via a rapid-shooting alternate fire.
Cap finally teams up with Bucky, allowing the Winter Soldier to leap to allies.

A few existing team-ups are getting adjustments, with Psylocke, Winter Soldier and Doctor Strange being removed from older team-ups in favor of new ones, and Namor moving from working with Luna’s anchor to Hulk’s to empower his ultimate with gamma energy. Two team-ups are being removed entirely: Magneto can no longer team up with Scarlet Witch, and Thor is no longer anchoring Cap and Storm.

The developers vaguely teased other balance changes, including buffs to Peni, Mister Fantastic and Moon Knight, with Strange trading offensive pressure for more survivability and Rocket getting more utility while Loki and Adam Warlock receive nerfs to their Regeneration Domain and Soul Bond abilities.

Future seasons will be shorter, which means more new heroes

One of the most surprising moments in the developer video was the announcement that, beginning with season 3, seasons will be two months long instead of roughly three. There has been a lot of discussion online about whether Rivals’ pace of new heroes (about eight per year based on three-month seasons) was sustainable. Well, apparently the Rivals devs took that personally and are cranking up that pace to a new hero every month, meaning 12 new heroes per year.

This feels borderline ludicrous compared with other hero shooters that average about three new heroes per year, or even MOBAs like League of Legends, which has averaged about four new champions per year over the past five years. Rivals benefits from having an overflowing stable of Marvel characters to pull from rather than inventing their own hero concepts, and compared with Overwatch, the developers seem less worried about mechanical overlap in their heroes, as seen with many support ultimates. Still, a new hero every month feels unheard of for a hero shooter.

New Krakoa map and competitive changes

A new Krakoa-themed domination map is being added in season 2, and Yggsgard: Royal Palace (domination) and Tokyo 2099: Shin-Shibuya (convergence) will rotate out of the map pool for ranked modes, though they’ll still be available in quick play and custom games.

The threshold for competitive picks and bans, which currently only happen in diamond-ranked lobbies, will be lowered to gold 3. Players in Eternity or One Above All ranks will only be able to duo queue, instead of queuing with larger groups — a measure that’s likely intended to keep high-level teams from stomping lobbies.

Speaking of ranks, season 2 will drop everyone by 9 divisions, which is equal to 3 ranks. That means players in Eternity will drop to diamond, and any players at platinum 3 or below will start their climb from bronze 3 again. (AGAIN… AGAIN.)

Rivals developers also announced that individual player performance will be weighted higher when determining competitive progress after a match, meaning if your stats outperform your team’s, you’ll earn more for winning and drop less for losing. This change can help elevate smurfs and other high-skill players in lower-ranked lobbies by getting them into their appropriate ranks faster. However, it can also lead to players stat-farming, instead of playing in a way that is most effective for winning games. Overall, given that Rivals doesn’t use any sort of competitive placement matches, this should be a net positive for the game.

Other announcements

Rivals is adding new skin recolors to certain hero skins and (finally) giving players the option to gift costumes to their friends so they can surprise someone for their birthday, which you definitely did not forget about.

Missions are changing a bit, with the addition of weekly missions and a redistribution of where battle-pass-progressing chrono tokens are earned. The devs framed this as creating a «smoother expectation» of how to earn chrono tokens, but the surface-level description sounds like they’re just making it harder to earn battle pass progress over the season by tucking away more progress under missions with shorter time limits.

The developer vision update also gave us our first look at the competitive distribution, showing how many Rivals players are in each tier as of season 1.5.

The Hellfire Gala trailer says season 2 will start on April 11. While it doesn’t give a specific start time, expect the between-seasons maintenance to finish sometime in the middle of the night in the US.

For more on Marvel Rivals, check out which heroes and roles you should play and how to get free skins.

Technologies

Nintendo Switch 2 vs. Switch 1: Every Detail Compared

The Nintendo Switch 2’s official specs aren’t too different, but the new console has a lot of upgrades on the original Switch.

The Nintendo Switch 2 may look like its predecessor, but there’s been a lot of changes to its features and under the hood. The new console has «10x the graphics performance» compared to the original Switch, says Nvidia, which built the custom processor powering the Switch 2.

The Switch 2, with a release date on June 5, is priced at $450 alone or $500 in a bundle with Mario Kart World, the headliner of the console’s launch games. Here’s all the info on how to preorder the Switch 2.

Note that we’re mostly comparing the Switch 2 to the original Switch 1 released in March 2017, because looping in the Switch Lite and Switch OLED gets complicated.

Design

Broadly, the Switch 2 is a larger version of its predecessor, with everything looking slightly inflated: bigger footprint, bigger screen, bigger Joy-Cons.

Original Switch: The original Switch, with Joy-Cons slotted into the side rails, is a little over 9.4 inches wide, 4 inches tall, a little over half an inch thick and weighs about 10.5 ounces (297 grams). The Joy-Cons slide into place from the top of the device’s sides, while a thin wedge of plastic pops out of the back of the console to serve as a kickstand.

The Switch also came with a dock, which the console could slot into to for recharging and outputting to a TV or large display via HDMI port.

Switch 2: The new Switch 2 is bigger in every way, but it has the same overall shape and layout as the original. The new Joy-Cons will indeed be held in place on the console magnetically, and connect to the console via pins. The new console also sports a wide U-shaped kickstand that spans almost its entire rear width, which can be moved around to prop up the Switch 2 at a variety of angles. Nintendo says the console has more powerful speakers, which we’re looking forward to testing.

The Switch 2’s dock is largely similar in function though it has rounded edges and an internal fan to cool down the console during long game sessions. More importantly, it can output games in 4K to TVs, but only for select games.

Joy-Cons

The Joy-Cons were a marvel when they arrived on the first Switch, and while they’re functionally similar in its successor, there have been upgrades in the Switch 2’s controllers.

Original Switch: The Switch Joy-Cons are simple but powerful controllers that slid on and off the console via plastic rails, connecting and recharging via pins on the side. Detach and they become their own micro-controllers, with little shoulder buttons to boot.

Switch 2: The new console’s Joy-Cons are larger to fit the Switch 2, and lock into the side of the console via powerful magnets — there are small inward-facing buttons to the side of ZR and ZL to detach the controllers from the console. The larger-size Joy-Cons have longer L and R outside shoulder buttons, as well as much wider SL and SR internal shoulder buttons, which are accessible when detached from the console.

And yes, you can use the Switch 2 Joy-Cons as mice by placing their inner edges flat on a surface. During the Nintendo Direct, we saw it being used to control active action games like the wheelchair basketball-simulating DragXDrive and strategy games like Civilization VII.

Display size

Original Switch: The original Switch has a 6.2-inch LCD screen with 1,280×720-pixel resolution, which was reasonably impressive at launch in 2017 but has been outclassed by newer handhelds with sharper displays. The Switch OLED upgraded this with a larger 7-inch display showing deeper blacks and colors, but no upgrade in resolution. The Switch Lite has a 5.5-inch LCD screen.

Switch 2: Unsurprisingly, the Switch 2’s larger size means a larger display. The new console has a 7.9-inch 1080p LCD screen that can get up to 120Hz refresh rate in handheld mode, or up to 4K when docked and outputting to a TV.

Why no OLED display? Possibly to save on costs… or possibly to give Nintendo room to release a Switch 2 OLED version down the line.

CPU/GPU

Original Switch: The original Switch runs on an Nvidia custom Tegra X1 processor split into four ARM Cortex A57 CPU cores, and according to Hackaday, there are four extra A53 cores that aren’t used.

Switch 2: Once again, Nintendo hasn’t released any official info on the Switch 2’s specs, even after the Nintendo Direct reveal stream — and they most the company reveals is that it has a «custom processor made by Nvidia» on the Switch 2’s official specs page. Nvidia confirmed it also has a custom GPU, claiming that the new console has «10x the graphics performance» of the Switch 1, and the custom processor’s AI-powered features include Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), face tracking and background removal for video chat and real-time ray tracing.

We do still have more supposed details from previous leaks. Months ago on X (formerly Twitter), leaker Zuby_Tech posted that the Switch 2’s CPU will be an eight-core Arm Cortex A78C. They also suggested that the GPU will be an Nvidia T239 Ampere, aligning with years of similar rumors reported on by Eurogamer and others about the custom chip, which derives from Nvidia’s Tegra line of chips for smartphones and mobile devices.

RAM and storage

Original Switch. The Switch has 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 32GB of onboard storage, expandable up to 2TB via microSD cards in the slot beneath the kickstand.

Switch 2: Even after the reveal stream, Nintendo didn’t release official specs for RAM. Leaker Zuby_Tech posted on X back in September suggesting the Switch 2 will have 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. That leak also suggested the new console will have two internal fans, up from the single one in the original Switch.

Nintendo did confirm that the new console will have 256GB of onboard storage, which can be expanded with special microSD Express cards — sorry, your old Switch-compatible microSD cards won’t work on the Switch 2.

Battery life

Original Switch: The original Switch packs a 4,310-mAh battery, which gives between 4.5 and 9 hours of battery life depending on screen brightness and other factors.

Switch 2: Though Nintendo didn’t release details on the Switch 2’s capacity in the reveal stream, the company does list specs on its website, showing it packs a 5,220mAh battery. While that’s notably larger than the one in its predecessor, Nintendo estimates this will only get players between an estimated 2 and 6.5 hours, depending on games played.

Ports

Original Switch: The first Switch sports a single USB-C port out the bottom, a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top and Wi-Fi 5 plus Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity. On the top is a slot at the top for Switch game cartridges as well as the microSD slot beneath the kickstand on the rear of the console.

Switch 2: The Switch 2 retains the original’s USB-C port on the bottom and 3.5mm jack on the top while adding another USB-C port topside, and now we know what it’s for: to connect with accessories like the Nintendo Switch Camera, a webcam-like camera on a stand to let you do Nintendo’s version of FaceTiming while you play games with your friends.

Nintendo hasn’t clarified the console’s connectivity options, and rumors are scarce on the subject.

As for cartridges, Switch 2 will play some original Switch games in physical versions. The cartridge slot is to the right of the headphone jack in the above image, which is where the slot is on the original Switch. You can tell game cartridges from the two console generations apart by color: ones for the new Switch 2 are red, while older Switch 1 games are black.