Samsung’s call screening tool explained

Spam calls are an annoying part of having a mobile phone. They happen too often, and there isn’t a way to prevent them other than blocking a spam caller after they call you. To curb this, Google developed a feature called Call Screen, which is available for Google Pixel smartphones and screens for unknown and potential spam calls. This feature has been popular and is one of the main reasons Pixels have competed with Samsung Galaxy phones.

South Korean smartphone giant Samsung also took this matter seriously and created its version of Google’s Call Screen feature, called Bixby Text Call. This guide walks you through what Bixby Text Call is and how it works. Let’s dive in.

What is Bixby Text Call?

The Bixby Text Call feature was announced with the release of One UI 5.0 and released as part of One UI 5.1, Samsung’s Android 13 skin, which launched with the Samsung Galaxy S23 line of phones. Samsung Bixby Text Call lets you answer your phone calls without speaking. This helps you figure out who is calling and why before you pick up the phone.

When you answer the phone using Bixby Text Call, Bixby picks up for you, lets the other person know you’re using Bixby voice assistant, and asks why they’re calling. You can respond to the caller with a text message and use Bixby to speak for you.

This feature was launched exclusively in Korean but now works in English. Those are the only languages this feature works in. This means that if someone calling you is speaking something other than English or Korean, Bixby won’t recognize that language and will try to translate it into your selected language. You can use this feature on any call you receive, whether you’re busy or not.

How do you enable Bixby Text Call?

Bixby Text Call is only available on Samsung Galaxy smartphones that run the Samsung One UI 5.1 software update or above for English models and One UI 4.1.1 and above for Korean models. Supported phones include the recently launched Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24 Plus, and Galaxy S24, along with the Galaxy S23 Ultra, Galaxy S23 Plus, Galaxy S23, Galaxy Z Flip 4, and Galaxy Z Fold 4. Here’s how to turn on Bixby Text Call:

1. Open the Phone app on your Samsung phone.
2. Tap the three dots on the right and select Settings.
3. Select Bixby text call from the list of options.

   

   

4. Turn on the feature.

   

You can also customize some of the settings for the feature after activating it.

• Language and voice: You can change the language you use and select from a few voice options depending on your selected language.
• Quick responses: This setting allows you to create quick responses to choose from when someone calls you.

How to use Bixby Text Call

After activating the feature, it’s time to use it on your Galaxy devices. When you receive a phone call, tap the Bixby Text Call button near the accept and reject call buttons. Then, a screen pops up that looks similar to a text messaging app with an accept and reject button at the top. Bixby tells the person calling that you’re using Bixby Text Call to talk to them and transcribes their responses for you. You can type a text response, and Bixby dictates it to them and records their response. When you finish the call, go into the Phone app to see a transcript of the call.

How does Samsung’s Bixby Text Call compare to similar services?

Bixby Text Call is not unique. Google has had a similar feature on its Google Pixel phones, called Call Screen, since 2018, which is available on all Pixel phones. However, some older models may not let you use all of Call Screen’s features. Google’s Call Screen feature works similarly to Bixby Text Call. It’s available when someone calls you and talks to the caller on your behalf before you answer the phone.

Unlike Bixby Text Call, Call Screen automatically screens calls it thinks are spam without your phone ringing. However, you can only talk to the other caller through Google Assistant with prewritten responses. You cannot type a custom response like you can with Bixby Text Call. Call Screen is available in more places than Bixby Text Call. It’s available in 10 countries and more than two languages.

There is no other competition in this space. Apple does not have a comparable feature on the iPhone using Siri, and Amazon has not created a similar feature using its Alexa virtual assistant.

Know who’s calling without picking up

Unknown or spam calls are annoying, especially when working on something important. Thanks to features such as Google Call Screen and Samsung Bixby Text Call, you don’t need to invest your time dealing with spam calls. Check out some other great One UI features to try on your Samsung phone.