Ever since the launch of Galaxy S24 series in early 2024, Samsung has been developing AI capabilities under the Galaxy AI banner. And with the Galaxy S26 series, the company is expanding and bringing more agentic AI experiences on its Galaxy lineup. From real-time call translation to agentic AI that can book your cab, Galaxy AI has become quite feature-rich. So, if you are curious about what Galaxy AI actually is, and what features it offers, check out our in-depth explainer.
What is Galaxy AI?
Galaxy AI is Samsung's collection of AI features and tools on Galaxy phones, tablets, smartwatches, and even earbuds. It's not a single app or AI chatbot like ChatGPT. Like Gemini features on Pixel phones, Galaxy AI is spread across the entire Samsung ecosystem of apps and hardware devices. Think of it as an AI layer that powers features inside the Phone app, Gallery, Samsung Notes, Camera, and more.
Under the hood, Galaxy AI uses a hybrid approach, combining Samsung's on-device AI models and Google's Gemini AI. Previously, it was reported that Samsung has developed its own Gauss family of AI models for on-device tasks. But recent reporting says that Samsung has partnered with Google and uses Gemini Nano for local and offline AI features, as part of Galaxy AI.
The on-device AI models can handle privacy-sensitive tasks like processing your personal data for Now Brief or running Scam Detection during calls. Google's Gemini or cloud-based AI models are used for heavier tasks like AI photo editing or complex agentic tasks. By the way, Samsung has confirmed that user data processed through Galaxy AI is not stored or used for training AI models without explicit permission.
To sum up, Galaxy AI powers the intelligence that runs across your entire phone in the background without you even noticing. It's like a smart AI companion that is always working behind the scenes to make your experience smarter.
A Brief History of Galaxy AI
Galaxy AI debuted with the Galaxy S24 series in January 2024. Samsung positioned the S24 as its first "AI phone" and it shipped with a long list of AI features including Live Translate, Circle to Search, Generative Edit, Note Assist, and Chat Assist. Galaxy AI was Samsung's direct answer to Google's Pixel lineup with its own set of AI features.
After a few months, One UI 6.1 update was released, which brought Galaxy AI to older flagships including the Galaxy S23 series. Samsung showed that it didn't want to keep Galaxy AI limited to new hardware.
Next, in 2025, the Galaxy S25 series brought even deeper AI integration, and the Galaxy AI branding got more visible. It introduced Now Brief, deeper Gemini integration with Samsung apps, and expanded multimodal capabilities. Some of the features were also extended to older Galaxy S22 and S21 devices.
And now with the Galaxy S26 series, which launched in February 2026, Samsung calls it the "third-generation AI phone". The S26 brings multi-agent AI system, powered by Perplexity and Google's Gemini, Now Nudge for context-aware suggestions, advanced Scam Detection, and more. Galaxy AI has also expanded beyond phones and it works across the Galaxy Buds4 series, Galaxy Watch, and Galaxy Tab devices.
How to Enable Galaxy AI on Your Samsung Phone
Galaxy AI is enabled by default on eligible Samsung Galaxy devices. In case, Galaxy AI is turned off, you can follow the steps below to enable all the AI features from one place.
- Open the Settings app on your Samsung phone and select Galaxy AI.
- Here, you will see a list of all available AI features. To enble any of them, open the specific feature and turn on its toggle in the subsequent screen.
- In case, you want to prevent cloud AI processing, scroll down and turn on the Process data only on device toggle.
This will ensure that only on-device AI features are enabled and your privacy is also protected.
All Samsung Galaxy AI Features
In this section, we have listed all Galaxy AI features and explained what they do with steps to use them. You can go through each of them and learn about Samsung's AI tools.
Photo Assist
Photo Assist is Samsung AI's most popular tool for AI photo editing. You can move, resize, or delete objects in photos, and Galaxy AI will fill in the gaps seamlessly. With the Galaxy S26, you can go even further and add or modify elements using text prompts. You can put a hat on your pet or change a daytime scene to night.
Note that edited images are watermarked to indicate that they are AI-generated. Photo Assist supports 41 languages for prompt input, and to access it, open the Gallery app and go to Edit > Galaxy AI icon. You can now long-press on an object to select it, move, resize, or delete it.
Drawing Assist
Drawing Assist is another Galaxy AI feature that lets you transform images into various art styles. You can create personalised sticker sets, and design greeting cards or wallpapers. You can also combine text with drawings or images to generate entirely new assets. Basically, it's a lightweight AI image generator built right into your Galaxy phone. You can find Drawing Assist inside Edge panels on One UI.
Writing Assist
Writing Assist lives inside your Samsung keyboard toolbar across messaging apps. It can translate conversations in real time, suggest tone adjustments, correct spelling and grammar. It can even reformat your text in different styles. So, whether you are drafting a professional email or changing the tone of a WhatsApp message, Writing Assist has you covered. It supports over 40 languages as of now.
To access Writing Assist, open any messaging app or enter a text field, and tap on the Galaxy AI icon from the keyboard toolbar. From there, you can choose Chat Translation, Writing style adjustments, or Spelling and Grammar corrections.
Call Screening and Scam Detection
Call Screening is one of the most useful Galaxy AI features on Samsung phones. It filters incoming calls from unknown numbers and displays a real-time text preview of why they are calling. If it detects a spam or scam call, it can automatically end the call for you.
On the Galaxy S26 series, this is paired with Gemini-powered Scam Detection, which uses on-device AI to flag potential scam calls with instant audio and haptic alerts. And all of this is processed locally for better privacy. You can enable Call Screening from Settings > Galaxy AI > Call Assist.
Note Assist
Note Assist is one of the oldest Galaxy AI features and you will find it in the Samsung Notes app. It can automatically format messy notes, generate summaries, correct spelling, and translate entire notes into different languages. If you use an S Pen, it can also clean up your handwriting and convert it to text. On top of that, Note Assist generates custom thumbnails for your notes, which makes it easier to organise everything visually.
Note that it requires a minimum of 200 characters to work. To use it, you can open the Samsung Notes app, move to a note, and tap on the Galaxy AI icon at the top. From here, you can use the Auto Format, Summarise, Correct Spelling, and Translate options.
Transcript Assist
Transcript Assist is one of my favorite Galaxy AI features. You can record a meeting, lecture, or conversation using Samsung's Voice Recorder app, and Transcript Assist will convert the recording to text. Not just that, it can also distinguish between speakers, and generate a summary. Further, you can translate the transcript into another language with a single tap.
For students and professionals, it's one of the best Samsung AI features. To use it, open the Voice Recorder app, do a recording, and tap on Transcribe. After that, choose a language and the full transcript will appear with speaker labels.
Browsing Assist
Browsing Assist is integrated into the Samsung Internet browser. At times, you open a long article, but don't have time to read the whole article. In such instances, Browsing Assist can generate a concise summary so you can quickly grasp the key points without reading the full piece. It also supports content translation across multiple languages. Look for the Galaxy AI icon in the Samsung Internet toolbar to use it.
Now Brief and Now Nudge
Now Brief is a unique AI feature, and it's part of Galaxy AI. It acts like a daily AI dashboard and presents scrollable cards for weather, calendar events, reminders, smart home status, and more. Now Brief pulls everything from your on-device data and shows everything important as smart summaries. Basically, you get personalized AI-generated updates throughout the day without actively looking for it.
And the latest Now Nudge feature, which debuted with the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy 26 Ultra, takes it even further. It reads your screen in real time and shows context-aware pop-up suggestions. For instance, if a friend messages you asking about evening plans, Nudge checks your calendar, detects conflicts, and offers a one-tap action to complete the task. It also surfaces information while filling forms, just like Google's Magic Cue.
Unlike Now Brief, which just shows information, Now Nudge suggests next actions. Samsung says it's part of the core agentic AI experience promised with Galaxy AI and it's only going to get better.
Circle to Search
Circle to Search doesn't need any introduction. It's one of those popular AI features, which is not just limited to Galaxy AI. On any screen, long-press the navigation pill, and you can now circle, highlight, scribble, or tap on anything to get instant results via Google's intelligent search. You can identify anything you see on the screen with Circle to Search.
On the Galaxy S26, you get an advanced version of Circle to Search. It allows multi-element searches, which means you can circle a celebrity's outfit and get results for the individual pieces like tops, shoes, and accessories in a single search.
Live Translate
Live Translate is Samsung AI's flagship feature. It provides real-time two-way voice and text translation during phone calls. When you are on a call, Samsung AI translates what both parties are saying. You will hear the translate and can also see the translated text on the screen. Currently, it supports over 20 languages including Hindi, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, French, and more. To use it during a call, simply tap Call Assist and choose Live Translate.
Interpreter
Interpreter is designed for face-to-face conversations and it can provide real-time spoken and on-screen translation using a split-screen view. Each speaker can read the translation in their own language. It works offline with downloaded language packs, which is very useful when travelling. Not only that, this AI-powered feature now works with Galaxy Buds, offering audio translations on the fly.
You can activate Interpreter from the Quick Settings panel. Simply swipe down on your home screen and tap the Interpreter icon. Select your languages, tap on the microphone, and start speaking.
Audio Eraser
If you have a Samsung Galaxy phone, you don't need any expensive subscription to remove noise from your videos. Audio Eraser is powered by Galaxy AI and it's integrated into the Gallery app. You can remove wind, chatter, or ambient noise, resulting in a cleaner audio without any manual editing. To use it, open any video in the Gallery app, tap on Edit, and you will find the Audio Eraser option in the editing tools.
Gemini Integration (Agentic AI)
This is a big addition with the Galaxy S26 devices. Google's Gemini can autonomously handle multi-steps tasks in third-party apps. It's powered by Gemini 3 series models, and this agentic capability is available as a beta on the Galaxy S26 series. You can launch Gemini on to perform tasks like booking rides, ordering food, etc.
Gemini works in the background and shows live progress, and seeks your approval for the final confirmation. It works similar to the Screen Automation feature on the Pixel 10. That said, it's currently not available in India, and first rolling out in the US and South Korea.
Bixby
While Bixby remains Samsung's on-device voice assistant, with Galaxy AI enhancements, you can now use natural language commands in Bixby to control device settings. Yes, you read that right. Even if you don't know the exact setting name, Bixby can understand your query, and connect the dots to perform the action.
Apart from that, Samsung has also added Perplexity as one of its AI agent options. On Galaxy S26 series, Perplexity is preloaded with system-level permissions and you can launch it with "Hey Plex". It can interact with Samsung apps like Notes, Calendar, Gallery, Clock, and Reminders. And Perplexity is also powering Bixby's real-time web search and reasoning.
Is Galaxy AI Free?
Yes, Galaxy AI is free for now. Samsung initially said Galaxy AI would be free until the end of 2025, which raised concerns that in the future, users need to pay for Galaxy AI features. However, in early 2026, Samsung confirmed that core Galaxy AI features will continue to be free and there will be no charges.
That said, Samsung writes, "Galaxy AI basic features provided by Samsung are free" which leaves the door open for premium tiers in the future. While you can enjoy Galaxy AI features at no cost, it's likely, users will have to pay for AI features and tools in the future.
So that is all about Samsung's Galaxy AI suite, what it offers, deep integration with apps, agentic experiences, and more. Samsung has done an impressive job of weaving AI into nearly every part of the Galaxy experience. And with agentic AI support through Gemini, Galaxy phones are much more capable now. I would suggest exploring these AI features and see if they can help you in day-to-day life.
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