Quick Answer: Samsung’s Galaxy AI suite integrates real-time call translation, generative photo editing, note summarization, and Google’s Circle to Search into One UI. Most features are controlled under Settings > Galaxy AI (or Settings > Advanced features > Advanced intelligence on earlier One UI 6.1 builds) and require signing in to a Samsung Account. While voice translation and keyboard translation tools can run locally once language packs are downloaded, cloud-dependent tools like Generative Edit and Note Assist summaries require an active internet connection and online processing.
Editorial & Research Note: This guide is a documentation-verified reference compiled from Samsung UK’s Galaxy AI feature guide, Samsung’s official model compatibility documentation, Samsung Photo Assist support, and Samsung’s AI privacy FAQ (checked October 2026). Feature labels and availability vary by Galaxy model, processor, region, carrier firmware, and One UI version.
How Galaxy AI Splits On-Device and Cloud Workloads
Galaxy AI uses a hybrid architecture rather than running every task in the same place. Latency-sensitive tasks that process speech or text—such as Live Translate during phone calls, Interpreter, and Chat Assist language translation—can run locally on the phone’s Neural Processing Unit (NPU) after you download the required Samsung language packs.
By contrast, compute-intensive features—such as Generative Photo Edit (filling in backgrounds after moving or erasing an object), Note Assist document summarization, Browsing Assist webpage summaries, and Google’s Circle to Search—rely on cloud servers. Knowing which features run on-device and which require cloud servers is essential when you travel offline or enable Samsung’s on-device privacy toggle.
The 7 Most Useful Galaxy AI Features (And Where to Find Them)
Here is how each core feature works, its menu path in One UI, and whether it runs on-device or requires online processing:
| Galaxy AI Feature | What It Does | How to Activate & Use It | Processing Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Circle to Search with Google | Runs a visual web search on any object, landmark, product, or text currently shown on your screen without switching apps. | Enable in Settings > Display > Navigation bar > Circle to Search. Then touch and hold the Home button or bottom navigation handle and circle the item on screen. | Cloud required (Google Search servers) |
| 2. Live Translate (Phone Calls) | Provides real-time two-way spoken and on-screen text translation inside the native Samsung Phone app. | Open the Samsung Phone app > More (three dots) > Settings > Live translate, toggle it on, and download your required language packs. During a call, tap Call assist > Live translate. | On-device (once language packs are installed) |
| 3. Note Assist (Samsung Notes) | Formats messy meeting notes into structured bullet points, generates summaries, checks spelling, or translates text. | Open a note in Samsung Notes, tap the Galaxy AI (stars) icon in the toolbar, and choose Auto format, Summarize, Correct spelling, or Translate. | Cloud required for Summarize & Auto format |
| 4. Generative Edit (Samsung Gallery) | Lets you resize, reposition, or erase people and objects in a photo, then generates replacement background pixels. Adds a watermark to the saved image. | Open a photo in Samsung Gallery > Edit (pencil icon) > Galaxy AI icon (blue/sparkle circle). Tap or draw around an object to move or erase it, then tap Generate. | Cloud required (unavailable if on-device-only mode is on) |
| 5. Chat Assist (Samsung Keyboard) | Rewrites drafted messages in different tones (Professional, Casual, Polite), checks grammar, and translates chat messages inside supported apps. | While typing with Samsung Keyboard (default keyboard required), tap the Galaxy AI icon on the toolbar and select Writing style, Spelling and grammar, or Chat translation. | Hybrid (translation works on-device with downloaded language packs; style/grammar features may require online processing depending on setting) |
| 6. Transcript Assist (Voice Recorder) | Transcribes recorded voice memos into text with speaker separation, then summarizes or translates the transcript. | Open the Samsung Voice Recorder app, select a recording, and tap Transcribe. Once transcribed, tap Summary to condense key points. | Hybrid (transcription and summaries may require online processing depending on model and privacy toggle) |
| 7. Instant Slow-Mo | Generates intermediate frames on the fly so standard 30fps or 60fps videos play back in smooth slow motion. (Note: Excluded on select models such as Galaxy S23 FE.) | Open a video in Samsung Gallery, start playback, and touch and hold anywhere on the video preview. To export a slow-motion clip, tap Edit (pencil icon) > Adjust speed. | On-device (supported flagship NPU required) |
What the “Process Data Only on Device” Privacy Toggle Actually Does
Samsung includes a dedicated privacy switch under Settings > Galaxy AI > Process data only on device (labeled Settings > Advanced features > Advanced intelligence > Process data only on device on earlier One UI 6.1 releases).
Important limitation: Turning on Process data only on device does not convert cloud-based generative tools into offline local tools. Instead, as Samsung’s official AI privacy FAQ explains, enabling this toggle prevents your phone from sending data to online servers for Galaxy AI processing—which means features that require cloud processing cannot be used while the toggle is active.
- What continues to work with “Process data only on device” enabled: On-device functions that rely on downloaded language packs, such as Live Translate for phone calls, Interpreter, and offline Samsung Keyboard translation.
- What is unavailable or restricted while the toggle is enabled: Features that require server-side processing—including Generative Edit in Gallery, Note Assist summarization and auto-formatting, and Browsing Assist webpage summaries—will prompt you to allow online processing before they can run.
- How cloud data is handled when online processing is allowed: Samsung’s privacy documentation states that for Samsung-operated cloud features such as Photo Assist / Generative Edit, user inputs are transmitted solely to deliver the requested AI result and are not stored by Samsung after the output is generated. However, privacy handling varies by specific tool, and third-party services integrated into One UI (such as Circle to Search with Google or Google Gemini) are governed by Google’s respective terms and privacy policies. Always review the feature-specific disclosure notice inside Settings > Galaxy AI on your phone.
Prerequisites When a Galaxy AI Feature Is Missing or Grayed Out
If one of the features above does not appear on your phone, check these four requirements before troubleshooting further:
- Samsung Account Sign-In: Most Samsung-built Galaxy AI tools (Live Translate, Note Assist, Transcript Assist, Generative Edit, Interpreter) require signing in to a Samsung Account under Settings > Samsung account.
- Default App Requirements: Chat Assist only works when Samsung Keyboard is set as your active default keyboard (it does not appear inside Gboard or SwiftKey). Browsing Assist only runs inside the Samsung Internet browser.
- Language Pack Downloads: For Live Translate, Interpreter, and offline Chat translation, open Settings > General management > Language packs and verify that both the source and target languages are downloaded.
- Hardware & Software Eligibility: Feature support depends on your exact model’s processor and One UI version (see the compatibility FAQ below and our Samsung One UI rollout and eligibility guide).
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Galaxy AI features still free to use?
Samsung’s launch disclosures stated that Galaxy AI features would be provided for free until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices, and Samsung has continued offering the built-in One UI tools (Live Translate, Note Assist, Chat Assist, Generative Edit, and Circle to Search) without a separate Samsung subscription fee in 2026. Third-party AI features or cloud tiers (such as paid Google Gemini Advanced plans) follow their respective provider’s terms and pricing.
Which Samsung phones support Galaxy AI features (and which features are excluded on older models)?
Galaxy AI support is feature-specific rather than identical across every compatible device:
- Full 7-feature coverage (including Instant Slow-Mo): Supported on flagship models including the Galaxy S25 series (and Galaxy S25 FE), Galaxy S24 series (including S24 FE), Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 5/6/7, Galaxy Z Flip 5/6/7, and Galaxy Tab S9/S10 series.
- Galaxy S23 FE exception: Per Samsung UK’s official Galaxy AI compatibility guide, the Galaxy S23 FE receives Live Translate, Interpreter, Note Assist, Chat Assist, Browsing Assist, Circle to Search, and Generative Edit, but does not support Instant Slow-mo.
- Older flagships & Galaxy A-series models: Older devices updated to One UI 6.1+ (such as the Galaxy S22 series, Galaxy Z Fold 4 / Z Flip 4, and Tab S8 series) and midrange Galaxy A-series phones (such as the Galaxy A56 5G, A55 5G, and A36 5G with Awesome Intelligence) receive a selective subset of features based on hardware capabilities. Check your device’s Settings > Galaxy AI menu or local Samsung support page for the exact list supported on your model number.
Does the other caller need a Samsung phone for Live Translate to work?
No. Because Live Translate processes the call audio on your supported Galaxy phone itself, the person on the other end of the line can be using an iPhone, another Android brand, or a landline telephone.