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Amazon iOS App Gains Alexa Voice Assistant to Track Orders, Shop, and More

Thursday March 16, 2017 10:50 AM PDT by Mitchel Broussard

Amazon today announced that it will introduce its Siri competitor, Amazon Alexa, directly into the company's iOS app over the course of the next week (via VentureBeat). With the addition of Alexa, users will now be able to ask questions about the status of their orders, use their voice to initiate searches, play music, and start audio books from Audible.

Alexa's powers go beyond Amazon's shopping features -- users will also be able to use the voice assistant to search current news stories, check the weather, and even control smart home products. This means that iOS users who don't own any Amazon hardware can now gain access to Alexa's growing list of skills, which let users easily link multiple services together for quick voice control interactions.

Some users will begin seeing the Alexa update in Amazon's iOS app [Direct Link] starting today, but the rollout is expected to reach everyone on iOS by next week.

Tags: Alexa, Amazon

Top Rated Comments

Carlanga

115 months ago

are you saying the alexa from inside the app will be able to control smart home products?

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

44267547

115 months ago

WOW! Well this is cool!
I love competition and I also love my Amazon Dot!:)

Alexa is growing all the time. Auto manufacturers were recently testing Alexa, of course there is the Echo/Dot, and now Amazon is expanding with orders. I think this trend is slowly growing, but it matters in the right area's.

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

coolfactor

115 months ago

This sounds pretty neat. I often ask Alexa (in the form of my Echo) about the status of my Amazon orders, and I use both Siri and Alexa for home automation tasks (I have most devices working with both, whether official or not), which is most of what I do with both of them anyway.

"Hey Siri, ask Alexa to ask Siri to turn off the lights."
[doublepost=1489702495][/doublepost]

Alexa is growing all the time. Auto manufacturers were recently testing Alexa, of course there is the Echo/Dot, and now Amazon is expanding with orders. I think this trend is slowly growing, but it matters in the right area's.

Yah, I honestly think Apple's annual (or more) release schedule for product and service updates is going to bite them where it counts very soon. Competition that can remain nimble and responsive will eat them for lunch.

Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Carlanga

115 months ago

Why would yo want toruin the security of your device and allow audio and video snooping on it. You see Google and Amazon both signed agreements with the Government for funding to help develop their Smart assistants. This agreement allows for the device to become a conduit for silent snooping. I understand they want to get the bad guy, but this opens the door, wide, for people to steal your personal information...think "Digital Wallets" and other information.

Lol you thinking apple doesn't... plus the app is sandboxed. Be more afraid of Siri than a personal assistant that lives inside a sandboxed app.

Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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