Amazon's Alexa assistant will soon be able to open Android and iOS apps using voice commands, thanks to a new feature called Alexa for Apps that Amazon is launching for app developers as of today.
With Alexa for Apps, iPhone and Android users can make requests using the Alexa app, Alexa built-in phones, or Alexa accessories like Echo Buds and interact directly with mobile apps similar to Siri or Google Assistant.
On iPhones and Android phones, Alexa would serve as an alternative to the voice assistants built into the smartphones by default, and Amazon envisions the feature being used for voice searches and activating app functionality.
For example, an iPhone user might ask Alexa to open Twitter and search for a specific hashtag. The skill will open up the Twitter app on the iPhone and then display a list of results that can be scrolled through rather than a voice response. Or, in TikTok, a user might ask Alexa to start a recording, which would then allow for hands-free video capture.
Alexa for Apps can be implemented into any app that can be opened with deep links, and Amazon says that the feature is being added to experiences for TikTok, Yellow Pages, Uber, Sonic, Zynga, Volley, and more.
According to Amazon, Alexa for Apps works in mobile apps with content that can be opened through deep links, and it can be utilized by adding Alexa for Apps to a custom skill, but developers will need to apply to the program to add the feature to their apps.
Amazon has several other Alexa-related announcements that it's sharing today as part of Alexa Live, a developer-focused Alexa event.
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