Amazon today made Alexa, its artificial intelligence, available to a much wider selection of devices by adding Alexa to its iOS mobile shopping application.
Now any iPhone with the Amazon app aboard has access to Alexa, allowing people to search for and buy goods simply by asking Alexa for it. Amazon says customers can say things like “search for paper towels” or “reorder batteries” and Alexa will do those things within the confines of the Amazon app.
The app lets people listen to music and play Kindle books, ask basic questions, add skills, access Smart Home features, and check the news, weather, and traffic — all via voice requests. The app works hand-in-hand with iPhone owners’ Amazon accounts and subscriptions to services such as Amazon Music Unlimited or Amazon Prime.
The revised app includes a new microphone button that people tap in order to access Alexa from wherever they happen to be. Separate Alexa-powered devices, such as the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, or FireTV are not required.
Amazon’s main mobile shopping app is free to download from the iTunes App Store. Amazon didn’t say when Alexa might reach the Android variant of its app.
Amazon’s Alexa artificial intelligence competes on some level with Apple’s Siri, Google’s Assistant, and Microsoft’s Cortana. This marks the first time Alexa has been made widely available to smartphones.
