Amazon Alexa for Apple iOS just received a major update that allows users to use the digital voice assistant almost hands-free. Users need to update to the latest version of the app from the Apple App Store to get access to the new hands-free mode. Despite the update for hands-free commands, users still do not have access to a wake-up command like Amazon Echo speakers do. You still need to press the Alexa button to fire up the digital assistant and enable the hands-free mode.
Amazon Alexa is a smart assistant similar to Google Assistant, Apple Siri, and Microsoft Cortana. However, Amazon’s offering has a lot more third-party integration unlike any of the other digital voice assistants out there. Amazon can’t implement the ‘Hey, Alexa’ command for its digital voice assistant on Apple’s iPhones and iPads because that feature is exclusively reserved for Apple Siri only. Android devices are set to get the new update too in the near future with features similar to the iOS version of the app.
The recently released Alexa Skills feature for Echo devices is also available to iOS users. Users can use Alexa Skills to set up custom commands and actions to customize the Alexa experience. The voice assistant can be used for a range of actions including smart home device control, weather forecasts, trivia questions and much more. It can serve as a pocket encyclopedia and be a quick means of finding information pretty quickly without having to open up your browser and type out questions.
We feel that Amazon Alexa is a great virtual assistant and the hands-free mode makes it quite intuitive. Did you try out the new update to Amazon Alexa yet? Let us know your experiences with the app in the comments below. Get instant updates on TechNadu’s Facebook page, or Twitter handle.