Alexa will soon be able to open and execute commands on iPhone and Android apps
Amazon is seeking to launch a new feature for its Alexa smart application, which will enable you to run iPhone and Android applications using a voice command. This means, in the future, you can just say “Alexa, then start recording for example TikTok” and it will take you to the app.
This feature is called Alexa for Apps, and Amazon sees it as a way to enable you to continue using the functionality of your favorite apps when you want to. TikTok was used as an example because it will enable you to start recording a video through this application without first having to go to the application and click on buttons to enter the application sections.
Another example, as reported by The Verge, is the ability to command Alexa to just search hashtags on Twitter, without having to open the app first.
This new development in Alexa’s capabilities is about making Amazon’s virtual assistant as useful as Siri and Google Assistant for smartphone users. These two have the advantage of deep system-level integration and can do a lot of this already.
It seems that Alexa has literally conquered the smart speaker space, and now wants to become a more capable assistant on your phone, but there is a roadblock standing in its way: the development by developers to keep up with giants like Apple and Google.
App developers need to rework some of their integrations in order for them to work and make their apps compatible with the new Alexa service, which means time, effort and money, while – arguably – these types of functionality are already well served by Google and Apple in phones.
It will be interesting to see how much progress Amazon can make in this market, but our initial feeling is that development could be a bit slow and it’s only in preview mode at the moment, and this could give Amazon the time it needs to develop before the feature is more widely available.
Android phone owners can download Amazon’s virtual assistant, Alexa From here iPhone owners can also download Amazon Alexa From here
