The Alexa iPhone app can now be used completely hands-free — although it does need a little help from Siri to do so…
It was always a little ironic that you could use the wake-word “Alexa” to activate Echo speakers and other Alexa-powered devices, while the iPhone app required you to touch a button to issue a voice command. Engadget reports that’s now been fixed in the latest version of the free app.
The catch is that you can’t, of course, tell the Alexa app to open itself in the first place. But you can tell Siri to do so. So, “Hey Siri, open the Alexa app,” followed by “Alexa, [do whatever]” will do the trick. That’s a little clunky if you just want Alexa to do one thing, but less so if you want to issue a series of Alexa commands, like adding things to a shopping list.
To get the feature, you’ll first need to update the app. Then, you’ll be given the option to enable hands-free detection, while a new setting will let you disable the feature at any time. To use it, the phone must be unlocked with the Alexa app open. The feature is arriving worldwide over the next several days, but as usual, it may take awhile to come to your region.
Photo: Tom’s Guide
