14 DAY TRIAL // Amazon’s virtual AI assistant Alexa is one of the most competitive on the market, as it can be found on Echo speakers and a number of smartphones, including Huawei Mate 9. Now, Amazon decided to make the virtual assistant available to even more users.
The Amazon app for iOS has just received an update, which includes Alexa. The virtual assistant is now integrated into the app, while the update is expected to roll out in stages, reaching all users in about one week.
Alexa can be accessed by tapping on an iPhone’s microphone in the search bar. The virtual assistant answers questions, helps users with online shopping, and plays music on request. Moreover, it can be used for accessing books in the user’s Kindle library, as well as songs from Amazon Music Unlimited, Prime Music, and purchased songs and albums.
Amazon might update its Android app as well
Playback controls are featured on the screen when media starts playing and audio will continue to stream in the background when users dismiss them. Alexa can provide users with updates on the news, weather information and traffic details.
The AI virtual assistant can also help manage smart home devices and seems to give users access to all features that are also found on Amazon’s smart speaker line. At this point, it’s unclear if Alexa will be included in a possible update to Amazon’s shopping app for Android.
However, Alexa is making its way to a number of smartphones, including Moto Z, Moto Z Force and Moto Z Play. Last month, Motorola introduced a new Moto Mod modular accessory which offers an enhanced speaker with Alexa integration.
The competition in the market of virtual personal assistants is about to become even more heated this month after Samsung launches the Galaxy S8 with its own virtual assistant Bixby. Currently, the market includes other AI assistants as well, like Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant.