Alexa should soon be able to control Android and iOS apps. This could eliminate a major disadvantage of the Alexa app for smartphones.
Amazon is working on a new feature for Alexa that can control iOS and Android apps. Users could then use the voice assistant, for example, to start a recording on Tiktok or to have the route of an Uber vehicle ordered by voice command shown on the display.
According to Amazon, the respective developers do not have to make any major changes to the apps controlled by Alexa, provided the respective function is already available via deep links. Currently, however, the function called Alexa for Apps is still in a preview phase. If you want to develop Alexa skills with which your own app can be controlled, you have to apply to participate in the program on the Alexa for Apps website .
Users either need the Alexa app on their smartphone or Alexa-enabled peripheral devices such as Amazon’s Echo Bud headphones. But it remains to be seen how many app developers will actually use the function. After all, Android and iOS already have voice assistants integrated into the operating systems.
Alexa should become a better conversationalist
As part of the Alexa Live virtual developer conference, Amazon presented a number of other functions . With Alexa Conversations , which is currently in beta, Amazon has introduced a new AI-supported dialog manager. It should be used to create skills that are capable of much more natural conversations.
With the Alexa Web API for Games, in turn, HTML-based games can be built for Alexa devices with screens. The Skill Resumption function is intended to ensure that skills can continue to run in the background. In this way, users can always return to this skill without having to restart it.