How To Talk To Alexa On iPhone And Android

Alexa is the digital assistant of your Amazon Echo which helps to communicate with Echo and other smart devices. If you are not in the vicinity of your Echo and want to talk to Alexa, you can do it now! With the latest update, Alexa app on your Android or iOS can let you communicate with her. And also, third-party apps will now listen for her. The listens for feature works on Android only. Initiate the setup and now you can check whether it works, by giving commands to Alexa such as tell me my appointments for the day or ask about the weather forecast. Alexa will respond to the commands via your smartphone or tablet. Let’s know how to talk to Alexa on Android device and iPhone.

Update Alexa App to the latest Version:

It is mandated to run the latest version of Alexa on your Android or iOS. To check on an iOS device, locate App Store and tap on updates to get the latest version of Alexa. If you have Android device, then open Play Store and locate the hamburger icon from the top left-hand side corner. Tap on My apps & games. You will get the list of apps and navigate to Alexa if you get update beneath. Tap on it to update.

Check for App Permissions:

Once you have checked that your Alexa app is up to date open Alexa and look for the blue circle located at the bottom corner of the app. If you launch Alexa for the first time, you will get a prompt asking for permission to access your location and microphone. This helps Alexa to follow commands, so tap on Allow and then Done.

Speak to Alexa

Now Alexa is ready to listen. You don’t need a wake-up word. All you need is shoot your question such as “How’s the weather?” If you want to communicate with Alexa again, then tap the blue circle and give another command and so on.

How to use the App

Whenever you want to talk to Alexa via its app, tap the blue circle to get started. You can ask your Alexa to show the weather forecast or play music and more. Moreover, you can control your smart home devices via Alexa

Alexa Listens

Alexa Listens enables you to talk to Alexa directly on an Android device. This app is not an original Amazon app. It is developed by WBPhoto. Tap on Alexa Listens icon and speak your question or command. You can set the app in a way that it could always be in the listening mode. All you need to do is wake up with your voice and talk to Alexa. So, download the app and sign in to your Amazon account. You need to make sure that you have agreed to provide the app Amazon Alexa’s connectivity.

Alter Settings

Alexa Listens will then launch. Tap Settings. From Settings page, select what options you need to enable or disable. You get options to get notifications, stay open after an interaction, and more.

You will be prompted if you want Alexa to be an always-on listener. Enabling it means, you can wake Alexa by its voice.

Note: Enabling this option may disable other microphone functions.

It is up to you if you want to enable or disable the always-on listener feature.

How to use Alexa Listener

Open the app and tap microphone icon. After a few seconds, when App comes into listening mode, give your command. Alexa will respond to the command. Once it is done, it again goes to Listening mode, you can ask another question or close the app if you are done.

So, in this way you can talk to Alexa on your Android and iPhone. Try it out and let us know if it works!