Amazon Alexa app finally gets Voice Control feature on iOS

Although Amazon’s Alexa app for iOS is available for a long time, iPhone users have been unable to interact with the app using their voice. Fortunately, that is changing now as Amazon is finally bringing full voice control to Alexa app for iPhone users.

Previously, the voice control feature was limited to Android devices and today’s announcement marks a big push for Amazon into third-party operating systems. However, the bad news is that you cannot use Alexa natively on your iPhone. You will need to launch the Alexa app to use it. This is due to a restriction placed by Apple to limit competition against its products. So, third-party digital assistants cannot get the same treatment as Siri.

Like Alexa in your Amazon Echo, Alexa app will provide users with pretty much all the functionality you might expect from it. For starters, you can use it to control your connected smart home devices and access any of its 40,000-plus skills. Alexa on iOS and Android also has a visual component to it – if you ask about the weather, you get a visual representation of the answer on your phone. If you ask about your calendar events, you see your upcoming appointments.

Amazon has, of course, been at something of a disadvantage in the smart assistant race. Among the big three, Alexa is the only one without a major mobile footprint. The company has seen some small in-roads through partnerships with Android hardware developers like Motorola and Huawei, but Google and Apple have a clear vested interest in developing their own smart assistant ecosystem.

Because of that, launching Alexa onto as many iOS and Android handsets seems like the best way for Amazon to proceed in its digital assistant endeavors. With the addition of voice, Alexa on mobile suddenly becomes more than just an app for setting up Echo devices.

The update will be rolled out over the next few days, so if you do not have it just yet, you will soon. Alexa has been getting increasingly popular over the past few years. Mobile aside, the digital assistant is available in a range of speakers, plus it is now coming to cars and kitchen appliances too.