Do more with these new Alexa features at home and on-the-go

We’re constantly inspired by the many ways customers tell us they use Alexa in their day-to-day lives. These stories fuel our work to deliver experiences that keep getting better and more intuitive. We are announcing a lineup of new Alexa-enabled devices and experiences designed to help you simplify your everyday life, so you can focus on enjoying the things you love most. The latest Alexa features build on that concept—offering more ways for families to stay entertained, personalize their Alexa interactions, automate their smart home, remain connected, and support one another from afar.

We’re building new ways Alexa can help you stay entertained with richer experiences that bring more to Echo Show’s entertainment lineup. Here’s what we’ve been working on:

Fire TV is coming to Echo Show 15
When we launched Echo Show 15, our vision was to deliver a device that could also double as a kitchen TV—only much smarter. A majority of households already use Echo Show 15 to watch videos, and soon, we will offer Fire TV on Echo Show 15. With this free update, existing Echo Show 15 customers across the world will be able to access Fire TV content. For example, this will enable those who live in the U.S. to find and watch over a million movies and TV episodes from providers like Paramount+ and Showtime—a first for Echo Show.

You’ll be able to easily find a show by simply asking Alexa. You could say, for example, “Alexa, play The Rings of Power.” Or, with the new Fire TV widget, view shortcuts to recently streamed apps, recently watched content, and your personal watchlist. To skim through entertainment options on Fire TV, you can either touch the screen, use your voice, or pair the Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote (3^rd Gen).

Creative AI
With this new feature, kids can soon co-create stories with Alexa. Following Alexa’s prompts on an Echo Show device, kids can select or customize animated characters—like pirates, monsters, and astronauts—and Alexa will craft an interesting story with captivating visuals and fun music, all tailored to their preferences. Along with their imagination, kids can use a variety of templates and state-of-the-art AI innovations to create a unique visual story, personalized to them.

Customers interact with Alexa billions of times each week, but we know that every household is unique—so we’re adding even more options for you to personalize your Alexa experiences.

Personalized Routine content
Millions of customers use Alexa Routines every day, and soon Alexa will be able to deliver Routine content that is specific to each person in the household. This new feature allows customers with an Alexa Profile to receive personalized results for certain actions in Routines when they are recognized, including calendar updates, playing music, and traffic reports. For example, if both you and your partner kick off a Routine by saying “Alexa, good morning,” each of you can start the day by having Alexa share your upcoming meetings, based on your individual calendars.

Weather Schedule Insights
This new Alexa feature will integrate and display weather insights in your calendar view. Additionally, you can receive a notification when rain or snow may be in the forecast and could impact your outdoor event as far as 10 days out, so you can plan accordingly.

Video sticky notes
You can now create recorded video messages for anyone in your home that can be displayed on your Echo Show screen or viewed in the Alexa app. You can use messages to wish someone good luck on a big presentation, share instructions for how to get ready for a family visit, or give a quick reminder about the time of your dinner reservations before heading out the door. Recording a note is as simple as saying, “Alexa, make a video note,” or “Alexa, record a sticky note.”

Shop the Look
Alexa will soon make shopping experiences more personal and convenient with a new Shop the Look feature. This makes it easy for you to find inspiration for fashion, home, and beauty products directly on your Echo Show. Browse through the convenience of voice by describing what you want to see on screen. For example, you can say, “Alexa, show me green yoga pants,” or find similar products by saying, “Alexa, show me similar pants with pockets.”

More than 30% of smart home interactions are initiated by Alexa without you saying anything, thanks to predictive and proactive features like Alexa Routines, Alexa Hunches and Alexa Guard. Now we’re introducing even more features designed to work in the background of your smart home.

“Alexa, turn off the lights in 10 minutes”
You can now ask Alexa to turn your connected smart home devices on or off at a specific time or after a desired amount of time up to 24 hours in the future. For example, you can say “Alexa, turn off the lights in 10 minutes” or “Alexa, turn on the fan at 6 p.m.,” making it easier to manage devices around your schedule.

Edge Extensions
Alexa Edge Extensions will soon enable fourth generation Echo and Echo Show 15 devices to function as a hub and provide extended functionality to previous generations of Echo devices on the same home network. For example, your Echo Dot will be able to seamlessly connect to your Echo Show 15 to do things like adjust the volume, control the lights, and get the date and time—even without internet connectivity. You will also be able to leverage these hub devices to enable local voice processing capabilities for supported devices.

More control with remote switches
Alexa will now support remote switches, offering you the benefits of a wired smart switch, but with the flexibility to be placed wherever works best for you without any wiring. Remote switches can support Routines, so Alexa can read you the news or turn off all the lights in your house at the push of a button. We’re also adding two new Routine actions to offer you more control over your home through remote switches. You can set an action that can toggle a light on and off or adjust the brightness of your lights and dim them by 25% every time you push the button.

View multiple live feeds on Echo Show devices
By the end of the year, you will be able to view up to two compatible smart home cameras simultaneously on Echo Show 5 and up to four on all other Echo Show devices. For example, on your Echo Show 15, say, “Alexa, show my cameras” to simultaneously see the smart home camera in your nursery and see who is at the front door without switching between camera views.

Customers often tell us they want to access Alexa wherever they are, so they can add items to their to-do list or shopping list, get the latest meeting update on their calendar, or check notifications–all hands free. Now we’re adding even more features and services to keep you connected while on the move.

“Alexa, call Roadside Assistance”
With Amazon Roadside Assistance, you can ask Alexa to call a roadside assistance provider who can assess the situation—whether it’s a flat tire or if you’ve run out of gas—and get you the help you need. You only pay for the services you need and you can soon access Roadside Assistance via your Echo devices, Echo Auto, or the Alexa app.

Whole Foods curbside pick-up
When your Whole Foods Market curbside pick-up order is ready, you can have Alexa notify you on your Echo devices at home, or if you’re on the move get notifications on Echo Auto and through the Alexa app. Once a notification is received, you can simply say, "Alexa, check into Whole Foods," and let Whole Foods Market know you’re on the way. Alexa will deliver a welcome message with instructions on where to park and how to notify team members that you’ve arrived to collect your groceries.

Enhanced Hunches for On-The-Go
Soon, with this feature enabled, Alexa can proactively notify you on Echo Auto if it has a Hunch that you left, no one else is at home, and your front door is unlocked. When you hear the notification, you can ask Alexa to lock it for you by just using your voice.

Using Alexa to communicate is convenient and simple. You can easily stay connected to friends and family with hands-free features like calling, Drop In, and Announcements. We’re now introducing a few new features that make this process even better.

Mobile Call Captioning
Call Captioning already enables you to see real-time captions for Alexa calls made from your Echo Show devices. Now, we’ve extended this feature to the Alexa app when dropping in or making calls, helping those who are deaf, hard of hearing, or in loud or noisy environments to communicate with others while away from home. This feature is available in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Brazil, supported in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.

Custom Alerts
Alexa Together is a service designed to help aging customers feel more comfortable and confident living independently and to give their families peace of mind. The service offers the aging loved one hands-free access to Urgent Response—all day, every day—by simply asking Alexa to call for help. The feature allows up to 10 caregivers to all stay connected throughout the day with snapshots of their aging loved one's connected smart home device interactions and activity alerts. Customers tell us these alerts help families stay in the loop, so we’re making them more customizable. Soon, caregivers will be able to get notifications when motion from a smart sensor is detected in a certain room, a smart light is turned on at an odd hour, or get peace of mind when a connected smart lock detects that a door is opened.

These features will be rolling out over the coming months. We’re excited to hear about what you think and keep creating even more Alexa experiences.