In some good news for Twitter addicts who also happen to own an Alexa device, Amazon’s virtual assistant can now read you tweets.
That’s not all, with Twitter’s new Alexa app, you no longer have to stare sullenly at your laptop screen while scrolling through your endless Twitter timeline because, well, Alexa will do it for you. Leaving you free to make a sandwich or browse Facebook instead — whatever floats your boat.
Alexa’s Twitter Reader skill allows you to listen to tweets from your home timeline, find out what’s trending, and hear top tweets and your notifications. Basically, your Amazon Echo, Tap, or Echo Dot can now do everything but post a tweet for you. Alexa will even read you back your own tweets, if you’re narcissistic like that.
In order to get started, you’ll first need to authenticate with your Twitter account. The voice commands that prompt Alexa to complete your Twitter requests are relatively simple. First and foremost, you’ll have to ask Alexa to launch the Twitter app by stating “Alexa, open Twitter.” Other commands are self-explanatory, such as “Alexa, ask Twitter has anyone retweeted me?,” “Alexa, ask Twitter what is happening?” and “Alexa, ask Twitter for my mentions?”
That’s just scratching the surface, though, as Alexa also allows you to dig a little deeper by requesting more specific information. Beyond current trends, you can also ask the virtual assistant what is happening in a particular location by stating something along the lines of “Alexa, ask Twitter for trends in New York.”
For everyone out there that has a more, shall we say, unconventional Twitter timeline, be advised: Alexa will censor any profanities within tweets, according to PC Mag.
Twitter has been promoting the live news and commentary side of its platform of late, making it a good fit for Alexa, which already offers the latest news headlines, including all the new tidbits from Digital Trends.
