Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

Alexa will soon be talking a lot more with the upcoming Notifications update

Brendan Hesse
By

alexa
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Alexa, the electronic personal assistant present on many devices, will soon be more proactive in getting you important information as Amazon will be rolling out notification support to supported devices in the near future.

While Alexa has access to over 12,000 “skills” — the equivalent of apps on the platform — that can do everything from giving you the latest news headlines from your favorite publications, to sending someone a text, or even ordering food, there is no way for Alexa to alert you to new information waiting for you on its own. Thankfully, Amazon’s upcoming update for Alexa will change that.

Recommended Videos

With this update, Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Show users will get notifications when they have new information waiting from one of their skills. When enabled, a flashing green LED will indicate that you have a new notification. Ask “Alexa, what are my notifications?” or “Alexa, what did I miss?” and the artificial intelligence assistant will fill you in. For example, say you have been waiting for an update on the status of your most recent Amazon purchase and you notice that you have a notification. After asking about it, Alexa may then inform you that your order has shipped and will give an estimated delivery date.

Related

When the feature becomes available, users will need to opt-in to the service and then individually enable each skill you want notifications on. A number of skills will support notifications at launch, including Accuweather, The Washington Post, Just Eat, Life360, and Amazon shopping updates, with more coming in the future. Further, device manufacturers who develop Amazon Voice Service (AVS) devices will be able to add the feature, expanding device support for notifications beyond the Echo devices in the future.

Amazon will be rolling out the notifications feature in the coming months and you can sign up here to get notified when the feature becomes available.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Brendan Hesse
Brendan Hesse
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brendan has written about a wide swath of topics, including music, fitness and nutrition, and pop culture, but tech was…
Amazon might launch a paid version of Alexa later this year
An Amazon smart display on a kitchen counter.

Amazon hasn't had much success monetizing its popular Alexa smart assistant, but according to a new report from Business Insider, the e-commerce giant might be launching a paid version of Alexa to help offset costs. The so-called "Alexa Plus" would feature generative AI, allowing it to provide users with more detailed responses that better answer their questions.

Details are scarce, but it sounds like Amazon is expected to launch the service on June 30. The team first announced it was reworking Alexa last September, which was followed by reports that over 15,000 users were helping test the service under the code name "Remarkable Alexa."

Read more
Amazon is trying to prove that AirPlay and Chromecast don’t matter
Amazon Fire TV on Echo Show 15.

Amazon's Echo Show 15 is now Matter Casting compatible. Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Casting content from your phone to a smart TV, streaming device, or other connected gadgets is super convenient -- when it works. Because of incompatible and proprietary casting technologies, plus a wide variety of apps, devices, and platforms, getting to work in the first place can be a royal pain. But that might be about to change.

Read more
Alexa adds new features to help with your holiday shopping
An Amazon smart display on a kitchen counter.

Alexa is one of the most popular smart assistants, and this month it's becoming even more useful. Just in time for the holidays, Amazon has rolled out three new features to assist with your trips to the grocery store.

One of the coolest new features allows you to scan your handwritten shopping list and instantaneously convert it to an Amazon Shopping list. After opening the Alexa app and heading to the Shopping List menu, simply press the Scan button to start the process.

Read more