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

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

By

alexa
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…
I replaced my kitchen TV with an Echo Show 15 — and I kinda liked it
Amazon Echo Show 15 showing Fire TV experience, with an Amazon Fire TV voice remote in the foreground.

For the better part of the last 20 years, my family has had a TV in our kitchen. It was the cheapest 19-inch flat screen I could find at the time -- a 720p Sharp model -- and we hooked it up to our cable connection and a Tivoli One speaker for better sound. It worked just fine -- no complaints. But when Amazon asked if I wanted to try swapping that ancient rig out for something a bit more modern, like an Amazon Echo Show 15 with its latest Fire TV update, I figured why not? Three weeks into the experiment, here’s how it’s going.
You’re gonna need a mount …

1.
The original Sharp 19-inch TV …
2.
… and the Amazon Echo Show 15.

Read more
HomePod Mini vs. Echo Dot: which is better?
Apple HomePod mini on table

The Apple HomePod Mini and Echo Dot are two of the best smart speakers of 2023. Both clock in at less than $100, offer eye-catching designs, and give you all the versatility you’d expect from top-of-the-line smart speakers. But which speaker is more deserving of a spot in your home?

Before picking up the HomePod Mini or Echo Dot, you’ll want to do a bit of research. It's hard to go wrong with either product, but one might be a slightly better fit for your household. From pricing and compatibility to sound quality and more, here’s everything you need to know about these two smart speakers.
Design

Read more
Amazon Alexa aims to streamline the EV charging experience
Amazon Alexa lists EV charging station locations on a vehicle touchscreen.

While the number of EV charging stations continues to grow, finding a station and paying for charging can still be a hassle. But soon you'll be able to simply ask Alexa.

At CES 2023, Amazon announced Alexa-enabled charging services that will let EV drivers find a charging station via Alexa, as well as pay for charging at certain stations when they become available to drivers in the U.S. later in 2023. You'll need a car with Alexa integration or an accessory like one of Amazon's Echo Auto devices, however.

Read more