Amazon has just announced the Echo Show, which will enable video calling through a dedicated touchscreen, but that doesn’t mean owners of previous generation Echo units are missing out on a little communication.
On Tuesday, the firm also unveiled Alexa Calling which will bring free audio calls through supported Echo devices or the Alexa App for smartphones.
Users with the Alexa App, an Echo, Echo Dot, or Echo Show will be able to send and receive voice calls and messages when the feature is enabled. Amazon isn't listing the Echo Tap, probably because of the outdoor nature of the device.
Amazon says it’s coming soon, but hasn’t announced a go date yet.
So how does it work? Well when a call is incoming a green light ring will appear on the Echo device and, users will be able to answer, ignore or hang up the call using their voice.
The green light will also appear when you have a message, along with a chime. Messages can also be read within the Alexa app.
Sending messages using the Echo can just be done with the voice.
As with most things Amazon is doing in this space, we can probably expect Amazon to roll this feature out in the United States first.
