Amazon Alexa Routines Can Now Play Music and More
While Apple’s HomePod has been struggling to get off the ground, Amazon Alexa continues to become even smarter with a big addition to routines.
The virtual assistant powering the Amazon Echo lineup of other devices can now play music, podcasts, and radio shows as part of a routine.
For example, you could set a wakeup routine in the morning that would turn on lights in your home and play a specific song. Users can select to take advantage of all supported music services to add to a routine. Routines can be created and modified using the Amazon Alexa iOS app.
Currently, Apple’s Siri only supports routines that control smart home devices.
Launching in February, Apple’s $349 has been criticized for Siri’s lack of features compared to Alexa.
A recent report from The Information detailed development issues with Siri. But the recent hire of Google’s former Chief of Search and Artificial Intelligence signals Tim Cook and Apple are serious about make some big improvements to its assistant.
