That Amazon Echo device in your home is about to get a lot more vocal — using your words. Amazon today is rolling out a new feature called Alexa Announcements that allows one-way announcements to be made to every Echo device in a household.
Simply by saying to one Echo device, “Alexa, announce” followed by a brief phrase like “it’s time for dinner” or “honey, I’m home!,” every compatible Echo device linked to the same household account will speak that phrase in your voice (not Alexa’s voice). Amazon says the commands “Alexa, tell everyone” and “Alexa, broadcast” will also work the same way. It’s purely one-way communication, much like an old-style intercom broadcast announcement.
An Amazon spokesperson says the new feature will automatically work across the Echo family of devices once the rollout that begins today in the U.S. and Canada is complete. That includes the original Echo, Echo Plus, Echo Dot, Echo Show, and Echo Spot. But it will not support, currently, the transportable Amazon Tap. No setup is required in the Amazon Alexa app.
Amazon says millions of its customers already have more than one Echo device at home. The new Alexa Announcements feature is in addition to other Echo multi-device features such as Alexa Calling & Messaging, Multi-Room Music, and Drop In (which supports a device-to-device intercom).
