Amazon Alexa now gives users the ability to make voice or video calls over Skype. That’s why it’s a feature coming to Echo speakers and other compatible devices. Microsoft and Amazon are further cementing their partnership around the smart assistant, which has already landed on PC Windows 10 and Xbox One recently.
Amazon Alexa is further expanding its range of features with the arrival of Skype calls. It’s an option available on devices that dock the smart assistant, including Echo speakers, of course. This concerns both voice and video calls for devices with screens. We’re particularly considering the Amazon Echo Spot we tested, which has a front camera in addition to a 2.5-inch panel.
Amazon Alexa: It’s now possible to initiate Skype calls on an Echo speaker
As is often the case, English-speaking countries are the first to be served. Microsoft is announcing it’s available for the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, India, Australia, and New Zealand. Supporting other countries “be there soon”, the American giant promises. This makes it known that to celebrate Skype’s introduction to Alexa, 200 minutes of free communications from Skype to a phone number (34 countries) are offered. Of course, the service remains free for Skype-to-Skype calls.
An update to the Amazon Alexa application has clarified its interface, which is now more practical to use. To configure Skype in the application, just go to the tab Communication Via the chat bubble symbol in the bottom menu, just to the left of the Alexa logo that acts as the home button. Then it looks like several options To search Where Message. This is where the Skype setting will be added when deployed for France.
Relationships between Amazon and Microsoft look good anyway, with partnerships proliferating between the two groups regarding voice assistants. Amazon Alexa can replace Cortana on Windows 10 PC, for example. Alexa also lets you control the Xbox One by voice, confirming Amazon’s desire to integrate its AI into Microsoft’s hardware. At the same time, it seems like a certain confession of desperation from the latter, who did not impose Cortana on the market for a long time.
