Amazon has now made Alexa available to ALL Android phones via the official Amazon Alexa app, which you can now pick up inside the Google Play Store.

Previously, the Amazon Alexa app could only be used to interact with Amazon Echo/Dot products. A recent update had changed all that, however, making the Alexa app a fully fledged personal assistant – just like Google Assistant.

In order for the app to work properly, the app needs to be open. This is unfortunately just a reality of Alexa not being hard-wired into Android’s source code. It’s an app and it works like an app, which means when the app is closed Alexa will not respond.

Alexa is slowly starting to appear inside a few non-Amazon products. Huawei’s Mate 9 phone was the first Android phone to ship with Alexa and I expect we’ll see plenty more phones ship with her in the future, as more and more brands strive to get away from Google’s grip.

The updated Alexa App for Android will land in a few days, so keep your eyes peeled for it. Once the updated app is official, either download the app or update your existing one, and you’re away, running Alexa on your Android phone.

What Can Amazon Alexa Do?

Glad you asked! here’s a breakdown of just a few of things Alexa can do:

CONNECT WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS

With the Alexa App, you can call and message Amazon Echo device owners and anyone else with the Alexa App on their phones. When you’re away from home, use the app to make a quick call or send a message to your family’s Echo. Use Drop In to instantly connect with your devices for a call. For example, you can drop in to let the family know it’s time for dinner or check in on the baby’s nursery.

ALWAYS READY, CONNECTED, AND FAST

For Alexa device owners, the free Amazon Alexa App is a companion to your Alexa device for setup, remote control, and enhanced features. Alexa is always ready to play your favourite music, provide weather and news updates, answer questions, create lists, and much more. Alexa's brain is in the cloud, so she continually learns and adds more functionality over time. The more you use Alexa, the more she adapts to your speech patterns, vocabulary, and personal preferences.

HOW IT WORKS

Interactions with devices with Alexa are automatically mirrored visually on your Amazon Alexa App, providing more information as you want it. The Amazon Alexa App lets you easily manage your alarms, music, shopping lists, and more -- wherever you are.