Last year, Googlespruced up its Home app, claiming you’ll suffer less click fatigue with its refreshed menus, a nifty Favorites page, a quick bookmark feature for yourbeloved smart home devices, and support for automation-triggering sensors. Customization took the spotlight, letting users tailor their view of devices and actions. Unsurprisingly, Amazon took note and followed suit with its freshAlexaapp redesign.
Amazon has been steadily refining Alexa throughout the year, making it more intuitive and user-friendly. Earlier in 2023, the tech giant consolidated key controls on the Home screen for simplified smart home management. Additionally, it introduced a new Map View exclusively for iOS devices, offering a visual interface to manage and control connected devices. The company has now decided to roll out the remaining updates all at once.
In ablog post, Jeff Barberio, head of product for Alexa, said that Amazon is basically giving the app a glow-up to make the smart home the main event. The idea is to make it a breeze for users to get to their go-to devices and features with just a tap or two.
The new Home tab ditches the cluttered layout of the previous version and embraces a more organized approach. This means the new interface has a dedicated Shortcuts carousel at the top, followed by an Activity section, and a Favorites section at the bottom.
The new Shortcuts bar categorizes devices and highlights frequently used features likeRoutines. And if certain features aren’t your cup of tea, you can easily customize the carousel to match your preferences. This handy bar even displays the real-time status of your connected devices. However, there’s a curious twist: the device status readouts will initially be available to users with 20 or fewer devices, before rolling out to everyone else in the coming months.
Meanwhile, the Favorites tab puts your most frequently used smart home devices right at your fingertips. For now, this section supports a handful of device types, including smart lights, locks, and cameras. Amazon has hinted at expanding this list in the future.
The Devices tab has undergone a makeover too, serving as the app’s centralized settings hub. At the top of this revamped tab, you’ll find Groups, which neatly organize all your connected devices by room. If you’re a fan of individual control, each gadget will also be listed below. Amazon has also given the app’s search function a boost, allowing you to sort devices by name, date added, alphabetical order, or specific keywords.
Finally, striking up a conversation with Alexa just got a whole lot easier. The app’s chat features have been revamped to provide a more immersive and engaging experience. Simply tap the blue chat bubble in the lower right corner of the screen to access full-screen visual responses, suggested conversation prompts, and more.
Of course, some people might be disappointed that the new Alexa app looks so much likeGoogle Home. That said, what matters is that it is finally easy to use. And if that means borrowing a few ideas from Google, then so be it.
