Simply put, the feature would allow you to set phrases like “Alexa, I’m home” instead of using specific wording such as “Alexa, turn on the lights.” While this isn’t a major update to Alexa’s set of tricks, it will undoubtedly make life easier for many smart-connected homes. As for voice-only Alexa devices like the Echo or the Echo Dot, developers can have their skills recommended in response to voice commands. These include “Alexa, let’s play a game” or even something as random as “Alexa, tell me a story.” Another big update to Alexa over the past week was the inclusion of a male voice. Known simply as “Ziggy,” the new voice can be enabled by simply saying, “Alexa, change your voice.” Alexa has had a large list of voices to choose from, including celebrity voices. However, the default Alexa voice has never changed since its launch in November 2014. Notably, rival voice assistants like Google Assistant and Siri have allowed both male and female voices for quite some time now.
