Amazon has released a new update for its Alexa App for iOS users which brings a complete design overall to the app. The new UI will help users to easily access most of the features of the app including the smart home settings. Earlier Alexa app lacked the responsive element and was unusable at times but the new UI fixes all those issues. The new UI is also cleaner and easier to use. Amazon has also added a quicker way to switch between all the different types of smart home devices, as well as all the grouped devices can now be controlled with a single tap. You can check out the official changelog of the update below. Monitor and control multiple smart home devices at home or on the go Keep in touch with Drop In or connect with your Alexa contacts Add Bluetooth speakers to Multi-Room Music groups You can download the latest update from the iTunes Store below. Do let us know your thoughts on the update in the comments section below. Via: Thurrott<doc-sep>Amazon’s Alexa app has just been given a major visual overhaul, largely focused on helping users set up and control their smart home. From the app’s new devices tab, users can view all their different Alexa-enabled devices and groups on one screen, as opposed to switching between tabs like before. And the app is much more colorful, too. Instead of a set of white icons on a dark background, Alexa’s device groups — like Living Room, Kitchen, Bedroom, etc. — now feature colorful backgrounds, so you can find the one you need with just a glance. An overhaul of the devices section was needed, not only for aesthetic reasons, but because Alexa owners are stocking their house with more than one smart device. According to a Nielsen report on smart speaker adoption released earlier this month, four out of 10 U.S. smart speaker owners today have more than one device, for example. Smart home device sales are also expected to reach nearly $96 billion in 2018 and grow to $155 billion by 2023, another report estimates. Amazon itself sells a variety of smart devices, like Cloud Cam, Ring doorbells and Ring cameras. And it just introduced a whole mess of new Alexa-enabled devices at an event in Seattle last month, including everything from wall clocks to subwoofers to Alexa-powered microwaves. It’s clear the retailer expects people to continue to build out their smart home, and its app needed to adapt accordingly. In the new version of the app, the device types are displayed as icons across the top of the screen — starting with “Echo & Alexa” devices, then “Lights,” “Audio,” “Plugs” and others. Below this are the colorful groupings of devices by room, each with their own “On/Off” button. A small “+” button at the top right of the screen allows you to easily add your newest device, too. Adding Bluetooth speakers to multi-room music groups is also now supported, the app’s update text says. The redesign also makes it simpler to call, message or “drop in” on your other Alexa devices — the latter being the feature that turns Echo speakers into a voice-controlled intercom system of sorts, triggered by saying “Alexa, drop in on…” followed by the device name. It’s especially handy for larger homes, where there is an upstairs and downstairs, for example, or for reaching family members in another part of the house. You can also drop in on trusted contacts, like grandma or grandpa. Now, these communication options each have their own button at the top of the messaging screen in the app, so you can just push a button to call, message or drop in, as you prefer. The new Alexa app is live on the iOS App Store. Amazon hasn’t made a formal announcement about the changes, as they still be rolling out to users following the update.<doc-sep>Amazon has updated the Alexa app with a visual redesign treatment. The updated Amazon Alexa app additionally makes it easier to set up Alexa-enabled devices and control multiple smart lights and other connected devices directly from the Devices tab. Amazon has already released the new experience the Alexa app version 2.2.235542.0 for iOS devices. However, it should also reach Android devices sometime in the coming days. The new app-level change comes days after the e-commerce giant brought its new Echo speakers as well as expanded Alexa to devices such as a microwave and a wall clock. Among other new changes, the updated Amazon Alexa app has the Devices tab that sits at the right-most side of the screen. The tab puts all your Alexa-enabled devices under one roof. You can also add a group of your smart devices to control them simultaneously. Further, you can also manage your connected devices from the Devices tab. You can also leverage the new screen to adjust the settings of your Echo speakers. The Devices tab also makes it easier than before to let you set up a new Alexa-enabled device. It categories devices such as Plug, Switch, Hub, Thermostat, Headphones, and Other. Further, popular brands such as eWeLink, Syska, and Philips Hue are available on the top to let you connect with your device in an even simpler way. You just need to tap the brand logo from the Setup screen and then press the Continue button to enable the Alexa skill of the particular brand. There is also a link to download the native app of the brand you tapped. Apart from the new Devices tab, the updated Amazon Alexa app has a new look. It gives you an easy access from where you can listen to the books that you have in your Kindle library. You can also tap the Communication tab from the updated app to call and message your contacts with supported Alexa-enabled devices using the Drop In feature. You can download the latest Amazon Alexa app on your iPhone or iPad directly from Apple App Store. The updated app is compatible with devices running iOS 9.0 and later and is 306.7MB in size. As The Verge reports, the update is also in the process of rolling out for Android globally.<doc-sep>
Amazon is rolling out a new design for the Alexa app to help users manage smart home devices in multiple rooms. The new app has a more colorful design and should make it easier for users to configure and access their Alexa-compatible devices, Tech Crunch reported. The app redesign is better described as a “rollout-in-process” because Amazon is releasing a series of Alexa App improvements, according to Amazon’s Help and Customer Service page. The company hasn’t officially announced the new app yet, possibly because they’ll wait until the majority of new app features and versions for both major mobile operating systems are ready. The new app follows Amazon’s recent Alexa hardware launch where the company introduced new Echo, Dot, and Show devices plus Alexa-compatible audio components, power outlets, a clock, auto dashboard devices, a camera, and even a microwave oven. Switching from the Alexa app’s now-familiar blue or white text on a black screen, the new app makes greater use of color as a means of managing individual devices, device categories, and all the devices in a single room or grouping. For example, in the app screenshots above, you can see a row of device type icons blocks across the top of the screen. There are separate icon blocks for Echo & Alexa, Lights, Audio, and Plugs. If you want to add a device, rather than work down through two levels as in the previous app, with the new design you can tap on a “+” sign in the upper right corner. Each room or grouping has a rectangular color block in the body of the screen, with icons in the block that represent each device or device group in the room. So there should be much less moving between screens and pulling up menus with the new app. The app’s new communications screen simplifies contacting others. Following the design concept for the device’s screen, you can choose from icons to call, message, or Drop-In on other people or parts of the house, using Alexa Echo devices like an in-home intercom. The Alexa app also supports Bluetooth speakers in multiple rooms, so you can set up and select music groups that consist of one or more rooms. It’s doubtful this will be the last Alexa app upgrade and, judging from the statement on Amazon’s help page, there may be additional features in this release that are yet to be rolled out. Editors' Recommendations