Here’s one for you; how many personal assistants does it take to turn on a TV? According to Amazon, one isn’t enough. The company has released a new Alexa app for select Android TV sets, that will rival the Google Assistant on its home turf.
The Amazon Alexa Music, Cameras and TV Control app (if you’re not into the whole brevity thing) is now available to download from the Google Play Store for those with compatible Sony Android TV sets.
As the rather lengthy name would suggest, the app enables users to control the television with an “Alexa, turn on <TV Name>” voice command. It’ll also act as a control panel for Alexa-based smart home gadgets, like security and doorbell cameras. There’s also the opportunity to commence music playback for a number of third-party apps.
Those users will still need a compatible Amazon Alexa device, such as a smartphone running the Alexa app or an Echo speaker. Android Police reports the app is currently available on specific Sony models in the US, the UK, Germany, Spain, France, Austria, and the Republic of Ireland.
Related: Google Assistant vs Alexa
The release comes after as ceasefire between Amazon and Google and an agreement to be more accepting of each other’s respective products moving forward. There had been no mention of the company’s personal assistant offerings, but it seems we’re seeing a thawing of relations across the board.
In April the companies agreed that YouTube would return to Fire TV devices, while Chromecast would now offer support for the Prime Video app. The official YouTube app suffered a long absence that required users to use the built-in web browser to watch videos. Standalone YouTube TV and YouTube Kids apps will come to the Fire TV platform later this year. All apps will offer 4K HDR video at 60 frames per second where available.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.