Editor's Review
This started life as a setup wizard for Echo speakers and has since become the control panel for the whole assistant: devices, routines, smart home hardware, shopping lists, alarms, and the settings that decide what Alexa will and will not do.
Setup and control:
Adding a speaker, a display or a third-party smart plug happens here, as does grouping hardware by room so a single spoken command reaches the right lights. Routines are the part worth learning properly, chaining actions behind a phrase, a time or a sensor, and that is where the assistant stops being a novelty and starts saving steps.
Away from the speaker:
Alexa also runs inside the app, so the phone can take questions directly. Voice history is visible, recordings can be deleted, and recognised voice profiles are managed from the same screens. Lists and reminders sync between phone and speaker, and calls and household announcements travel between devices.
A 4.04 rating is respectable rather than glowing, which suits an app covering this much ground. Layout reshuffles between versions frustrate people who had learned where things lived, third-party device integrations vary in quality with the manufacturer, and Amazon's own services are pushed harder than the alternatives. Without an Echo or a compatible smart device, most of what is here is scaffolding around nothing.
Features
Setup for Echo speakers, displays and compatible smart devices
Room grouping so one command reaches the right hardware
Routines triggered by phrase, schedule or sensor
Voice access to the assistant from the phone itself
Shopping lists, reminders and alarms synced with speakers
Calls and household announcements between devices
Voice recording history with deletion controls
Pros
One place to manage a mixed set of smart home hardware
Routines turn repeated actions into a single trigger
Recording history and deletion are exposed rather than buried
Costs nothing beyond the hardware you already own
Cons
Limited use unless you own an Echo or a compatible smart device
Layout changes between versions make settings hard to find again
Third-party device support is uneven and depends on the maker
Questions people ask
Do I need an Echo device for this to be useful?
Not strictly. The assistant runs inside the app, so you can ask questions, set reminders and manage lists on the phone. But setup, routines and room control only pay off once a speaker, display or compatible smart device is in the house.
Can I delete what the assistant has recorded?
Yes. Voice history is available in the app with options to review and delete recordings, change how long they are kept, and adjust whether they are used to improve the service.
