Amazon Alexa Voice Integration Comes to HTC U11 Android Flagship

HTC's flagship U11 smartphone offers a lot of perks, but if you're an Amazon Alexa fan, you could very well find yourself loving the device even more thanks to the AI's introduction. This isn't a mere Amazon app found on the device, but an officially supported implementation from HTC.

Whereas on other non-Amazon Android devices, saying "Alexa" would yield no results, the situation is different on the HTC U11. Just as you can use your Amazon Echo to use Alexa, you can talk to your U11 to play music, hear the daily news, and of course, shop from Amazon's online store. There are caveats, though, such as all responses being in voice form, and not being able to set an alarm.

At the moment, the app download is restricted to the USA, although if you have the installer APK, you may still be able to take advantage. HTC says that the UK and Germany will soon be added to the support list. Most of the app's initial ratings on the Play Store are from people complaining about the app not being available in their region, so there's some definite demand.

Another, perhaps less obvious caveat: the introduction of Alexa on the U11 makes it compete with other solutions on the device, including HTC's Sense Companion, and Google's own Assistant. That's bound to get a little confusing. Using multiple voice-activated AI could be equated to using three different search engines - one is often enough.

Your mileage may vary, but if you're a U11 owner looking for something to experiment with, it's worth checking this app out. Whether or not this is a sign we'll begin to see improved Alexa support in other phones, we'll have to wait and see.