The Amazon Alexa app now lets you use Alexa voice commands

Up until now, Alexa's presence on Android has been a bit confusing. Phones like the Huawei Mate 9, HTC U11, and Moto X4 have the assistant built right into them, and last summer, Amazon rolled out Alexa to the Amazon Shopping app. Now, Alexa is getting a more fitting home inside of, well, the Alexa app.

The Alexa app has been a free download on Android since the launch of the first Amazon Echo, but you've never actually been able to use Alexa within the app. Instead, it's always acted as a hub for your Alexa lists, music control, etc. However, according to Android Police, Amazon will soon be updating the Alexa app so that you can tap an icon and perform all of the Alexa voice commands you've come to know and love.

This might be exciting news for Amazon superfans, but for most folks, this likely isn't anything that'll change your life. You'll still have to open up the Alexa app and tap the icon as saying "Alexa" doesn't do anything, and if this is the case, you might as well just use Alexa in the Amazon Shopping app that you probably already have.

Amazon's adding this new functionality to the Alexa app over the coming days, but I've already got it on my Pixel 2 with client version 1.24.3555.0 and bridge version 2.2.1010.0 of the app.

Or, you know, just use Google Assistant.

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Joe Maring

Joe Maring was a Senior Editor for Android Central between 2017 and 2021. You can reach him on Twitter at @JoeMaring1.