Those who are already invested in the Amazon Echo ecosystem may be looking to continue that experience on their phone — and with the HTC U11, that's now possible. Using Amazon Alexa on the U11 is nearly the same as using the voice control system on an Echo speaker, and that's really cool. Here's how to get it set up.
How to Install Alexa on the HTC U11
Getting started with Amazon Alexa is as easy as installing and launching an app. But as a prerequisite, you'll need to be on the latest firmware — 1.13.651.6 or later for the Sprint model and 1.16.617.6 or later for the U.S. unlocked model.
- Head to the Google Play Store and install the "HTC Alexa" app.
- Open the HTC Alexa app and sign into your Amazon account.
- Accept the prompt to grant location access to Alexa.
- Tap Next and then Finish and you'll see the Alexa voice prompt for the first time.
- Here, you can simply turn off the voice trigger and Edge Sense trigger.
- The Alexa app lets you configure Alexa on your U11 the same way you would an Amazon Echo speaker.
You can get started with Alexa right away after these steps. Just start talking to it!
How to use Alexa on the HTC U11
As is always the case, there's more to configure with Amazon Alexa on the U11 to make it extra useful. Here are some useful tips.
- Open the HTC Alexa app on your home screen.
- Configure Edge Sense to launch Alexa with a short- or long-squeeze action.
- Simply say "Alexa" near your phone — and yes, it even works when the screen is off.
- Set up your Flash Briefing, configure skills, add your interests, and more.
- You can do almost everything with Alexa on the U11 as you can with an Echo speaker.
- You can continue to use Google Assistant with a long-press of the home button, even while Alexa is enabled with a squeeze or hotword.
Though you won't find that Alexa can completely replace Google Assistant, it will be useful to configure and keep around if you also have Echo devices in your home.
