By PYMNTS
In a move that lets users place and get phone calls through their Alexa gadgets, Amazon is launching a new collaboration with AT&T that will enable consumers to connect their phone numbers with their Alexa accounts, The Verge reported.
Users can connect their AT&T accounts to their Alexa gadgets by selecting “settings,” choosing the communication secondary menu, tapping the AT&T button and adhering to the directions.
They will have the capability to call numbers with instructions such as “Alexa, call Mom” or by vocalizing a number after they’ve connected their accounts. Additionally, they will be able to accept calls through Alexa with voice commands such as “Alexa, answer” and also have caller ID.
And, with Amazon’s current Away Mode turned on, calls can be temporarily disabled. By harnessing Alexa Routines, calls can be enabled or disabled for certain times.
A user could, say, request that the device provide rings for calls during the day to prevent him or her from being interrupted by advertising calls in the early hours of the morning.
The current Alexa calling feature was introduced in 2017 and let Echo devices place complimentary calls to landlines and cell phone numbers.
By contrast, the new feature lets Alexa users utilize their Echo gadgets in the same manner that they would utilize their typical phones from the telecom company.
In separate news, Amazon Pay has joined forces with ExxonMobil and Fiserv to provide touchless payments via Alexa at over 11,000 of the fuel company’s stations throughout the country.
The technology will let any customer pay for fuel just by informing Alexa to do so, Patrick Gauthier, vice president of Amazon Pay, told PYMNTS in a recent interview.
“The only thing they’ll have to touch is the gas pump itself, as we have not yet found a way to transport the gas from the pump to the [gas tank] touch-free,” Gauthier quipped.
In addition, Amazon has also debuted an offering that promises to make it simple for property managers to implement and supervise smart devices that are fueled by Alexa in their properties.
