We now have so many ways to send a message to someone, with text messaging still being the most popular (although it is challenged quite frequently for its throne). Being able to send a message using nothing but your voice makes it that much easier, and just about every modern smartphone device now can pull that off. Some of which you don’t even have to unlock your phone to do it. However, what if you find yourself in a situation where your hands are tied and your phone is nowhere near to hear your voice? If you have an Android phone, and any device (speaker) that supports Amazon’s Alexa nearby (ie, one of the Echo speakers), then you will still be covered.
One of the latest enhancements to Amazon’s digital assistant is the ability to send a text message. All you have to do is enable the option via conversations(tab)->contacts->my profile->enable “Send SMS”. Then, simply say “Alexa, send a message to [contact name]“, and Alexa will shoot it off. If the receiving party also has an Alexa enabled speaker, it will come as a message via their Alexa. If they do not have an Alexa-enabled speaker, then it will be sent to them via SMS.
Amazon continues to pile on new features for their assistant, helping them secure one of the top spots in the digital assistant war. You can already do so much with Alexa, including the ability to interact with your entire home by using Alexa as your intercom system. You can keep tabs on family by dropping in on their Alexa-enabled speakers. Truly giving you a hands-free experience throughout your home for everything from smart devices, entertainment (games, music, etc), communication, knowledge, jokes, thoughts, reminders and so much more.
So go give it a try and send a message to a loved one as a test. It will only work with Android phones at the moment as Apple hasn’t provided access to their messaging API (of course). It will require you to share your contacts with Alexa, so you do have to keep that in mind (in case you personally have anything against this).
You can shop through a long list of Alexa-enabled speakers here in case you haven’t gotten your hands on one yet (or need to cover more spots throughout your home).
