Alexa's new "Answer Update" feature will let you know when she has the answer to a tough question

Let's face it, all virtual assistants can find themselves stumped every now and then. But Amazon's Alexa doesn't like it when there is a question posed that she can't answer. An update is rolling out over the next week that will add a new feature called "Answer Update" to Alexa. The feature allows Alexa to notify you when she finally has the answer to a question that she couldn't answer at first blush.

"Answer Update" needs to be enabled by the user, who will be prompted to turn it on after asking Alexa a question that she cannot answer immediately. The prompts will appear randomly. The user can later opt out of the "Answer Update" feature by saying, "Alexa, turn off Answer Update." The capability can also be enabled by saying, "Alexa, turn on Answer Update." The virtual personal assistant will answer, "Okay, if you ask me a question and I don’t know the answer, but I find out later, I'll notify you."

Last year, a study consisting of 3,000 questions found that Google Assistant on the Home smart speaker was six times more likely to answer a question than the Echo's Alexa. The information available to Assistant from Google's Knowledge Graph gives it an advantage over Alexa in terms of answering users' questions. The Answer Update is designed to allow Alexa users to feel that they have had their questions answered even if it took some time for Alexa to report back with the correct response.

source: Voicebot via TechCrunch