Update coming to the Amazon Alexa app on three platforms

Amazon's Alexa, the digital assistant that debuted on the original Amazon Echo smart speaker back in 2015, has become the second or third best assistant depending on who is doing the ranking. Google Assistant is usually number one based on the accuracy of its responses and how well it understands the questions posed to it. Alexa and Apple's Siri shift back and forth between second and third.

According to AndroidPolice, Amazon has updated the Alexa app. Changes have been made to the home screen where frequently used features of the app can be quickly accessed by users. The bottom line is that after being updated, the app is faster and easier to use. That's because of the shortcuts that bring to the home screen things like alarms, recently played tunes, shopping lists, and more. A new "More" tab at the bottom of the navigation bar opens up a number of other features like (in alphabetical order) reminders, routines, skills, and other settings. As the app learns how a user likes to employ it, more personal and accurate information will appear on the screen.

The update will be pushed out over the next month to Android, iOS, and FireOS users. By the time September rolls around, users on each of the three platforms should be using the updated version of the Alexa app. With the app, you can manage your Echo smart speaker, play streaming music, control the smart appliances in the home, enable Alexa skills, hear the latest news and weather, get the latest stock prices, sports scores, and more.

If you don't have the Amazon Alexa app you can install it for iOS from the App Store, install it for Android from the Google Play Store, or download it on your FireOS device from the Amazon Appstore.