Apple Watch Gets Partial Alexa Support With 'Voice in a Can' App

Apple Watch currently has support for just one digital assistant - Apple's in-house Siri. But, thanks to a workaround, you can access Amazon's Alexa on the wearable, albeit unofficially. The third-party app, by developer Atadore, is called Voice in a Can and is available on the Apple App Store as a standalone Apple Watch app; it won't require an iPhone to be connected at all times. Voice in a Can is available at a price of $1.99 (roughly Rs. 1,300).

However, don't get your hopes too high. Considering this is a third-party Alexa app, you cannot use most of the common functions like making a call, playing music, or controlling Echo devices, reports The Verge. Users can instead control their smart home devices that have been linked to the same Alexa account. Except controlling Alexa-enabled IoT gadgets in your house, Voice in a Can pretty much offers nothing of substance for your Apple Watch.

To activate Alexa, install the Voice in a Can app. Once it's on the Apple Watch, you can sync the app to the appropriate Alexa account and tap the icon to get Alexa to respond. Add to that, the report notes that the app is not the speediest out there and disconnects from the Alexa service every time the Apple Watch's screen is timed out. However, this seems to be the only practical workaround till Amazon rolls out an official alternative. There are currently no timelines for that from the e-commerce giant.

Earlier this week, Microsoft's flagship Xbox One gaming console range was reported to get Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant support soon. These two digital assistants will accompany Cortana that has been present on the console for quite some time.