Amazon Alexa Now Available for all Windows 10 Devices

Earlier in the year, Amazon teamed up with some of the biggest PC makers to brings Alexa to Windows 10. The company started selling devices that came pre-installed with Alexa, and it’s now bringing the same experience to all Windows 10 devices — through the Microsoft Store.

If you have a Windows 10 device running the most recent update, you will be able to install Alexa just like any other regular app on your device. Once you open it up and log in with your Amazon account, you can use Alexa just like a regular personal assistant. All the Alexa-related feature are available through the app just like other Alexa devices, and even supports the Alexa wake word on compatible devices.

Although the app doesn’t support things like Spotify right now, you can still listen to music via Amazon Music. There’s a dedicated page for music where you can control the music playback, and it even shows up within the main Alexa screen. Amazon says the company is going to add PC-specific capabilities to Alexa in early 2019 as the company continues to improve the app. Right now, the app can do things like automatically open when you turn your device or run in the background.

The app is only available for users in the US, UK, and Germany, with support for more locations coming in 2019. You can get it here.

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Conversation 22 comments

  • waethorn

    08 November, 2018 - 11:23 am

    <p>OMFG WTF Microsoft!? Today I had a whole bunch of client PC's that were previously upgraded to Windows 10 Pro from Windows 7 and Windows 8.x Pro and now the activation is broken for absolutely no reason and they won't accept the old product keys anymore. This is just getting absolutely friggin' ridiculous now. I have clients with dozens of PC's as of this morning that are now showing de-activation watermarks saying that they aren't legitimate licenses of Windows.</p><p><br></p><p>But hey, partnering up with some e-commerce company that monetizes consumer spending like the NSA is a priority these days.</p>

    • Ron Diaz

      08 November, 2018 - 2:42 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#362051">In reply to Waethorn:</a></em></blockquote><p>I got bit in the ass by this one today also…</p>

      • waethorn

        08 November, 2018 - 3:31 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#362140">In reply to Hypnotoad:</a></em></blockquote><p>According to the downvotes, the Softies here don't seem to like this news, even though there's a whole discussion topic here: http://www.thurrott.com/forums/microsoft/windows/thread/microsoft-is-having-a-global-windows-activation-issue-right-now</p&gt;

        • GarethB

          Premium Member
          08 November, 2018 - 8:38 pm

          <blockquote><em><a href="#362150">In reply to Waethorn:</a></em></blockquote><p>I doubt anyone is doubting the Windows activation issues – it's just that you somehow are linking that to Amazon making their assistant available today.</p><p>Do you honestly think that Amazon deploying an app through the store today caused activation issues in Windows? If not, then you're just grandstanding.</p>

          • waethorn

            09 November, 2018 - 2:33 pm

            <blockquote><em><a href="#362319">In reply to GarethB:</a></em></blockquote><p>Since you haven't been paying attention, Microsoft has partnered with these jokers to turn Cortana into yet another "algo" designed to sell you worthless Chinese crap packaged by slave labour in the good ol' US of A. This is Microsoft's priority lately. Not code quality.</p>

  • Darekmeridian

    08 November, 2018 - 12:26 pm

    <p>This has to be the nail in Cortana's coffin, even if they integrate Cortana into Office it'lll be the modern version of Clippy.</p><p><br></p><p>I have been using the Alexa skill to operate my Xbox over the last few weeks and it's not a terrible experience.</p><p><br></p>

    • skborders

      08 November, 2018 - 2:49 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#362065">In reply to Darekmeridian:</a></em></blockquote><p>You are probably right. Microsoft started out strong compared to the others and their lack of interest and probably a lack of engagement severely wounded Cortana, this will probably kill it. If it weren't for IFTTT, my Invoke speaker would just be a speaker.</p>

  • Stooks

    08 November, 2018 - 3:27 pm

    <p>Who would use this? Amazon is collecting data faster than any of the other regular bad characters in the privacy invasion we live in. Installing this on your PC is like hooking up a fire hose of information for Amazon.</p>

    • dontbe evil

      09 November, 2018 - 11:18 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#362148">In reply to Stooks:</a></em></blockquote><p>I bet you don't use any google service</p>

  • jimchamplin

    Premium Member
    08 November, 2018 - 4:40 pm

    <p>Okay… when I can use the Google Assistant then I care.</p>

  • colmob

    Premium Member
    08 November, 2018 - 7:48 pm

    <p>Once again, Amazon join MS in the limited-market-stupidity: "The app is only available for users in the US, UK, and Germany" why? Cortana is still crippled in Canada. Alexa also can't do multi-user here, inexplicably.</p>

  • gregsedwards

    Premium Member
    12 November, 2018 - 2:08 pm

    <p>All things considered, this is a pretty anemic Windows 10 app. There's no support for configuring settings (all of that is done through the website, and there's no link provided from the app). There's no option to run it quietly in the background, so you've got a big ugly Alexa app on your taskbar, whether or not you're using it. And perhaps the worst offense is that clicking the x button doesn't actually close the app; you have to awkwardly go into the app, and click "Quit App" on the sidebar to kill it. It's just an example of app design at its most obnoxious.</p>

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