Alexa Can Now Send Traffic Updates To Your Phone

Alexa quietly gained a handful of new features last month, including severe weather alerts and the ability to send traffic details to your phone.

In a February roundup, published on Wednesday, Amazon announced fresh functions like NBA highlights (available only on screened devices) and up-to-date information on the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

Daily Commute

Ask Alexa to share the latest about your daily commute, traffic conditions, or directions to a destination, then say “Alexa, send that to my phone.”

The digital secretary will confirm and forward a notification to the connected handset. All you have to do is start the route guidance.

Severe Weather

Get set up by asking Alexa to “tell me when there’s a severe weather alert.” The speaker will then notify you ahead of any local warning.

NBA Video Highlights

Folks with an Alexa-enabled device with a screen can now watch video highlights from NBA games.

Say “Alexa, play the Lakers highlights” to access clips from the team’s most recent game. Or, ask Alexa to “play the NBA highlights” for all the latest news.

Election Updates

Alexa can help customers stay tuned into the 2020 U.S. presidential election by sharing information on the latest polls, candidate positions, debates, and more.

Simply say “Alexa, what’s my election update?” or “Alexa, what happened in the last debate?”

“Hey Google, Serenade Me One More Time”

Google Assistant users, meanwhile, have been warned: John Legend’s velvety voice cameo will expire on March 23.

The singer’s silky smooth vocals debuted in April 2019, available in the US on any device with Google Assistant—including Google Home Hub and Android or iOS smartphones.

Simply tell your gadget to “talk like a Legend,” then sit back and relax to the sound of Legend’s dulcet tones as he makes jokes or answers questions like “What’s the temperature outside?” or “Why is the sky blue?”

You can even get a bit cheeky with the EGOT winner by asking, “Hey Google, who is Chrissy Teigen?” or “Hey Google, are we just ordinary people?” Or, for the ultimate treat, try “Hey Google, serenade me.”

Talk fast, though, because Legend’s lilting words are only available for another two weeks.

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