Heads up, you can now control Alexa remotely via an app on iOS and android (I believe)!!
The app is called roger, a two-way talk app. It appears they implemented a connection to the Alexa Voice Service. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to link here but check out the reddit info. I downloaded and linked my account, however I have yet to try it as I don’t want to freak the wife out!
Nice find! I can’t see it using much with 2 dots and an echo in the house, but nice to have when I need to order something from the Echo only like I did with the Dot!
It also works with iPhone 6s’s 3D Touch for one click access. They need to make a widget also for even easier access. This gives very much like Siri like functionality without HomeKit. Is there anything else HomeKit does besides Siri access?
Okay, this may seem like a stupid question, but how is this any different/better than just tapping the mic icon on the official Amazon voice remote app I already have on my phones and tablets ?
Roger can talk to Alexa. I just checked and didn’t see an Amazon app that can do that. Can you clarify?
I don’t see it in the Play store??
Sorry it is the Fire TV app with Alexa. You can still use all of the voice HA commands on your phone just like you were talking to Alexa by pressing the microphone .
It appears for this app, you need to have the firetv running. Roger doesn’t have any dependencies and connects directly to Alexa.
Correct, you must have a fire tv to use that app. Roger is completely independent!
I play with the Roger App this afternoon. So far I cannot do music, as expected. I can do discovery and switches and even skills, or at least the ones I tried.
Great find! Thanks!
I have been using the Roger app for a few weeks. In that time the Echo integration has improved greatly. The devs seem eager to make the app better. It’s been updating a lot lately, but the improvements have been great.
I don’t own Echo yet. Does it need to be on your local network for ST integration to work? Or is the integration in the cloud?
Thanks, works great. Just tried it away from home, and worked flawlessly.
Cloud …
So hypothetically, you don’t need an Echo device or FireTV at all to use Alexa. All you need is an account.
What are you trying to do?
Nothing as of yet… I’m merely thinking on how these tools might be deployed in ways other than originally intended. If the ST-Alexa integration is entirely in the cloud, then hypothetically AutoVoice intercepts could be directed to Alexa if a particular HA function works better there than anywhere else. It opens up possibilities.
Ok, in order to setup an Echo and ST integration, you do need to link your echo to your ST account in the echo app and perform a discovery. I am not user if this can be done without a local echo.
I was really confused by some of the description of this App in this and the reditt threads until I downloaded and figured out what it can do. First off the title of this thread is misleading, you cannot “control Echo remotely”. This app basically makes your phone behave like an Amazon Tap device i.e. push a button and make requests (after connecting the App to Amazon account). That’s it. Whatever (mostly) you could do with an Alexa can now also be accomplished via this App.
https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/alexa/alexa-voice-service
It appears Amazon is looking to become the premiere defacto voice service for all devices. Freakishly cool.