How to use Alexa on the Apple Watch

Alexa on the Apple Watch, you say? Well, while the smartwatch doesn’t have an official app for Alexa, it’s still compatible through a new third-party app.
If you download the Apple Watch app, you can ditch Siri and instead pop your queries over to Amazon’s Alexa. And while it’s fairly straightforward to achieve, there are a couple of steps you’ll need to take in order to gain compatibility.
Essential reading: Apple Watch tips for beginnersRead on below, as we explain how to get Alexa on the Apple Watch, what you’ll be able to control and whether the real Alexa will soon be standing up.
1. Install Alexa on the Apple WatchThere’s no first-party way to connect Alexa to your Apple Watch, but downloading Voice in a Can gives you a neat workaround. It costs £1.99 from the App Store and gives you full compatibility with iPhone and iPad, as well as the Apple Watch.
Since it’s a standalone app, it works whether your smartwatch is connected to Wi-Fi or through LTE. And once the app is all installed on your wrist, you just need to simply sync your Amazon Alexa account with the watch and tap the icon inside the app to access the smart assistant.
With the latest iteration of the app, you can even harness the device’s Siri Raise feature to instead prompt Alexa, as well as tap into a nifty little Siri Shortcut workaround (which you can learn how to do here, since it’s a little tricky to set up).
2. Use Alexa on the Apple WatchYou can ask Alexa your queries regarding the weather, directions and whatever else using the app, but that’s not all.
The good news here is that there’s not a huge amount of drop-off from what you would be able to control through a smartwatch that officially works with Alexa and your Apple Watch. However, there are a few things to be aware of. You won’t be able to ask for announcements, make calls or listen to music, for example.
But the workaround does enable you to control your Alexa-enabled smart home tech, meaning you can turn your lights on/off, adjust your smart thermostat or even lock your front door, as shown above by developer Damian Mehers.
Since this can save you pulling out your phone, it’s a no brainer download for both Watch and smart home enthusiasts looking to simplify how they talk to Alexa.
Will the real Alexa be coming soon?That would be nice, wouldn’t it? But the truth is, we simply don’t know. It seems unlikely, considering Apple and Amazon’s smart assistants are now locked in an all-out brawl with each other and rivals, but rare examples have shown the former to open up the garden fence. With the current workaround not providing full support, and being a little slow to actually use, here’s hoping the two companies work out a solution sooner rather than later. At least for now, though, the above method is the best way to get Alexa on the Apple Watch.
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