With Amazon's huge lineup of smart devices (opens in new tab), all new generations (opens in new tab) coming out, and new toolkits giving developers even more freedom to experiment, the Alexa voice assistant has firmly entrenched herself as one of the top voice control smart home systems around. The primary way to control Alexa, outside of yelling at her (be nice!), is through the free app. Now that app is getting a face-lift and it's looking better than ever.
If you haven't gotten the update yet, it is rolling out to iOS (opens in new tab) and Android (opens in new tab) devices worldwide. Check your app store and give it an update. Outside of design and color, one of the functional changes includes a simpler way to control all your smart devices. You'll now see your smart devices grouped by room with all the individual devices listed below it. Practically, this eliminates at least one click you'd have to take in the current edition of the app, making it easier to use.
Amazon is on fire these days (literally... because of the new Fire TV Stick 4K (opens in new tab). They've got all new ways to watch Thursday Night Football, a DVR called the Recast (opens in new tab) that wants to be the new way cord cutters watch TV, and all kinds of bundles on the newest generations of Amazon devices designed to save you money. A redesigned Alexa app is just the icing on the smart home cake.
