Amazon Alexa Finally Lands on Android Smart TVs Through Sony
- Sony Bravia TVs received Amazon Alexa app, so people can control their TVs by talking to them.
- The Bravia TVs can now fulfill the role of the central control hub for Amazon smart home devices.
- Not all models are supported yet, and only a handful of countries can use the app right now.
The Amazon Alexa app has recently found its way inside the Google Play Store, so users of the Android platform can now enjoy the long-awaited support. Amazon had promised this was coming since April this year when their relationship with Google improved for the first time since 2017 when they decided to pull their services from the devices of one another. The mutual agreement involves the bringing of YouTube to Fire TV, and the Alexa to Android, with support from the Prime Video app to follow in the next couple of months potentially.
The first smart TV products to receive the new Alexa app are Sony Bravia TVs that run on Android. The platforms that will now be accessible by Sony Bravia TV owners include the Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and more. As Alexa is a smart voice assistant, all that you’ll have to do now in order to get something to play on your Sony TV is to say it. On the other side, Google’s Assistant supports a selection of Bravia TV models, as well as products from LG, or the Nvidia Shield. The benefit of having Alexa on Android is practically the unification of Amazon IoT devices like the Echo speakers, for example.
For starters, only US-based owners of Bravia TVs will be able to download the Alexa app, but Sony promises the expansion of the support to the UK, France, Germany, Ireland, Spain, and Austria in the following weeks. Some models in these countries are already supported, so go ahead and check right away. The integration will enable camera feeds to reach the TV screen, music playback, and voice control for the Bravia TV. The Sony TVs will now act as control hubs for any Alexa smart home device, from your doorbell camera to your kitchen speaker. Sony has also created a user-friendly set-up guide, so users won’t get lost in the process.
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