Alexa will soon lose a popular shopping list feature

Jun 01, 2024 06:38 AM - 8 months ago 166600

Starting successful July, you won’t beryllium capable to adhd items to lists connected third-party apps for illustration Todoist and AnyList pinch Alexa sound power done their existing Skills. A post connected Amazon’s developer site says it's shutting down entree to Alexa Shopping and To-Do lists connected July 1st.

List Skills and Alexa Shopping and To-Do Lists

Starting July 1, 2024, you will nary longer beryllium capable to use List skills or the List Management REST API to access Alexa lists, i.e., the Alexa Shopping and To-Do lists, successful your skills aliases apps. For different ways to build civilization sound experiences, see Steps to Build a Custom Skill. Please contact us if you person immoderate questions.

What this intends is that unless developers take to create a caller custom skill, their Alexa integrations will extremity working, and you’ll person to trust connected nan Alexa app’s built-in database characteristic to usage sound to adhd beverage to your market database aliases put “take retired nan trash” connected your to-do list.

Today, if you alteration their Alexa Skills, third-party apps tin sync pinch lists successful nan Alexa app and show that information successful their app. I personally usage this characteristic to adhd items to my shopping database successful AnyList. But, arsenic of July 1st, they’ll suffer this expertise and you’ll either request to usage nan Alexa app’s lists aliases dream nan developer of your favourite database app builds a civilization sound accomplishment to negociate lists successful its apps.

<em>The Alexa Shopping List UI showing nan deals feature, which is besides being discontinued.</em><em>The Alexa app has a shopping database widget, but it’s not interactive, truthful you can’t cheque disconnected items arsenic you go.</em>

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The Alexa Shopping List UI showing nan deals feature, which is besides being discontinued.

Amazon told The Verge that developers tin still merge Alexa sound power of lists into their apps, they conscionable can’t person entree to Alexa lists anymore. “We are making immoderate changes to nan measurement that developers build lists,” said Sarah Zonouzi of Amazon PR. “Developers tin merge our civilization sound relationship exemplary into their accomplishment to alteration sound power and guidance of lists.”

She said this offers akin features to nan existing options, pinch nan main quality being nan customer will beryllium straight managing third-party lists pinch voice, not Alexa lists.

However, Todoist tells The Verge it is not readying to create a caller civilization skill. “We’ve made nan difficult determination to sunset our Alexa integration by July 1, 2024,” said Omar Samuels.

He said they don’t presently person plans to activity connected a replacement owed to nan short announcement of nan shutdown and nan resources required. However, he did opportunity “We will beryllium reviewing what possibilities beryllium to capable immoderate resulting gaps successful nan future.” I besides reached retired to AnyList and will update this station if I perceive back,

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Interestingly — a popular up successful nan shopping database conception of nan Alexa app says nan institution is besides discontinuing its Alexa Shopping List Deals characteristic connected July 10th, 2024. This is simply a programme that connects you pinch deals connected Amazon, Whole Foods, and different sources for items connected your shopping list.

A shopping database characteristic is simply a clear monetization opportunity, truthful it’s apt Amazon is regrouping here. My conjecture is we whitethorn spot a full caller shopping database acquisition coming to Alexa.

There are going to beryllium a batch of irritated Alexa users.

In nan meantime, location are going to beryllium a batch of irritated Alexa users. Adding items to lists is 1 of nan astir celebrated uses for sound assistants, on pinch playing music, mounting timers, and asking what clip it is.

I find a dedicated database app for illustration AnyList and Todoist overmuch easier to usage while pushing a market cart than nan Alexa app’s list. While it has improved complete clip — you tin now pin nan shopping database to nan Favorites conception successful nan app, and there’s a homescreen widget — it’s conscionable not arsenic user-friendly arsenic a dedicated database app.

Then there’s nan truth that astir third-party database apps person aggregate ways of adding items to lists — including desktop apps and support for different sound assistants. That’s adjuvant if you’re successful a multi-ecosystem household.

However, Google has besides unopen down its Google Home voice bid integrations pinch database apps, breaking connections for AnyList and Any.Do users. Both these apps now only activity pinch Apple’s Siri connected an iPhone. Todoist, which besides useful pinch Siri, does support Google Assistant, but only connected Android phones. As a result, it’s getting harder and harder to find a database app that useful pinch much than 1 sound assistant, and crossed much than 1 family of devices.

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