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Alexa now available on Windows 10 PCs

Alexa now available on Windows 10 PCs

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You can download it from the Microsoft Store

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Amazon is releasing its Alexa app for Windows 10 today. While the app has been available on select Windows 10 laptops recently, today marks its launch in the Microsoft Store for all Windows 10 PCs. You can download and install it on any Windows 10 PC, but only compatible devices will support Alexa wake word functionality. If you don’t have a compatible PC then you can hit the button within the app to speak to Alexa, or invoke the assistant using a keyboard shortcut.

The Alexa for Windows 10 app includes access to now playing to control music and the ability, like any other Alexa app, to control smart home devices. Video, calls, Spotify, and Pandora are all not currently supported within this Alexa for Windows 10 app, though. Amazon hasn’t added PC specific controls to ask Alexa to do access Windows features, but Amazon says “PC-specific capabilities will be added in early 2019 in addition to ongoing feature updates.”

Alexa on Windows 10 app
Alexa on Windows 10 app

Amazon’s Alexa app for Windows 10 comes just months after Microsoft and Amazon released a preview of Cortana and Alexa integration. The preview lets Cortana users access Alexa, and vice versa. The integration is a little clunky, so this official Alexa app for Windows 10 will probably be a better choice for those who want to access Amazon’s digital assistant from a laptop or PC. Microsoft’s partnership with Amazon also saw Alexa support for the company’s Xbox One console recently.