How to use Alexa on the Apple Watch

Alexa on the Apple Watch, you say? Well, while the smartwatch still doesn’t have an official app for Alexa, it’s still compatible through a third-party app.

If you download the Apple Watch app from the App Store, you can ditch Siri and instead pop your queries over to Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa.

Essential reading: Apple Watch tips for beginners

It’s also fairly straightforward to achieve, and you only need a couple of steps in order to gain compatibility. Read on for details on what you’ll be able to control and whether the real Alexa will soon be standing up.

Step 1: Install Alexa on the Apple Watch

There’s no official way to connect Alexa to the Apple Watch, but downloading the third-party app 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 – though, of course, the real Alexa app can be used on those devices.

Since it’s a standalone app, it works whether your smartwatch is connected to Wi-Fi or through LTE.

Also, once the app is all installed on your wrist, you just need to 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).

Step 2: Use Alexa on the Apple Watch

You 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 make announcements, 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 Apple 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 technically rivals, but rare examples have shown the former to work with other companies on things like this – a recent example being when Apple Music was opened up to Android phones.

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.