Amazon expands voice calls for its Echo speakers to the UK, Germany, and Austria

Amazon Echo and Echo Dot owners in the UK, Germany, and Austria can now make voice calls and send audio messages to each other. The support was previously added to US owners of the Echo speakers earlier this year.

The new voice call support for the UK, Germany, and Austria arrives via an update to Amazon’s Alexa app for Android and iOS. As with the US support, this new feature lets users make voice calls from one Echo speaker to another, or to a smartphone that has the Alexa app installed. Owners still cannot make calls to non-Alexa smartphones or landlines. The Echo’s biggest rival, Google Home, recently added a way for owners in the US and Canada to make hands-free calls to any landline or mobile phone number in those countries, but it cannot take incoming calls.

Amazon announced new members of the Echo family last week, including a smaller version of the standard model, and a larger Echo Plus, both of which will ship in late October. A smaller screen-based speaker and clock, the Echo Spot, will begin shipping in December. Google is expected to officially announced a smaller speaker, the Google Home Mini, on Wednesday as part of its latest hardware press event, and it may also reveal a new premium model tomorrow as well.