HUAWEI Mate 9 receives Amazon Alexa update but there’s a twist

The promised Amazon Alexa update is coming to the HUAWEI Mate 9 today, but don’t get too excited just yet. Unfortunately, this particular Alexa is only going to work within one app.

The HUAWEI Mate 9 was unveiled all the way back in November, and in January, the Chinese company officially announced that the phablet would launch in the US for $599.99. But perhaps the biggest surprise of the announcement was Huawei’s partnership with Amazon to bring Alexa on board via a software update. The company simply stated that this feature would be available sometime in early 2017.

Well, that time has come: HUAWEI will start pushing out an OTA software update to US-based Mate 9 users today which will include the highly-anticipated Alexa integration. But don’t get too excited just yet because unfortunately, it looks like this particular Alexa won’t work system-wide; instead, she will live only within the new HUAWEI Alexa app. This means that unlike Google Assistant, which can be summoned via a simple command on any screen, you will have to physically access HUAWEI’s new app to ask Alexa for help. That kind of defeats the purpose of having a voice assistant, don’t you think?

To be fair, though, the app itself can’t be more straightforward. You simply tap the button and ask away. According to HUAWEI, these are some of the things Alexa can help you with:

• Get information by asking about famous people, dates, and places
• Find a restaurant, movie or local business
• Order from Amazon Prime
• Control connected smart home features such as lights, temperature and appliances
• Hear weather or traffic updates
• Check your calendar
• Hear the news through personalized Flash Briefings

So as long as you surmount that daunting task of finding the HUAWEI Alexa app and pressing the initiate button, the Alexa that lives within that app is the same capable and intelligent woman found in Amazon Echo devices. In other words, it has over 10,000 skills and can help you access smart home appliances, play games with you, become your fitness coach, and more.

Have you received your update yet? What are your thoughts on the HUAWEI Alexa app? Let us know by leaving a comment down below!