Amazon Tap is getting an all new update and with it, you no longer need to “tap” the device to call upon Alexa. With the latest over the air update that is making its way to Tap today, users can enable a hands free mode wherein a smartphone application can be used to enable a mode that lets you invoke Alexa using just her name.
Amazon has a range of devices that support its Alexa voice assistant. Echo, Tap and Dot are each differentiated by distinct physical and operational characteristics that are also a reflection of their names. While Tap requires you to tap a button in order to call Alexa to do your bidding, Echo makes things simpler by letting you use the device even when you are across the room — provided your smart home speaker is on, of course.
It can be argued that Echo is significantly more convenient. After all, if you need to get up and tap a button every time you need to use Alexa, well, where does the lazy part gets catered to? Realizing this very fact perhaps, Amazon is providing Tap with an over the air update that can let users call on its smart assistant without having to waddle across to the speaker to press the button.
The update has been made available as we speak and you can enable it through a connected Alexa App after installing it. However, there have also been privacy concerns regarding this capability — Echo for example, is Internet connected and is always listening — and in case you get worried at some point in the future, you can get your tap-to-enable device back again.
So yes, If you are cool with an always-on, Internet connected device sitting in your home and listening to every word you say — as long as you don’t have to get up to play your favorite song, or order Pizza or even listen to what’s trending on Twitter, this update is just for you.
