Alexa Routines to include playing live radio

Radio stations can now be part of an Alexa Routine – giving users more opportunities to listen to radio via their smart speakers.

A Routine is a single command given to Alexa to activate multiple tasks, such as “Good Morning” which users can set up to turn on lights, start the kettle, read the weather and travel information and now, start playing a radio station. Routines can also be scheduled.

Also included in the update (coming in the next couple of days) is the ability to play music by an artist or start a playlist via Amazon Music, Spotify, TuneIn, Pandora and Deezer.

Listening to the music is the most used activity on Smart Speakers according to recent research, with 39% of people saying their Smart Speaker is replacing time spent with traditional AM/FM radio.