Amazon's digital assistant can now speak over loud environments, if you have ever had difficulty hearing Alexa through your dishwasher.
The Verge first reported the "adaptive volume" feature. It allows Alexa to speak louder when other noises are detected. You can activate the mode by saying "Alexa turn on adaptive volume."
It is reportedly only available in the U.S., but when we tried it with an Amazon Echo in the UK, it was not supported.
Alexa's adaptive volume mode may improve accessibility for those who have difficulty hearing. This is a welcome addition to Alexa, even more than the terrifying whispering capabilities.
The more Alexa can distinguish background noise, the more we feel that creepy feeling that raises another red flag about privacy. Your device will record your conversations even if you don't change your settings. Sometimes it doesn't need one to record your conversations. And let's not forget those contractors who get paid to listen in (here's how you can stop that from happening).
Amazon claims that Echo and Alexa devices can record as little audio and minimize background noise streaming to the Cloud. Remember, Alexa is smarter than you are. You might be able to hear it better over your washing up.
