Amazon has released a very interesting novelty related to Alexa . From now on, interaction with the virtual assistant promises to be easier in noisy spaces; This is because it has incorporated an option that allows you to speak louder if you detect that the ambient sound in a room is too loud .
According to the announcement (via PC Mag), this feature is called Adaptive Volume and can be activated with a voice command, or through the Alexa app. At the moment only is available in the United States , although in the coming months it will also reach other markets.
It is certainly a simple addition, but one that will be of great value in the home. Thus, for example, it will be easier to ask a question to smart devices with support for Alexa, even when there is noise from household appliances or the volume of music or TV is very high. Not to mention environments where there are children, where screaming is frequent.
Anyway, the first results would not be consistent . According to The Verge, its initial tests have been somewhat lazy; for them they used an Echo Dot located next to a desktop computer with a fan. Apparently some of Alexa's responses were at a higher volume, and some were at normal levels. It is clear, then, that Amazon still needs to fine-tune the Adaptive Volume parameters.
Alexa adds Adaptive Volume to better respond in noisy environments
Beyond seemingly lacking a polish yet, the Adaptive Volume option promises to fulfill a long-time request from the public. That a smart speaker with Alexa is able to distinguish between different types of noisy environments , implies a significant improvement in the user experience.
What is not too clear is whether this new feature works in reverse. That is, if Amazon's virtual assistant can speak louder if it automatically detects that there is no ambient noise in a room. Although it is true that Alexa has a “whisper or low voice mode”, it must be activated through a command.
Let's hope that Amazon will take advantage of the testing time in the United States to refine the Adaptive Volume of Alexa , before incorporating it to other markets.
