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Amazon brings recognition for different voices to Alexa users in the UK

The smart assistant will serve up personalised experiences by recognising each user’s voice.
The smart assistant will serve up personalised experiences by recognising each user’s voice. The smart assistant will serve up personalised experiences by recognising each user’s voice.

Amazon Echo owners in the UK can now receive personalised experiences with the arrival of Alexa Speaker ID.

The feature means the smart assistant can recognise different voices when spoken to, serving up individual options for Alexa calling and messaging, news Flash Briefings, shopping and music.

Users must set up the feature by asking Alexa to learn their voice, responding to a series of verbal instructions for about five minutes.

Alexa Speaker ID allows people to play back any messages sent to the individual, as well as playing their preferred Flash Briefing of news, skipping the stories it knows they have already heard.

Amazon
Amazon Amazon Echo Dot (Amazon/PA)

Users who like to shop on Amazon through the speaker will no longer have to use a voice code every time they carry out a purchase, while households paying for Amazon’s family music streaming service can expect customised tunes for each individual’s taste.

The feature is the latest addition to Amazon’s popular voice-powered assistant in the UK, over a year after it was introduced in the US.

Its biggest rival, Google Home, brought its own multi-user option to the UK in July last year, which includes personal calendar access.

Amazon said support for additional Alexa features will roll out some time in the future and Alexa Speaker ID will get smarter over time the more it is used.