Alexa Ends Third Party Shopping List Support
Starting in July, Alexa users will have to find new ways to add items to their voice activated shopping lists if they are using apps like Todoist and Anylist. According to a recent post on Amazon’s developer site, the company is shutting down third party access to Alexa Shopping and To-Do lists. Previously, if a user enabled their respective Alexa Skills, third party apps could simply sync with lists in the Alexa app to display list data. With this change developers will have to develop a new custom skill to manage lists as the skills will not automatically sync with Alexa’s built in list feature.
The Circana Take:
- Amazon is looking to strengthen Alexa’s skills as adoption of AI continues across the technology landscape. The requirement of third-party developers to create custom skills, separate from Amazon’s built-in list feature creates more opportunity for Amazon to build out a stronger suite of shopping applications tied directly in to the retailer’s ecosystem.
Ecobee Thermostats Get Grid Stability Automation
Ecobee recently announced an update to its smart thermostats which is part of the brand’s eco+ Community Energy Savings program. The new feature automatically adjusts the thermostat during times of high energy demand in order to avoid area blackouts. During those high usage periods, Ecobee will send a notification to the thermostat and mobile app, notifying users of the demand levels and either automatically reset the target temperature or recommend a level that will draw less power- meaning users will ultimately have control to make the adjustment or not according to their own needs and comfort.
The Circana Take:
- Smart thermostats can play a key role in helping localities manage energy use during peak times. While some users may want absolute control over the temperature in their homes (and their lifestyles may require that), users with more flexibility (or those who may not even be home at the time) will utilize this feature as a way to prevent outages and save money.