Amazon today introduces a new feature that enables Alexa to proactively complete tasks in-house, such as turning off lights based on your habits and frequent requests.
Alexa has been able to sense these habits and inquire about them since 2018 – the company calls them ‘bumps’ – but before this update, Alexa would ask permission before doing something like lowering the thermostat before going to bed. However, if the new proactive bucks are enabled, Alexa will not ask permission for a task and will just do so.
While proactive premonitions seem to make Alexa much more useful, it’s important to have detailed control over what Alexa can respond to automatically. It seems like an Amazon support article suggests that you can choose what types of bucks Alexa can complete on its own, but we’ve updated Amazon for more information on how much you can customize proactive bucks.
Along with the new Alexa capabilities, Amazon is implementing its Guard Plus security subscription service. The service can alert you if Alexa records certain types of noise in your home and provides access to human agents who can call on behalf of your emergency services, similar to ADT. You can sign up for Guard Plus in the Alexa app, which costs $ 4.99 per month.
Amazon is also putting out an energy dashboard to the Alexa app that can monitor and estimate how many power-compatible devices connected to Alexa use if their manufacturers support it. This can include everything from TVs to water heaters, and Amazon has a whole list of compatible products on the site across the new dashboard.
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Amazon says all three of the features should start rolling in the US today.