Alexa is an excellent digital assistant for controlling and interacting with your smart gadgets. But is it compatible? Does HomeKit work with Alexa?
Suppose you’re an Apple or Amazon fan (or both like me). In that case, you undoubtedly have a few smart Apple and Amazon products around your house that you’d like to control using voice commands.
Is Alexa capable of controlling Apple Homekit?
There is no direct method to link other digital assistants, such as Alexa, to Apple products since Apple prefers consumers to utilize the built-in digital assistant Siri.
Apple tends to have their devices only be compatible with other Apple products in order to keep customers hooked on their products. And to be honest, it works!
But worry not, there’s a loophole to make HomeKit work with Alexa. You can link Alexa to your iPhone through the app if you choose to use Alexa, either because you prefer Alexa or because you want to control all of your smart devices rather than just Apple products.
There is no direct connection between your Homekit and the Alexa digital assistant. By installing the Alexa app on your iPhone, you can connect your iPhone to Alexa via an Echo speaker or other Apple devices.
Continue reading to discover how to set up your iPhone to communicate with Alexa and manage your devices and how to handle some of the most typical issues.
Connecting HomeKit and Alexa
Create an Alexa account on your iPhone.
You may download the Amazon Alexa app to your iPhone if you have iOS 11 or later. You should see a prompt on the screen to set up your devices after you have the app and launch it.
After selecting “Begin Setup,” you should be able to connect your devices to the app by following the instructions. Alexa connects with devices using “Skills,” so look for and download your Homekit in the skills section.
The gadget will then be enabled, and you will be able to use voice commands whenever you wish.
Utilizing the app to communicate with Alexa
Using the app to communicate with Alexa is the same as using an Echo speaker. Give your instruction by tapping the button at the bottom of the app. This will make HomeKit work with Alexa.
You don’t even have to say “Alexa” before pressing the button since it will begin listening right away. Because Alexa does not connect directly to devices, you will need to launch the app to communicate with your Homekit.
How to add the Alexa widget to your home screen
You may add the Alexa widget to your home screen to make giving Alexa voice commands through your iPhone quick and straightforward.
Add the Alexa widget by following the steps below:
- Press and hold any widgets on your home screen until the pop-up menu opens.
- Select “Edit Home Screen” from the drop-down menu.
- Select the “+” symbol in the upper left corner, then “Amazon Alexa.” You can use the search box if you can’t locate Alexa.
- Click “Add Widget” and drag the widget to the desired location on your Home screen with your finger.
- When you’re finished, tap “Done.”
Frequent Questions
Is it possible to use an Echo speaker with Homekit?
You should be able to connect your Echo speaker to the app and utilize it as a link between the speaker and your Homekit now that you have the Amazon Alexa app on your iPhone.
Because you can talk to the speaker as a signal for your Homekit to process a response, using an Echo speaker expands how you can use voice commands.
Is Alexa compatible with other Apple devices?
You may now use Alexa with your other Apple goods, not just your Homekit, now that you have the Alexa app on your iPhone.
If you have an Apple TV, you can add it to the Alexa app as a skill and control it with voice commands using the app or your connected Echo speaker. Read how below.
Using the Alexa app to connect your Apple TV
If you want to link other Apple devices to your Alexa app, such as your Apple TV, so you can control everything from one location, you’ll need to use Bluetooth. Connect your Apple TV as follows:
- Turn on Bluetooth by telling Alexa.
- Open the Settings app on your Apple TV.
- Select Bluetooth from the drop-down menu.
- Select “Connect” with Alexa
You should now be able to manage your TV with Alexa and, if you have Echo speakers, utilize them with your TV.
You can only switch your Apple TV on and off, play and stop content, and adjust the volume. The Harmony Hub Remote is required if you want additional control over your Apple TV via Alexa.
Homekit scenes, what are they?
The Homekit’s scenes are similar to the Amazon routines. When you utilize a stimulus phrase or manually start the scenario, you’ll be able to trigger a series of events.
A “Night Time” scenario may dim the lights, close the curtains, and change the thermostat temperature simultaneously.
Is Alexa capable of controlling HomeKit scenes?
You can use an app called “Pushcut” to set up a Homekit scene and a trigger phrase so that you can automate the scene with a voice command if you want greater automation in the way you use Alexa to communicate with your Homekit.
All you need to know about HomeKit can be found on the article Apple HomeKit: What You Need to Know
In short
Because Alexa is compatible with more smart devices than Siri, it is a significantly more adaptable alternative. Investing in devices such as Alexa is a huge pro because it opens the door to so many compatible brands you can implement in your household. So it definitely gets my vote.
Executing this is a method to handle all of your smart gadgets with a single digital assistant rather than utilizing Siri for some but not all of them.
Using two systems can be a terrific approach to ensure you always have a digital assistant system if one fails. But it can sure be upsetting when you have to ask Alexa to turn off one light and for Siri to close the blinds.
On the other hand, the Amazon Alexa app gives users more options while still making it simple to handle their smart devices.
It may take a few extra steps to get everything set up and connected in one spot, but once you do, you’ll be able to control and interact with all of your gadgets with ease. Thus it is worth putting in the work to make HomeKit work with Alexa.
