Amazon’s ‘Alexa for Apps’ Lets Developers Connect Alexa Skills to iOS, Android Apps

Amazon has today announced the rollout of its ‘Alexa for Apps’ developer preview, which allows developers to seamlessly connect Alexa skills to iOS and Android apps. Alexa for Apps is easy to implement with any app that can be opened with deep links and is already being added to TikTok, Yellow Pages, Uber, Sonic, and more.

Alexa for Apps is free to use, simple to set up, and works across both iOS and Android. Developers can add Alexa for Apps to their custom skill to connect mobile customers to multiple apps. Alexa can even open a website or go straight to the App Store if users don’t yet have the intended app installed. 

“We believe that voice technology is fundamentally changing the way people search for and find businesses to solve their problems,” said Arbi Vartanian, Director of Consumer Sites at Thryv. “It’s just easier to ask and get immediate results for a restaurant, gas station or urgent care center that’s closest to you, rather than opening an app and typing.”

To get started with Alexa for Apps, follow four simple steps:

1. Request early access
2. Add app and website metadata to your skill.json manifest file
3. Edit your skill endpoint to send deep links using skill connection requests
4. Test and publish your skill

Visit this link to request early access to Alexa for Apps developer preview.