Simple Control Alexa Smart Home Skill Now Available

Well that’s true to the extent that you’re capturing the only population of data that you care about. Using myself for an example; I haven’t taken the time to fully explore the SIRI or Alexa integration in Simple Control yet. So if i show up in the invocation data, it was by accident :slight_smile: However, I have a view which has less to do with Simple Control’s implementation and more to do with Alexa and Siri’s integration into other things that I HAVE implemented. So to expand on my admittedly useless statement above; I have high level view that Alexca is a better, more accurate, easier to invoke AI. Everytime I try something with siri I seem to quickly get frustrated with how inaccurate it can be. I “feel” like I have generally fewer issues with Alexa.

But as you said, that’s not really your question. I will have to spend some actually trying both in the Simple Control context and circle back. The on thing that won’t change is that Alexa (if you already have it in the room) is easier to invoke. These are first world ultra lazy views to be sure… but I don’t want to pick up my phone and hold the siri button. I might as well open the app at that point. I don’t use HEY SIRI becasue it costs battery. I will never own a home pod becasue they’re ridiculous.

+1 on above.

I have tried both Siri and Alexa. I prefer Alexa as of right now.

Like the previous poster, I am leveraging Alexa a lot within my whole home setup - and I think it is a dominant platform in the market. So I am not sure it will matter how far along Siri comes - Alexa is the platform of choice for me. I understand there may be challenges but not supporting Alexa at all seems unfair to Alexa users.

If this thread becomes a “don’t get rid of Alexa because I use it even though I admit I know nothing about Siri Custom Intents and really haven’t tried it”, then I’ll close this thread. Stay on topic. See my post above if you have new data to contribute. Nobody said we were getting rid of Alexa and the last two posters are acting like it.

Hi Will. For me using phone/tablet to control my home is a pain and smart assistant is the way we go. 1 thing you want to keep in mind google/amazon assistant are cheap so cheap u can place one in every room. If you dont own an iPhone like me getting siri in every room costly. Google new home hub is a perfect match for simple control if you guys have any plans to integrate with it.

Is there any plan for google home integration?

New countries should be going live today for the Custom Skill. The new countries include Australia and New Zealand and possibly others. Check the Amazon Alexa app.

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Hey Will.

I know the custom skill is now available for Australia but wanted to see if you are still intending to make the the Alexa Smart Home skill available on the Australia store.

Thanks.

Haven’t looked at that yet. Amazon basically introduced a new Smart Home API and with almost no notice said everyone needs to rewrite their Smart Home skills to it in order to submit any changes. So the Smart Home Skill needs a lot of work to do anything to it even just adding a country with the same language. We’ll probably take a look at this after V6 is out and things have slowed down.

cool.
Thanks for the update.