Can I use Alexa voice commands on my Fire tablet?

Q

I bought an Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet recently and was told by the shop that I could use Alexa voice commands on it. I have tried all ways to do this, even on the Amazon website, but no luck. The supposed experts at the shop said that there may be an update coming out to fix it. The adverts for the Amazon Fire HD say that you can use Alexa, so what am I doing wrong? Peter Gillard

A

Your tablet should indeed work with Alexa voice commands, and the associated Alexa ‘companion’ app should be preinstalled. However, to be absolutely clear — and for the benefit of readers with older devices — Alexa is available on other Fire tablets. Specifically, it’ll work on the fourth-generation Fire HD 6, 7 and HDX 8.9 (all released in 2014), and all later models.

The latest (seventh) generation Fire HD 8 was released only in June this year, with the previous (sixth) generation arriving in September 2016. On both these models Alexa will be installed and ready to go.

However, are you aware that — unlike on Amazon’s other Alexa devices, such as the smart speakers Echo and Dot — on Fire tablets currently the service is activated not by hollering ‘Alexa’? Instead, you need to hold down the Home button for a few moments, until a blue line appears at the bottom of the screen. Then, you simply say what it is you want Alexa to do or answer.

If this doesn’t work then it’s possible that you unwittingly bought (or were sold) a fifth-generation Fire HD 8, which was originally released in September 2015. This model is compatible with Alexa, and the relevant update was released in September 2016. If this is the case then, in theory, your Fire HD 8 should already have received it — because updates are downloaded automatically whenever the tablet is connected to Wi-fi. However, if it’s been sitting in its box on a shop shelf or storage room for the past year then it might not.

To check, first swipe down from the top of the screen and then tap Settings. Now tap Device Options followed by System Updates and check the version number listed. The latest edition of Fire OS, which is an Amazon-modified version of Android, is 5.3.3. If yours is lower, then that explains why Alexa isn’t working. Tap Check Now, wait for the update to download and then tap Update.

If for some reason the update doesn’t appear right away then wait a few days and try again. If it still doesn’t appear then it’s possible to download and install Fire OS 5.3.3 manually — just follow Amazon’s instructions at www. snipca.com/24661.