Is Alexa Finally Getting Support for Multiroom Audio?
It’s been rumored for a while now that Alexa was getting an audio synchronization upgrade which would give users the ability to play the same music or audio content across every Echo in their home at the same time. The rumors started this March when AFTVnews reported that users were seeing a new audio synchronization feature appear in the Alexa app. However, it never came to fruition. But now CNet is reporting via German blog Caschys that Amazon has completed testing on this new feature. “It will probably soon be possible to use the Echoes as multiroom speakers, the music is then synchronized on several loudspeakers,” Caschys wrote Monday. The blog also reports that “owners will be able to “group” Alexa speakers, too, so that multiple devices can listen and respond to a single command or question.”
An Alexa Home
The ability to synchronize audio across multiple Alexa-enabled devices would certainly be an upgrade from a user experience perspective. It will also help Amazon sell even more Echo and Echo Dot devices. Edison Research found that 42% of smart speaker owners already own two or more devices. That is even without the best-selling Echo Dot having the capability to play the same audio across multiple speakers around the house or to link them up to create a surround sound experience in your living room. Google Home already has this capability but over twice the price of one Echo Dot, creating a complete home stereo system could get steep. At $49 a pop, Amazon is in a great position to market the Echo Dot as a way to install surround sound for your home without the hefty price tag. It’s already the best-selling smart speaker in the US. If these rumors are true, Amazon could leave its competitors even further behind.
