Deutsche Telekom Centers Magenta Voice Assistant in New Smart Home App

Deutsche Telekom has released a new mobile app leveraging its Magenta voice assistant to run a smart home with AI. The MagentaZuhause app for Android, iOS, and the MagentaTV service takes several pages from Amazon and GOogle’s voice assistant mobile app playbooks, but with its own spin on the idea.

MagentaZuhause

The MagentaZuhause app allows every individual in the home to create their own profile and contribute to shared activities. For instance, everyone can make their own suggestions on a sho[[long list or mark when they doa chore, with Magenta there to remind them about things on their to-do list they may not be aware of because somebody else in the home added it. The individual access to the shared account also allows the mobile app to mark when people are home if the user wishes or if it’s a parent keeping an eye on their children. The app is free, although there is a premium version if you want to add Magenta control of the Wi-Fi to the list.

Like Alexa and Google Assistant, Magenta can carry out a series of tasks stringed together and activated with a single command called a routine. Magenta can find any compatible smart devices in a home and will suggest ideas for routines based on what’s available, which can be particularly useful for those unfamiliar with the technology. Notably, Deutsche Telekom leans in a bit to German stereotypes by emphasizing how the app is very practical and how routines are great for security and energy efficiency, as oppsoed to just improving entertainment.

The new app builds on the Magenta smart home experience Deutsche Telekom has been constructing since releasing the voice assistant. In December, the company explicitly revamped the Magenta TV as a smart home hub through the Telekom Home Experience app. The app allows Magenta to control smart home devices and wider access to the voice assistant beyond smart speaker owners by essentially transforming the TV into a smart display. That upgrade followed other efforts to appeal to German voice AI interest. Smart speaker ownership in Germany by 34% in 2020, with more than a quarter of all German adults owning at least one smart speaker, according to Voicebot’s data. The entry-level €50 Magenta Mini smart speaker simplified “Magenta” wake word and adding Apple Musc were all part of Deutsche Telekom’s efforts to encourage the distribution of its voice assistant. became the new, simplified wake word instead of “Hallo Magenta” and added Apple Music via Alexa Voice Service.

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