Amazon’s new “adaptive volume” will make Alexa speak louder when there is noise



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Amazon is working to solve a frustration with smart home speakers by introducing a feature called Adaptive Volume, which will allow Alexa to respond louder if it detects you’re in a noisy environment. According to the company, the mode is meant to ensure that you can still hear Alexa’s responses over any background noise (like the sound of a dishwasher, people talking, or music playing on another device). . Amazon says the feature is currently available to US customers and you can turn it on by saying “Alexa, turn on adaptive volume.”

Amazon doesn’t mention Adaptive Volume running in the opposite direction, becoming quieter if there is no background noise, but there are other ways to dynamically reduce the volume. One of them is Whisper Mode, where Alexa will whisper her response if you speak quietly to her. As this relaxing video points out, you can activate the mode by asking Alexa to “turn on whisper mode”.

If you’re looking instead to adjust the volume based on what time it is, Alexa enthusiasts recommend doing so by adding a ‘adjust volume’ action to a custom routine that kicks in at a certain time, or by incorporating it into your bedtime routine. .

We just did a quick test at Adaptive Volume with an Echo Dot sitting next to a desktop PC with a spinning fan, and it looks a bit inconsistent; some of Alexa’s responses were louder than usual, but others went back to the original volume.

It’s worth noting that the Adaptive Volume feature is not the same as the fourth-generation Echo Spherical Adaptive Sound, which uses the device’s microphones to tune the music to sound best in your specific room. It’s also not the first time we’ve seen a smart assistant try to tailor its volume to the user’s environment – Google Nest’s Ambient IQ promises to do something similar for spoken content or responses. of the assistant.

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