You can now make group video and audio calls on Echo devices

Video calls have become this year, and just in time for the holidays, Amazon is launch the ability to make group video and audio calls through Amazon Echo devices.

The group call feature allows up to seven people to join a group call using commands like, “Alexa, call my family,” or, “Alexa, join my Zoom meeting.” Users can create groups, and once this group is created, any member can then initiate a video or audio call—provided they have a compatible device, such as the Echo, the Echo Dot or the Echo Show. In the US, Amazon is also adding compatibility with Zoom and Amazon Chime, but you’ll need to have an Echo Show 8.

Amazon also activates a near real-time captioning feature for individual video and audio calls, as well as Drop Ins, which is a good idea.. This only applies to Echo Show devices, but it’s actually a pretty cool feature for people deaf or hard of hearing. Amazon also allows children with a Fire Kids Edition tablet or a Fire tablet loaded with the Amazon Kids app to make Alexa voice and video calls to Alexa, but only to contacts pre-approved by their parents.

A lot of it depends on whether your social group has Amazon Echo devices. But, you know East the season of gifts, and I’m pretty sure it’s no coincidence that Amazon allows this now as an incentive to choose your gadgets over similar competitors. That said, if your family or group of friends are invested in the Alexa ecosystem, this could be a practical alternative to other paid videoconferencing software, and potentially eliminates the need to sit down in front of a desktop PC or phone. As a bonus, according to the Edge, these group calls have no time limit, which can be good or bad depending on the length of your family video calls.