Amazon is trying to make sure that when an Alexa device wakes up, it’s because you really called out “Alexa.”
It’s announcing a new feature today called “Cloud-Based Wake Word Verification,” which basically lets a device double-check that you really said “Alexa” and not just a word that sounds similar. The feature is meant to improve third-party Alexa devices, by opening up the same kind of voice verification system that makes Amazon’s Echo so reliable.
Right now, third-party Alexa devices might only do a single, on-device check to see if someone’s said “Alexa.” But with Wake Word Verification, the device can then send the audio up to Amazon’s servers to confirm that it’s...
