AT&T customers can now link mobile numbers to Alexa accounts for calls on Amazon devices
Amazon and AT&T announced Wednesday the launch of AT&T calling with Alexa, a new service that lets AT&T customers link their mobile number to their Alexa account in order to make calls through compatible Alexa devices.
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After linking an AT&T postpaid mobile number in the Alexa app, a person can use the typical Alexa voice commands to call known contacts or phone numbers by digits. When someone receives a call on their mobile number, Alexa will announce the call through synched Amazon devices.
One of the key perks of the service is that users can make calls even if their phone is turned off, out of battery or just out of reach. Amazon notes that customers must have a compatible HD-voice mobile phone.
The service is based on AT&T NumberSync, the wireless company's service that lets users connect their smartphone number with multiple devices. NumberSync is already available for various Apple and Android devices, as well as smartwatches.
As for Amazon, the company first introduced Alexa Calling, its Alexa-powered calling and messaging service, back in 2017. The service launched as a way for people to contact family and friends who also had Echo devices in their home or the Alexa app installed on the iOS or Android device.
However, this new service with AT&T marks Amazon's first partnership with a mobile carrier in the US and the first time US customers will have the ability to register existing phone numbers to their Amazon account. Amazon previously launched Vodafone OneNumber calling with Alexa in the UK and Germany, as well as a second mobile carrier integration for UK customers with EE.