iPad and iPhone Apps are Different - iPad missing some features

[Alexa in Canada]

Just to make the support of this product even more challenging, I just confirmed on my own devices that the iPad App is missing some of the features that the iPhone app has.

Both were recently downloaded from the App store, both show the exact same version number.

Specifically missing from the iPad version:

1. The Your Voice item in Settings>Accounts is missing altogether, so can't trigger Voice Training. I tried it from the iPhone App and it seemed to work fine with the Echo device

2. The Drop In item in Settings>Device Name>General is missing altogether, therefore you can't control Drop In.

It would me good if someone else can confirm this and if Amazon could offer a possible explanation as to why this is.

[mike27oct]

The iPad also does not have the Conversations feature (maybe because my iPad does not have cellular featuer).  Whatever, they are different devices and that likely explains why feature set is different.

[Alexa in Canada]

Well I got an answer from Amazon, first I got an email asking me to reinstall the iPad app, which I had already done, it made no difference.

Then I used the call back support feature, which worked well I got a call back right away. When I explained my problem, they sent me to Canada support which could not help me at all, so I got sent back to US support.

They confirmed that certain features that require a connection to a phone number, like Drop In and Conversation are not enabled on the iPad app, just on iPhone and Android phones. Which makes sense to me. Although note, my iPad is Cellular enabled and I can make calls from it now, but it connects to my iPhone first to make the call, but to be fair it does not have a separate phone number.

When I suggested that the Your Voice feature is not directly related to calling just setting up the training for the Echo to recognize one users voice, they reiterated that it is still related to calling someone so it was not enabled on the iPad.

I personally think it is just confusing and frustrating, I think I should be able to set up anything from my iPad since I also have a phone but at least I have the answer.

[mike27oct]

Hmm, like I supposed, the device needs a phone capability.  BTW, I setup all my many Alexa devices and TP smart plugs using the larger screen iPad.  Sorry you fell hamstrung by the limitations of iPad.vs iPhone.

[asianrocker]

Why you want it on your ipad so bad anyway? And if you have cellular on your ipad, like you said you still use your iPhone for calling feature so it makes sense that it still does not work.

Well, have you tried to use google number for your ipad? Don't know how that works though. LOL. I don't do anything apple.

But if you really want it on your ipad since it has cellular, might as well pay for cellular for it. That's IF you want it so bad for your ipad.

[Alexa in Canada]

Why you want it on your ipad so bad anyway? And if you have cellular on your ipad, like you said you still use your iPhone for calling feature so it makes sense that it still does not work.

Well, have you tried to use google number for your ipad? Don't know how that works though. LOL. I don't do anything apple.

But if you really want it on your ipad since it has cellular, might as well pay for cellular for it. That's IF you want it so bad for your ipad.

Just to be clear, I am fine with accessing those feature on my iphone if that is the only place I can get them. My main issue with this is that it is totally confusing and you think it is a bug or something when you look at your iPad and it is missing some of the items you see in the iPhone version without any explanation, even having them greyed out might make more sense. These differences are not documented anywhere form Amazon that I have found. I have seen a number of other threads were people were frustrated because the features were missing from their iPad. I prefer to use my IPAD for a lot of things , just because the screen is bigger.

I believe it is incorrect to have Amazon implement an app that looks like it is missing items on one platform. I think they could do it like other companies that maintain the same features on apps no matter which mobile device you are using to access it. Since these features are used for set-up, it is not actually using the phone to do the set-up, only for the calling that occurs later.