SMS texts working in Canada

[Laurel]

I continue to keep my Alexa devices registered on Amazon.com and I live in Vancouver, BC.  I am finding the texting feature (voice) very handy. Not sure if it is on Amazon.ca.

[floydroid]

Did you try the new follow-up feature as well?

Alexa is supposed to keep listening for a few seconds after the first command to see if you have additional commands, unless you say thank you to dismiss it. I think this is a US-only feature right now.

[Laurel]

Did you try the new follow-up feature as well?

Alexa is supposed to keep listening for a few seconds after the first command to see if you have additional commands, unless you say thank you to dismiss it. I think this is a US-only feature right now.

I think we need to get the update on the app for it to work.  No update for me yet. Sounds like a handy feature.

[middleton]

I just bought an Echo Show 8 and only discovered that I can supposedly send SMS text via voice with any Alexa device. But it's not working for me. When I say "Alexa, send text" or "send SMS" it asks "to whom" and I respond with a name in my contacts. After a short pause, it replies, "sorry SMS is not currently supported on this device, but I can send a voice message instead". But that's not for all contacts. For others, I get the response "I can message contacts who have signed up for Alexa messaging".

Reading articles going back two years, apparently this is supposed to work. I can send regular messages, but the recipient must have Alexa installed. But I thought sending an SMS instead would send a regular text to their cell phone, without forcing them to install Alexa.

Amazon.ca support was no help, they just said that the recipient must have Alexa installed. So I'm stumped.

[jwlv]

You are correct, SMS is not the same as Alexa messaging.

For some devices, such as Echo Auto, you can dictate a message to be sent from your phone (SMS) to a phone numbers. It's not Alexa sending the message. Alexa is just converting your voice and typing it into your SMS messaging app and then your phone sends it. It's similar to Siri or Google Asst when you dictate to the Messages app. This assumes that your Echo device supports this feature and your phone is connected to it. I believe only the Echo Auto, Echo Frames, and Echo Loop support this.

Alexa messaging is just an app, like SnapChat. To send a message to someone, the other person has to be using the same app (i.e. the Alexa app). Take for example if you were to send a message to someone on SnapChat. If the other person doesn't use SnapChat, where does the message go? It goes no where.

[middleton]

Thanks for the info. From the OP (and the websites I had been reading) I got the impression that all Echo devices should be able to do this, not just the 3 you mentioned. Not a huge deal, it just would be a handy option to have since most people I know use Google devices and are unlikely to install Alexa.