Tap Calling & Messaging?

[Bigwave]

I also REALLY look forward to the calling and messaging feature being supported on the echo tap. I was actually surprised that it wasn't. This feature is very important to me because my elderly mom, 83 years old, lives alone and I've been using the echo devices to enable her to call out if she needs help. I bought her an echo tap expecting this feature to be supported since she loves to take it with her so she can listen to music throughout the house and the backyard.

I also really hope that emergency services, 911, can be called in the future with this feature.

[Bo3b]

Again, and I can't emphasize enough, voice your desire for full Tap feature support - Speak out in other high visibility forums, the Alexa App Feedback mechanism, official Amazon support page and more. This is about more than the Calling & Messaging feature - It's about Amazon fully integrating the Tap into the Echo family with complete feature set support.

[jgauthier]

It's been since June 2017 since the message about the tap supporting messaging with the "next version."  When is that?  I've got two of these, and want to use the messaging feature with my kids.

[Bo3b]

It's an ongoing mystery why Amazon continues to ignore supporting the Tap with full Echo feature set. And as the Alexa App continues to evolve the lack of Tap support becomes more obvious and annoying. Very disappointing.

Make the effort to send Alexa App -> Feedback voicing your concern/request - Ask others with the Tap to do the same...

Bob

[jwlv]

I'm guessing that the tap will be phased out soon. In the last few sales where all echo devices were discounted the tap wasn't even mentioned.

[Bo3b]

That would be unfortunate and in my opinion a mistake by Amazon. Tap is the best of Echo family - Decent audio, excellent microphone (easily and accurately recognizes voice commands from a great distance), small size AND very good battery life power portable. No obvious Tap negatives and no reason to abandon the model...

[zooropean]

I sent a message into Amazon yesterday and got this response:


I understand that you like to have a "calling and messaging" and "multi room" music feature to get enabled for Amazon Tap.

I can understand your concern in this matter and can understand how convenient it would become when Amazon Tap will become fully fledged like other Amazon Echo devices.

I'd like to inform you that our development team is still working for this feature. Once the feature will get available we will notify you via the best medium.

To make things better, I've taken it as an improvement factor and forwarded your comments as feedback to our Alexa development team. I know they'll want to hear about your experience so that they can look into this and may come up with the best possible options in the nearest future.

As you might have noticed, we are carefully reviewing potential features to add to the Echo in the upcoming months

[Bo3b]

zooropean,

At this point I'll believe it when I actually see it...

But thanks for contacting Amazon with another voice of support for the Tap - Still the most versatile Echo. And keeping this thread alive with hope...

[zooropean]

zooropean,

At this point I'll believe it when I actually see it...

But thanks for contacting Amazon with another voice of support for the Tap - Still the most versatile Echo. And keeping this thread alive with hope...

Yeah I am not optimistic at this point either.

I bought the Tap immediately after hands-free mode became available.  I liked the portability factor and the fact it still put out pretty decent sound.

I later bought 2 Dots so I could have Alexa on all floors of the house.  But when calling came about (and hence intercom) and multi-room music I was disappointed that the Tap was left behind. The Tap gets a lot of use since it's on the main level of the house.

What I have done for my Dots is to put them in the Vaux speakers, which makes them portable.  While the sound quality isn't quite as good as the Tap and there's no charge dock (which is super handy with the Tap as you know) it's nice to have another portable Alexa device.

All that being said I think Amazon will probably never make the Tap a true Echo device (remember it's sold as a Bluetooth speaker with Alexa-which I honestly didn't realize the distinction at the time I bought it).

[Bo3b]

Yeah I am not optimistic at this point either.

I bought the Tap immediately after hands-free mode became available.  I liked the portability factor and the fact it still put out pretty decent sound.

All that being said I think Amazon will probably never make the Tap a true Echo device (remember it's sold as a Bluetooth speaker with Alexa-which I honestly didn't realize the distinction at the time I bought it).

The puzzling part is that AFAIK there is no technical reason NOT to add full Echo features to the Tap  - The speech recognition is excellent, volume more than adequate, stable/reliable WiFi connection, etc.

I watched and waited patiently for the Tap to support "Hands Free" and like you purchased as soon as available. And as I recall, originally the Tap was not marketed, or distinguished, as a "Bluetooth speaker with Alexa", simply as an extension of the Echo family with battery portability.

If Amazon is smart they will continue the Tap model and bring it fully into full Echo features support.