Siri’s got company: Alexa will be available on the iPhone soon

If you’ve become accustomed to asking Alexa to order you more toilet paper or put on your favorite Beyonce jam, you’ll soon be able to use the voice-activated assistant even when you’re not at home.

Amazon announced Thursday that Alexa will be available next week on iPhone inside the Amazon app. Fans of the technology, which comes along with the online retailer’s Echo device, will be able to ask the digital assistant to add things to Amazon shopping lists, play music, answer a question, deliver the traffic report or stream Kindle books. She can also tell you a joke — but we can’t promise it will be very good.

Amazon has already moved Alexa beyond the Echo, with the technology also available on Kindle Fire tablets.

Although iPhones are already equipped with the digital assistant Siri, users have complained the Apple technology has a hard time understanding requests — particularly when made by someone with an accent — and doesn’t necessarily have the most up-to-date information. Users have suggested Echo has a much easier time deciphering quieries.

Those who have smart technology across their home will likely find Amazon’s iPhone expansion most helpful. Users will be able to instruct Alexa to preheat their oven or turn the lights on at home before they get there.

Amazon doesn’t disclose Echo sales numbers, but estimates suggest more than 8.2 million people own one. The device was introduced in 2014 to Amazon Prime members and made available to the public the next year, and sales spiked during last year’s holiday sesason.

This story was originally published March 16, 2017 at 1:26 PM with the headline "Siri’s got company: Alexa will be available on the iPhone soon."