Alexa has long been able to call friends and loved ones on their home and cell phones, but now you can ask Alexa to perform a new trick: placing and receiving calls using your AT&T mobile number.
The feature, which allows AT&T subscribers to link their mobile numbers with Alexa, comes courtesy of a just-announced partnership between Amazon and AT&T, according to The Verge. Once you have your AT&T account linked, you can ask Alexa to call a contact with your AT&T number, answer incoming calls, or even dial a number by saying the digits.
Alexa’s “carrier calling” feature is new in the U.S. but not in other territories, with The Verge noting that users in the UK and Germany can link (respectively) their Vodafone OneNumber and EE mobile numbers with Alexa.
Ben Patterson/IDG
You can ask Alexa to make and receive calls with your AT&T number once you link your AT&T account in the Alexa app.
There’s no word on when—or if—Alexa’s carrier calling capabilities will extend to more U.S. carriers.
Even if you’re not an AT&T subscriber, you can still ask Alexa to call phone numbers in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico for free, but Alexa won’t be able to answer incoming calls unless someone calls you from another Alexa-enabled device.
How to link your AT&T mobile number with Alexa
- Open the Alexa app, then tap More > Settings > Communications.
- Under the Accounts heading, tap AT&T, then sign into your AT&T account and follow the prompts.
- Now, time to make and receive some calls. Say “Alexa, call Dad” to place a call to your pop, or “Alexa, answer” if someone dials your AT&T number (Alexa will announce the incoming call). If you want to call a number that you don’t have stored in your contacts, just ask Alexa to call it by reading out the digits. Last but not least, say “Alexa, hang up” when you’re done talking.