Alexa has a new Adaptive Sound feature that lets it raise its voice to be heard over loud noises, The Verge reports. That means you'll be able to hear what the voice assistant says even if your smart speaker is next to a whirring washing machine.
The aim is to compensate for background noise, be it people talking, household appliances or music blasting out from another speaker.
The feature is live now for US customers (it hasn't been announced yet for the UK). To activate it, just say, "Alexa, turn on Adaptive Volume."
This isn't the first volume tweak Amazon has given Alexa. In March, it released Whisper Mode, which makes the voice assistant quieter and also shortens its responses – handy if you have a sleeping baby you don't want to disturb. You can also set the volume differently depending on the time of day by setting a "set volume" action to a custom routine. That way, you can make Alexa quieter for first thing in the morning, if you like.
Amazon's most recent Alexa speaker is the Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen). Not only does it have a screen, it also rotates to follow you around the room on video calls. But Amazon's speakers aren't the only game in town – check out our list of best Alexa speakers from all manufacturers.
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Read our Amazon Echo (4th Generation) review
