The popular app that managed to let loose a ton of controversies this tragic year has surprisingly published an Alexa skill even when it’s life has a hovering sword above. TikTok rolled out an Alexa skill, created with Alexa for Apps feature that Amazon released earlier this year. It adds voice commands by enabling hands-free recording and also lets viewers conduct voice searches on the app.
What Does TikTok Alexa Skill Do?
TikTok Alexa skill allows users to launch and operate the app normally through voice. In simpler words, users can perform all the basic operations on TikTok via speech recognition that would normally need tapping on the screen.
Users can ask Alexa to hunt for videos and sounds based on subject, or even ask about the daily challenges and videos made to respond to the same. TikTok takes pride that users can now use Alexa to find a video of someone sharing a cookie recipe without having to wash their hands first.
For TikTokers, the TikTok Alexa Skill can launch the camera app and can start recording the videos with the help of voice commands. Henceforth, the whole hassle of launching the app, tapping on record, immediately backing off, and recording a video is now obsolete.
TikTok Alexa Skill Won’t Work With Echo Show Smart Display
The all-new TikTok Alexa skill only works on mobile platforms since it uses Alexa for Apps. In simpler words, Echo Show smart displays can not stream the videos from the app.
Also, having the TikTok app installed on the mobile platform is a necessity, which is certainly impossible on Echo Show devices. It is basically due to the limitation of Alexa for Apps.
As Alexa is not the in-built voice assistant for a lot of smartphones, it can be a bit drudgy to open the app without tapping on it. TikTok specifically advises using Amazon Echo Buds earbuds to run TikTok through Alexa to help skip the extra step.
TikTok’s Official Statement
TikTok stated in an official announcement, “This is yet another way we’re making our app accessible to more users, empowering their creativity, and imagining new ways for users to engage with our platform.
We’re always exploring new product features, effects, and tools that make it easy to create and explore videos on our platform. Our Alexa skill for TikTok is another exciting way we’re improving the app experience for our users, and we’re excited to see how it inspires new kinds of creativity on our platform.”
TikTok Alexa Skill – Will It Be a Short-Lived One?
TikTok Alexa skill might not be living long in the US, since TikTok itself is set to take off. According to President Trump’s orders, TikTok’s creator ByteDance needs to divest from the US by November, who may face security concerns otherwise.
The irony behind it all is, that recently Amazon banned all its employees through an email, whoever dared to download TikTok on their phones! On the other hand, the tech giant Microsoft has been actively negotiating with Trump to grant the order of letting them buy out TikTok’s US operations.
Recent news has surfaced that Oracle has also been trying hard to buy TikTok’s US, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand’s operations too. What either company’s future with TikTok would mean in terms of combat for Amazon is something only time will tell.
Till then, it’s quite possible that the TikTok Alexa skill will vanish, just like BREAK-R on The Muppets Show!
