How to use Alexa on the Apple Watch

Alexa on the Apple Watch, you say? While the smartwatch still doesn't have an official app for Alexa, it is still doable with the help of a very clever third-party app.

Downloading it from the App Store allows you to ditch Siri and instead pop your queries over to Amazon's voice assistant, Alexa.

It's also fairly straightforward to use this workaround, and you only need a couple of steps in order to gain compatibility.

Read on for details on what you'll be able to control - and whether the real Alexa will soon be standing up.

Step 1: Install Alexa on the Apple Watch

There's no official way to connect Alexa to the Apple Watch, as we say, but downloading the third-party app Voice in a Can gives you a neat workaround.

It costs $1.99 / £1.99 from the App Store and gives you full compatibility with iPhone and iPad, as well as the Apple Watch - though, of course, the real Alexa app can be used on those other two devices.

Since it's a standalone app, it works whether your smartwatch is connected to Wi-Fi or through LTE.

Also, once the app is installed on your wrist, you just need to sync your Amazon Alexa account with the watch and tap the icon inside the app to access the smart assistant.

You can even harness the device's Siri Raise feature to prompt Alexa instead, as well as tap into a nifty little Siri Shortcut workaround (which you can learn how to do through Voice in a Can's FAQ section).

Step 2: Use Alexa on the Apple Watch

You can ask Alexa your queries regarding the weather, directions, and whatever else using the app, but that's not all.

The good news here is that there's not a huge amount of drop-off from what you would be able to control through a smartwatch that officially works with Alexa and your Apple Watch.

However, there are a few things to be aware of. You won't be able to make announcements, calls, or listen to music, for example.

But the workaround does enable you to control your Alexa-enabled smart home tech, meaning you can turn your lights on/off, adjust your smart thermostat or even lock your front door, as shown above by developer Damian Mehers.

Since this can save you from pulling out your phone, it's a no-brainer download for both Apple Watch and smart home enthusiasts looking to simplify how they talk to Alexa.

Will an official Alexa Apple Watch app ever release?

That would be nice, wouldn't it? But the truth is, we don't know. 

Still, with the recent emergence of Matter, there's actually a reason to be optimistic in this sense. 

We don't necessarily think an official Alexa app for Apple Watch will arrive any time soon - or ever, really - but Matter does promise to make home control much easier across the board.

Eventually, then, controlling your Alexa smart home via Siri will actually be a possibility, meaning workarounds like this won't be as necessary as they currently are.

At least for now, though, the above method is the best way to get Alexa on the Apple Watch.