Updated: The long-standing voice assistant workaround is now free to use
Alexa on the Apple Watch, you say? While the smartwatch still doesn’t have an official Alexa app, it is still doable with the help of a very clever third-party integration.
Downloading it from the App Store allows you to ditch Siri and instead pop your queries over to Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa.
Using this workaround’s also fairly straightforward, and you only need a couple of steps to gain compatibility.
Read on for details on what you can control – and whether the real Alexa will soon be standing up.
Other Apple Watch guides:
- Apple Watch tips and tricks to try
- Top Apple Watch apps to download
- Best Apple Watch faces to install
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.
In 2024, the app was surprisingly canned, with founder Damian Mehers explaining in a blog post that Amazon removed all documentation on the Alexa Voice Service that the app used.
However, Mehers later said on Reddit: “Amazon has removed all documentation on the Alexa Voice Service… so I didn’t feel comfortable selling it anymore. I pulled it from the App Store, but after getting quite a few emails, I put it back for free.”
So, ‘Voice in a Can’ lives on for now—but at least for free.
Since it’s a standalone app, it also works whether your smartwatch is connected to Wi-Fi or LTE.
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 and 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 is that there’s not a massive drop-off from what you can 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 Alexa Announcements, use Drop In, make calls, or listen to music. It can also be a little slow to react at times.
Yet, 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. You can also easily do it from the Apple Watch’s face, as shown above.
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 be released?
With the emergence of Matter in recent years, there is reason to be optimistic in this regard. However, the short answer is that we simply don’t know.
We don’t necessarily think an official Alexa app for Apple Watch will arrive anytime soon—or ever, really—but Matter does promise to make home control much easier.
Eventually, controlling your Alexa smart home via Siri will be a possibility, meaning workarounds like this will be less necessary.
The above method is the best way to get Alexa on the Apple Watch, at least for now.
