Alexa's speech cadence will now match yours

Amazon has released an update to its Alexa service that will allow users to customize the speech cadence of the assistant. users will be able to say “Alexa, speak slower” or “Alexa, speak faster” to control how fast or slow the assistant speaks. This is done to accommodate users who are hard of hearing and may prefer a slower pace, or those who are reliant on Alexa to be more efficient and dislike the measured pace it currently speaks at. In other words, options for everyone.

“We heard from customers that they would like the ability to change Alexa’s speaking rate for a variety of reasons. Some of our hard of hearing and older customers shared how they love talking to Alexa and how she has become a companion but sometimes they would like her to slow down so they can better understand her responses. On the other hand, some of our customers who are blind or low vision are used to consuming audio content and want to be able to listen more quickly,” said Sarah Caplener, head of Alexa for Everyone. “We’re thrilled to introduce this feature to help customers further personalize their interactions with Alexa, and adapt the experience to best fit their individual needs. We’re humbled by the initial response to this feature from customers who helped us build this and look forward to continuing to deliver impactful features for all our customers.”

The firm cites a handful of testers who’ve tried out this feature and have been impressed by its accessibility.

Source: Amazon