Amazon adds multi-room audio support to Echo speakers

Amazon has added multi-room audio support to its Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Show. Users who have multiple of the smart speakers can now assign music to a particular device or to a group.

With a voice command, users can instruct Alexa to play music on a specific Echo speaker. In this way it is also possible, for example, to set something up in the living room and then continue listening in the kitchen. The speakers can be grouped from the Alexa app.

For now, multiroom audio works within Amazon Music and a number of other apps such as TuneIn and Pandora. Support for Spotify and SiriusXM will follow soon, but when is not yet known. The Echo Dot hardware itself has a small speaker, but it is also possible to connect external speakers via the 3.5 mm jack plug.

Next year, multi-room audio support should also come to third-party Alexa speakers. Amazon will make an SDK available for this early next year. Amazon also comes with Connected Speaker APIs, which should ensure cooperation between network audio systems from other brands and the Echo speakers. Amazon says it cooperates with brands such as Sonos, Bose and Samsung.