Amazon Alexa now allows you to send SMS to your friends and contacts on your list

**Amazon** has added a new feature to its voice-assistant Alexa . The new messaging feature allows the assistant to send text messages (SMS) to a contact saved on the users’ list. The messaging feature has gone live from 31 January on the Alexa devices supporting calling and messaging. [caption id=“attachment_4305555” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Amazon skills kit. Image: Amazon[/caption] According to a report on TechCrunch, when asked to send a message to a friend or a contact in the list,  **Alexa** will figure out ways to send the message. If the recipient doesn’t have an Alexa device the message will be sent as a text message (SMS) on their Android smartphones. The feature is limited to Android smartphones at the moment. To get started with the new features users need to follow instructions that will appear as a pop-up on the Alexa Android app. Users need to select ‘Contacts’ in the ‘Conversation’ tab of the app and then go to ‘My Profile’. Turn on the ‘Send SMS’ feature in the ‘My profile’ tab in the app and the feature is ready to use. After turning on the features users will be able to send voice messages through their Alexa devices. Users need to specify the type of message they want to send to the recipient, which can be either ‘Text message’ or ‘Message’. If Alexa is not able to send the message to another Alexa device, then it will send an SMS to the recipient’s smartphone. The report mentioned that the company is unable to bring the feature on Apple smartphones as the company doesn’t offer their messaging API to third parties. Amazon recently brought the radio programme hosted by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Echo devices. Users can say ‘Alexa, open ‘ **Mann Ki Baat** ’ and listen to the latest episode of the programme. The tech giant also partnered with Microsoft at the CES 2018 to bring Alexa on **Windows 10-powered** laptops and desktops.