The redesigned Alexa app makes it easier to manage your smart home

Favorites are now easily accessible on the Home page, giving you quick access to your most-used devices and features like your shopping or to-do Lists, and recently played music. Device types supported by Favorites include Echos, lights, plugs, switches, locks, cameras, thermostats, and temperature sensors, with more to come.

A new Shortcuts bar on the Home page organizes devices by category, and shows popular Alexa features like shopping lists, alarms, and Routines. You can customize what you see in the rotating carousel at the top of the Home page. Plus, you can now see the state of your connected devices—like how many lights are on or the temperature in your living room—directly from Shortcuts. These device state updates are available if you have 20 or fewer devices, and will expand to customers with additional devices in the coming months.

Activity cards show time-sensitive information, such as timers, upcoming alarms, or reminders you’ve set. These are now stacked so they are easy to find but no longer take up as much space on the Home page.

If you subscribe to Ring Protect, you will soon be able to view up to six snapshots from your connected Ring cameras directly from the Home page under Favorites.

We’ve streamlined the ability to talk to or type to chat with Alexa in a single location in the Alexa app. Just tap the blue chat indicator on any page of the Alexa app to bring up a holistic chat experience, see full-screen visual responses, and get suggested conversation prompts.

The Devices page now lets you filter content by device type, sort devices by newest, oldest, or alphabetically, and search for devices by name or key words. You can also flip between List View and Map View to access a holistic view of your connected devices throughout your home.

With Map View, you can use a compatible iOS device to scan and create a digital version of your home's floor plan and then pin your connected devices to it. This lets you visualize your home at-a-glance, and quickly access and control smart home devices, without needing to scroll through any device lists, remember device names, or open multiple apps. The feature is available as a preview to select customers in the U.S.

With these updates, customers should be able to access their favorite features, easily control their devices, and jump into device settings in just a few taps. They are available to check out now in the Alexa iOS and Android mobile apps—we can’t wait to hear what you think.