Amazon Echo will soon speak up without voice commands, report says

Alexa is ready to speak freely.

Amazon's digital assistant will soon be able to talk to you even if you haven't issued a voice command, according to a new paywalled report from The Information. As the outlet put it, your Echo could tell you when your Uber has arrived rather than waiting for you to ask it about your ride's status, for example.

Amazon did not immediately respond to Mashable's request for comment about the update, which may come later this fall.

While it may seem inconsequential, this would represent a major shift for the product and the entire category of personal, internet-connected assistants. (Imagine if Siri could pipe up about a package delivery when you're in the middle of an intimate dinner.) Over 4 million Amazon Echo devices have been sold, so a more independent Alexa would help ease a lot of people into the idea of conversing with a robot — as long as they don't mind a disembodied voice floating through their homes at odd moments.

Note that the Echo wouldn't be talking to you randomly, though. It would reportedly take cues from connected apps and deliver information based on your settings. If you have an internet-connected coffee machine, Alexa might be able to call out when your pot is done brewing if you've set it up to do so.

You might call it frivolous, but think about how many things you use every day that may otherwise have been shrugged off as minor conveniences: auto-loading searches in Google without hitting "enter," push notifications about new email, ordering an Uber instead of sticking your arm out to hail a cab, whatever. A smarter Echo could be another service to add to the list.