Alexa Voice Service Expands to The Netherlands and Colombia

Starting today, device makers can use the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) to integrate Alexa directly into their products in The Netherlands and Colombia. You can now offer your Alexa Built-in products to more customers, with a growing number of Alexa features, smart home integrations, and skills. Amazon Music Unlimited, Spotify, and TuneIn, which offers access to selected local news stations are supported, as well as some of Alexa’s other most popular features including timers, alarms, weather, smart home, Alexa-to-Alexa calling, and more. A certification process is required before launching new, or existing Alexa Built-in devices in The Netherlands or Colombia.   

In The Netherlands, customers can use Alexa in UK-English and access the UK Alexa skills store. In Colombia, customers can use Alexa in US Spanish and access the US Alexa skills store.

Hear the News

Alexa can read the news from global news sources, as well as local news sources including NOS News (in Netherlands) and El Editorial de Julio from Radio W (Colombia). Just say “Alexa, what’s the news?”

Ask Questions

Ask Alexa questions, including those about famous people, places, dates, calculations, conversions, and much more. For example, “Alexa, what time is sunset?”, “Alexa, how many days until Christmas?”, “Alexa, what's the tallest mountain in Colombia?”, or “Alexa, who is the president?”

Get the Weather

Ask Alexa about local, national, and international weather forecasts. For example: “Alexa, will it rain tomorrow?”, “Alexa, what’s the weather?”, or “Alexa, what’s the weather in Amsterdam this weekend?”

Play Music

Alexa offers a seamless, hands-free music experience with premier music services including Amazon Music Unlimited, Spotify and TuneIn, which provides access to local radio stations like NPO Radio 1 (The Netherlands) and Blu Radio (Colombia). Control volume and playback of songs by saying “Alexa, turn it up” or “Alexa, skip this song.”

Control your Smart Home

Use Alexa to turn off the lights to go to sleep or dim the lights from the couch to watch a movie—all using just your voice. Alexa works with compatible devices such as plugs and bulbs from global brands including Philips Hue and TP-Link.

Enjoy Hands-free Calling and Messaging

Talk hands-free to anyone with a supported Alexa device or the Alexa app—no tapping or searching required. Your contacts will hear and see your name when they receive the call so they know who is calling. You can also send messages via voice to anyone with a supported Alexa device or the Alexa app. Just say “Alexa, call mom,” or “Alexa, send a message to Claudia.” Additionally, you can enable the Drop-In feature on supported devices to check in on the living room or instantly connect with family members near and far.

Set Timers and Alarms

Set up multiple alarms and timers with your voice. Just say “Alexa, wake me up at 6 tomorrow morning,” or “Alexa, how much time is left on my timer?”

Create Shopping and To-Do Lists

Alexa can help you stay organized by creating and managing your To-Do and Shopping lists. Just say “Alexa, add coffee to my Shopping list,” “Alexa, put ‘call mom’ on my To-Do list,” or “Alexa, what’s on my Shopping list?”