Introducing New Works with Alexa Requirements

Today, we are introducing new certification requirements for the Works with Alexa (WWA) program as part of our ongoing effort to raise the bar on the responsiveness, reliability, and functionality of connected devices. These updates ensure Alexa compatibility standards are current and relevant to customer expectations, providing developers more opportunities to increase customer satisfaction and engagement for smart home products.

New Eligibility Requirements:
A full updated list of WWA eligibility criteria can be found under the Works with Alexa Program Guidelines. 

Starting February 7, 2025, products submitted for certification must meet the new criteria listed below where applicable.

• Snapshot Integration: All cameras seeking WWA certification will be required to implement the SnapshotProvider API so that users can request Alexa to retrieve and display snapshot images from their security cameras and other camera devices . Learn more about SnapshotProvider API here.
• Doorbell Press Automatic Live View: All video doorbell devices seeking WWA certification will be required to support automatic live view in response to a doorbell press, in addition to the audio announcement that is required today. For your doorbell to support this feature, you will use the DoorbellEventSource API to send doorbell events to Alexa and the RTCSessionController API to send WebRTC streams to Alexa.
• Thermostat Modes: All devices implementing the ThermostatController API will be required to support at least one of HEAT or COOL thermostat modes to be eligible for WWA certification. In addition, the thermostatMode property in the interface must be populated with a list of supported modes in the discovery response of the device. Learn more about the ThermostatController API here.
  

Starting July 7, 2025, the following criteria would apply to products seeking WWA certification. 

• Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC) Protocol: All cameras seeking WWA certification must use the WebRTC protocol and connect to Alexa using the RealTimeSessionController API. Cameras that solely use the CameraStreamController API to integrate with Alexa will not be certified. Learn more about RealTimeSessionController API here
• Computer Vision (CV) Event Detection: Cameras supporting CV event detection will be required to integrate with the ObjectDetectionSensor (ODS) API to be eligible for WWA certification. Learn more about the ODS API here.

New Badging Requirements:
We are additionally launching new badging requirements that all WWA-certified products are required to meet on an ongoing basis in order to maintain their certification status. 

• Invalid Skill Response Exception: The INVALID_SKILL_RESPONSE_EXCEPTION error occurs when an Alexa skill provides an invalid response, negatively impacting the customer experience. Starting August 7, 2024, an Invalid Skill Response Exception must not exceed a threshold of 3% of total request volume when measured on a rolling basis over a 30-day period. Learn more about the User Perceived Error dashboard, exception background, and prevention here.
• Security: In addition to our published Security Best Practices, starting February 7, 2025, security incidents resulting in unauthorized access to sensitive user data or device controls and impacting more than 10,000 devices or lasting for over 1 hour, must be identified and remediated promptly to minimize customer exposure. Learn more about the Security requirement here. 

Exceeding the acceptable threshold for WWA badging requirements may result in the removal of WWA badges for all certified ASINs linked to that developer and a pause for all in-progress and future certifications. 

Learn More
To learn more the Works with Alexa program, including the certification process and eligibility requirements, please visit the developer documentation pages listed below. To get started with Works with Alexa certification, click here to access the WWA console.

Works with Alexa program overview

Works with Alexa certification requirements