Amazon adds 'custom alerts' to Alexa caregiver service

San Francisco: Amazon has added a "custom alert" to Alexa Together care service, which will allow pings up to 10 caregivers when there's particular smart home activity.

Alexa Together is a subscription service, designed to help ageing loved ones feel more comfortable and confident to live independently.

With custom alert, the user will be notified if the care receiver, for example, opened a sensor-equipped medicine cabinet or turned on the bedroom light at the right time in the morning.

Users can enable custom alerts through the "More" section in the Alexa App, also it requires at least one Echo device for the person receiving support.

Alexa Together provides a variety of remote assistance, including 24/7 urgent-care responses, remote assistance for features like reminders, and fall detection with compatible sensors, according to the report.

It was created during the height of the pandemic when in-person care was frequently impractical, but it is also pitched as a way to give independence to the elderly and others who would otherwise require physical check-ins.

Moreover, it's easy to imagine privacy concerns.

If an intruder gained access, they could discover when a family member leaves the house or wakes up.

However, Amazon notes that there are "multiple layers" of protection, including limited information in the activity feed and the ability to revoke permission, said the report.