Forget Amazon’s Echo: Lexi lets you speak to Alexa through your phone

If you’ve debating building a DIY prototype of the Echo so you don’t have to pay a hefty $180 for the convenience to use Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa, Lexi might just be the app you’ve been looking for.

Available for iOS, Lexi lets you speak to Alexa straight through your phone – and without the need for any third-party gadgets like the Echo or Triby.

What’s particularly nifty about Lexi is that the app supports a wide range of the Echo’s functionalities like placing orders, remotely controlling your smart home devices as well as install and turn skills from the Alexa App.

Additionally, Lexi also allows users to ask Alexa for information about the the latest news, weather, movies or directions to the closest hospital, for instance.

Lexi requires an Amazon account in order to sync.

Unfortunately, for now Lexi does not support integration with Alexa’s music or book services, so you’ll still have to get the Echo if you want to stream media from Amazon Prime Music.

At present, the app hasn’t rolled out for Android, but it is available on the App Store for $4.99.

While Lexi does indeed offer a much cheaper alternative to the pricey Echo, it is certainly not the only (or the cheapest) app out there that supports integration with Amazon’s voice assistant.

Akin to Lexi, the Roger App lets you connect your phone to Alexa using only your Amazon account and without the need of any other auxiliary devices.

However, the Roger – unlike Lexi – is free and also available for Android (as well as iOS).