Since launching in 2014, Alexa has grown far beyond its original role as a simple voice assistant for music and reminders.

Amazon’s claims that the Echo Dot was the retailer’s best-selling product all through this holiday season appear to be backed up by the rise of the Alexa app in the U.S. App Store.

There was also a second option: the Amazon Alexa app itself, available from the Windows Store. But that required typed commands, making it far less useful than, say, an Echo Dot.

Earlier this week, Amazon enabled Alexa integration on the iPhone by building voice recognition straight into the standard Amazon App. This development is a result of a promise Huawei made back at ...

The Alexa app's smart home controls used to be sparse and utilitarian-looking, as seen there on the left. Now things are a bit better looking, with more practical controls for groups of gadgets.

This year, several universities across the U.S. are introducing students to Alexa-enabled smart devices. However, not all students are excited about having the devices in their dorms.

For those who already use Alexa on iOS, this won't be an issue since you have likely already downloaded both the Alexa app (a necessary accompanying app for Echo, Tap, and Dot devices) and the ...

Alexa poses problems for developers, who encounter a steep learning curve in building voice apps. Even after creating an app, there's no guarantee people will find it.