10 Alternatives to 'Alexa Losing Shopping List Feature'

Alexa will soon lose a popular shopping list feature - The Verge

Starting in July, users won’t be able to add items to lists on third-party apps like Todoist and AnyList with Alexa voice control through their existing Skills. According to a post on Amazon’s developer site, access to Alexa Shopping and To-Do lists will be discontinued on July 1st.

Changes to List Skills and Alexa Shopping and To-Do Lists

Starting July 1, 2024, the usage of List skills or the List Management REST API to access Alexa lists will no longer be supported. Developers who do not implement a new custom skill will lose their Alexa integrations, requiring users to use the Alexa app’s built-in list feature for voice commands.

Developers’ Response to the Changes

Amazon confirmed that developers can still integrate Alexa voice control into their apps but will no longer have access to Alexa lists. Some developers, like AnyList, plan to develop custom skills to maintain voice control functionality. However, there are concerns about the user experience, as commands may need to be adjusted to accommodate the new skill structure.

On the other hand, Todoist has decided not to develop a new custom skill and will be discontinuing its Alexa integration by July 1, 2024. The company cited short notice and resource constraints for this decision.

Impending Disruption and Future Prospects

With the impending changes, many Alexa users are likely to be inconvenienced, as adding items to lists is a commonly used feature on voice assistants. While the Alexa app has improved its list management features, dedicated list apps like AnyList and Todoist offer a more user-friendly experience, especially for users in multi-ecosystem households.

As the landscape of voice assistant integrations evolves, with Google also discontinuing certain functions, users may find it increasingly challenging to find a list app that supports multiple voice assistants across different devices.