Amazon brings Alexa announcements to Fire TV and completes YouTube rollout

Amazon today announced that its Alexa announcements feature is launching on all Fire TV devices in countries where the intercom-like functionality is available. It’s useful for getting a message to everyone at once — “dinner’s ready,” “the movie is starting,” etc.

If someone in your home or apartment makes an announcement through an Echo speaker or another Alexa-compatible device, you’ll see a notification on-screen. Whatever you’re watching or listening to on the Fire TV will temporarily pause, and the message will be played. Once the announcement is done, your content will resume automatically. You can also record your own announcements with the Fire TV’s Alexa voice remote. (If you don’t want TV time to be interrupted, announcements can be disabled for your Fire TV.)

Additionally, after making its long-awaited return last month, Amazon says the YouTube app is expanding to all Fire TV devices. So no matter which one of the company’s streaming gadgets you use, you’ll once again have access to a native, official YouTube app. Today, it’s coming to the original Fire TV Stick, Fire TV, and second- and third-generation Fire TV devices.