It looks like Amazon and Google want their smart speakers to make and receive phone calls. According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, both the companies are planning to add voice calling functionality to Amazon Echo and Google Home smart speakers.
The voice calling ability could be added on these smart speakers by the end of this year, added the report. Both the smart speakers have the ability to respond to voice commands hence the calling functionality has been one of the most requested feature by users. However, privacy concerns, telecom regulations, access to emergency services and user experience are some of the aspects the companies are thinking about. Both the Echo and the Home continuously record audio to enable AI responses. Hence, the companies are worried whether consumers want to speak on a device that is able to record conversations. The Amazon Echo speakers would store numbers that are dialed as well as the length of each call instead of the actual conversations.
The Echo and Home would probably use voice over internet protocol tech (VoIP). It is tipped that these speakers might access a third-party VoIP system, such as Skype for the calling feature.