Amazon is turning every Echo device into an intercom

If you've got multiple Amazon Echo devices throughout your home, you'll soon be able to use them as a connected intercom. Amazon just launched the feature today across the original Echo, Echo Dot and its new screen-toting Echo Show. We heard last month that the intercom capability was in the works, and it seemed like a given once Amazon brought hands-free calling and messaging across the Echo family. The company is rolling out the feature over the next few days, but be sure to update your Alexa app to access it.

We haven't had a chance to test out the intercom feature yet, but it seems pretty straightforward. You just have to name your Echo devices by room and enable the "drop-in" feature in the Alexa App. After that, you can tell Alexa to call or drop in to a specific Echo device. Even better, you can also use the intercom feature when you're away from home through the Alexa app.

While the idea of a home intercom might seem a bit antiquated in our hyperconnected lives, it makes sense for the Echo devices. Many Echo owners end up buying multiple devices, and it's not that difficult for Amazon to add room-to-room communication. And, most importantly, it cements the Echo family as something essential to your daily life.