EE customers can make & receive phone calls on Alexa devices

Following a partnership between Amazon and Vodafone last June, it’s now the turn of EE customers in the UK to use their Alexa devices to make and receive mobile calls.

As long as you’re on a pay monthly contract, and not pay as you go, you can use an Echo smart speaker (or an Echo Show smart display) for hands-free phone calls on your EE number.

Once set up, your phone and Echos will all ring when there’s an incoming phone call, and you can say “Alexa, answer”. And this will work even if your phone is off, has no mobile signal or has run out of battery power.

She will announce who is calling (useful for screen-less devices) so you can decide whether or not to answer.

One of the advantages of pairing your EE phone number – or Vodafone OneNumber for that matter – with Alexa is so you’re less likely to miss a call and also be able to answer it even if you have your hands full.

It’s also a very useful service for anyone with an Amazon Echo who happens to live in an area where EE coverage isn’t good.

Plus, like any hands-free calling, it’s a good way for families to chat with each other.

Even if you’re not on EE or the appropriate Vodafone Red tariff, you can still use Alexa for hands-free voice- and video calls, so long as you’re calling another person who uses Alexa. The feature has been around for two years now.

For more, read how to use Alexa calling and messaging.

If you’re an EE pay monthly customer, calls made using the service come out of your usual EE allowance, and are charged at standard rate once that’s used up.

You can use voice commands to search contacts in your phone’s address book and – assuming you know anyone’s phone number – you can just dictate it to Alexa to place the call.

• Read about the best Alexa tips & tricks.