But where Echo falls down is when it can’t plug directly into services like your Gmail or iMessage, for instance, and that’s where the real excitement for this kind of interface lies. Android - powered devices become useful in smart home application . Amazon 's Echo is reportedly no better than Google Now or Apple 's Siri at speech recognition , but does help with in - home general purpose computing like asking about the weather , sharing a grocery list and flashing lights . Echo still lacks compatibility with competitors 's platforms such as iTunes or iMessage .
Android - powered devices become useful in smart home application . Amazon 's Echo is reportedly no better than Google Now or Apple 's Siri at speech recognition , but does help with in - home general purpose computing like asking about the weather , sharing a grocery list and flashing lights . Echo still lacks compatibility with competitors 's platforms such as iTunes or iMessage .