Song ID, one of the best new Alexa skills, is finally in the UK

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As convenient as Alexa's hands-free music is, it can get irritating when you never know the name of the song or band currently playing – especially if you're having to pause the music yourself to check. 

Now, Alexa's optional Song ID feature, which runs you through the track and artist before each song starts to play, is available on Alexa devices in the UK.

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Announced back in March 2019, the feature was previously only available in the US, and is designed to help users discover new artists and music. It only works in conjunction with the Amazon Music platform, though, so you won't get the same ceremonial announcements when playing though Spotify.

If you're listening to a new playlist or radio station for the first time –  which is often the case, if ask Alexa for music based on a certain mood or genre, rather than a specific band – you're often listening to music you've never heard before. 

This won't be as much of an issue with a smart display like the Echo Show 5, which can show song information onscreen, but for audio-only devices, it makes a lot of sense.

How do I use Song ID?

To enable Song ID, simply ask Alexa to "turn on Song ID", and the voice assistant will announce each song before it plays – as long as you're listening through Amazon Music, that is.

Don't like the interruptions? Just say "turn off Song ID" and Alexa will comply.

For those who like to use it, it'll prove a nifty way to keep track of all the new, well, tracks coming your way. It's times like this that the integration of Amazon's music platforms and Echo hardware really starts to shine – even if we'd hope to see the best of Alexa's features be applicable to whatever music streaming service you deign to use.

With Alexa skills increasingly able to work together, too, using these kinds of extended functionality with an Alexa speaker should get progressively easier, as the barrier between user command and AI comprehension gets even slimmer.

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