What can you do with several Amazon Echo devices? You could shout to the closest one for the latest weather forecast or to play your favorite song. Instead of shouting though, why not use them as an intercom? According to CNET, Amazon has recently released a new feature called Drop In. As you probably may know, The Echo is able to make and receive calls and messages to other echo devices. Instead of waiting for the other party to answer, Drop In works exactly the way it sounds. Once you initiate the connection, you can freely begin to talk and hear the person on the other end.
How does it work? You can currently initiate a Drop In in two ways: either by asking Alexa to drop in on a specific device, or by using the Alexa app on iOS or Android. You can either choose to Drop In on a specific contact that enabled Drop In, or by naming each of your echo devices such as bedroom or kitchen in the device’s settings. If you have an Echo Show, you will be able to start a video call.
I haven’t tested this feature on Android but from my experience, the Alexa app on iOS insisted I allow access to the camera even though I wanted to connect to my original Echo. Also, a quick note to Voiceover users: as of this post, the only current way to disconnect from the session is by telling Alexa to hang up, or by closing the Alexa app as the button to disconnect is not visible to Voiceover.
Source: CNET
