February Enhancements: Yandexs Alice and Smart Devices Get Smarter

In February, an update was released for the voice assistant «Alice» and smart devices from «Yandex,» introducing an algorithm for smart climate control and new quick commands.

Yandex’s smart home has become even smarter. Company experts have taught it to maintain a stable temperature without fluctuations and added the ability to create multiple scenarios. The new «Smart Climate» mode learns on its own and manages devices to keep the temperature consistent. The algorithm analyzes temperature sensor data and device behavior, including how long they take to heat or cool a room. «Smart Climate» powers devices in advance to prevent the temperature from dropping below the desired level and turns them off carefully to avoid overheating the room. As a result, the temperature remains within a comfortable range without sudden spikes.

Additionally, smart devices from Yandex now allow users to share ready-made home scenarios with friends and family through the mobile app (to share a scenario, users can click «Share» in its settings). A new section called «Event History» enables users to view how and when the states of smart devices and automations changed, along with any adjustments made to the home settings.

Updates on Yandex Stations include:

— «Alice» can now respond from just one smart speaker, even when several «Stations» are present in a single area and linked to different accounts. Now all devices in a family group are taken into account. When a user says «Alice,» all their «Stations» and «TV Stations» (even those belonging to different family members) communicate with each other, activating only the necessary one;

— Users can now turn Bluetooth on and off on all «Stations» using quick commands without addressing «Alice» by name (using the commands «Turn on Bluetooth» and «Turn off Bluetooth»);

— On the Midi Station, a beta mode is available for the feature «Respond without name in dialogue»: «Alice» will wait for the next request for 30 seconds and will recognize by tone when being directly addressed. «Now, if after Alice’s response, you want to continue the conversation or give another command, you don’t need to call her by name again. Alice will wait another 30 seconds for the next request. The Station will understand based on tone when she is being addressed and when someone is just talking nearby. Currently, this feature is available in beta mode for the Midi Station due to its neural processor. The setting for ‘Respond without name in dialogue’ can be activated in the ‘Virtual Assistant’ section of the ‘Home with Alice’ app,» Yandex representatives explained.