The launch has been a long time coming, especially as US customers have been able to launch apps, play media and listen to news via Alexa since September last year. Amazon says the rollout will begin "in the coming weeks" and that it will continue to update the assistant, meaning it will get smarter over time.

Once the update is installed, all you need to do is long-press the home button to activate Alexa. If you already have an Echo at home, the assistant will already be customised to your liking, letting you to control your music and your smart home directly from your Amazon tablet.