It appears as though Amazon is working on bringing not one, but two fully functional web browsers to their touchscreen-equipped Echo Show smart speaker. A member of a Facebook Group has posted images of new browser options that have appeared in the device settings of their Echo Show. I have also individually discovered code in a recent release of Amazon Silk for Fire TV devices that suggests that support for Amazon Echo devices is being built into the browser.
A new “Web Options” menu item has appeared on the Echo Show of a Facebook Group member. Selecting the option provides a browser menu that allows the user to select from Silk or Firefox as their preferred web browser. It does not appear as though choosing a browser does anything at the moment.
The user claims that their Echo Show is running software version 618516920, which is a version that is newer than what is publicly available on standard Echo Shows. The most likely explanation for the new setting appearing and the device running an unreleased software version is that whoever the Echo Show is registered to is part of Amazon’s employee beta testing program and the Facebook Group user is unaware that these new options are not yet public. This exact scenario is something that we saw recently when images of an unreleased NBA subscription option appeared on an Amazon employee’s Fire TV.
Amazon Silk on Fire TV devices was just rebranded to drop “for Fire TV” from the app’s official name. It seems now that this change is likely part of a larger emphasis on Silk being an important part of multiple devices made by Amazon.
I’ve taken a closer look at the code for the Fire TV version of Amazon Silk and have found lines that confirm that Amazon is working to bring Silk to Echo devices. The strings.xml file, which holds all the various labels and sentences seen by a user, has several recently added lines of text that are labeled for use with Echo devices. Amazon’s Echo Show runs Android, just like Fire TV devices, so it is not unusual for Silk to share code between the two devices.
The Echo text labels I’ve found in Silk have to do with setting bookmarks and adjusting web scaling. The text “Make webpages easier to read and touch by increasing the size of text and buttons on the page” implies that users will be able to navigate webs pages using the Echo Show’s touchscreen, just like you would on a web browser running on a tablet.
Amazon has gone to great lengths to make the Echo Show a voice-first device. Their marketing and advertisements never show someone using the touchscreen of the Echo Show, so it’s probably safe to assume that there will be some kind of voice control component to a browser made for the Echo Show. Loading web pages, scrolling, and zooming can easily be done by voice, but we’ll have to wait and see if Amazon has figured out some way to select links within a page by voice.
Amazon Silk link selection system on beta version for Fire TV devices.
When Amazon Silk for the Fire TV first leaked, Amazon was experimenting with a clever link highlighting system that allowed users to select links on a page by flagging all links with unique button combinations. Amazon ultimately went with a traditional on-screen cursor, that the user moves around like a mouse pointer, when Silk for Fire TV was ultimately released, but perhaps we’ll see a voice-controlled version of their experimental link clicking system used when Silk is released for the Echo Show.
The upcoming release of web browsers for the Echo Show has to be Amazon’s answer to Google blocking YouTube access from the device. When Google threatened to block YouTube access on Fire TV devices, Amazon Silk and Firefox browsers were released for the platform to maintain the ability to watch YouTube videos. It seems like Amazon is planning to apply the same tactic to restore YouTube access on the Echo Show.
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So could this mean we could finally be able to cast Youtube videos to the Echo show? Something I used to use it for before they took that ability away?
That’d be the idea but we’ll see if Google block them again. Blocking an unauthorized app is one thing, blocking a web browser from a device is a whole different thing.
It took them forever to get casting to Silk on Fire TV (I wanna say 7 months?) so I sadly believe they’ll take their sweet time.
But it’s not blocked after a couple of months, so I don’t think Google cares.
Another possible Use Case could be Web Based Dashboards (for Home Automation). this would need the ability to launch the Browser as standard App, though.
Ya could have asked to use my images, i would have said yes mind but it would have been nice……
I can also assure you that i am not part of any amazon beta, amazon employee nor anything to do with amazon for that matter, and never have been, i only got my 1st amazon product (through QVC for 114 gbp) about 3 weeks ago, i now have the Show, 1 spot and 2 dots. All i did was check to see if there was a new download since the 1st installation update and there was, so i updated it, there was also one for the spot but there is no web options for that, i dont see anything new actually. The only thing i have done that my have triggered an update was change my amazon settings to the USA to try out the google hack and the weather underground app, but the settings where changed back prior to doing the update……. thats all i know. You also said i claimed, its not a claim as the images show, its a fact ;)
Any news on when the new UI of Prime Video will go live? They announced it a few months ago but haven’t said anything since – https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.techradar.com/amp/news/a-much-needed-new-amazon-prime-video-interface-is-on-the-way
Well this is AWESOME. All of a sudden, I am glad I own seven of these. I ran Plex on the Show using a hack to get Silk to run for a few minutes. Glad that Amazon has seen fit to let us use their Show as we see fit.
This is great news but it worries me that Amazon have withdrawn the sale of the Show which makes me wonder why they would bother giving it any additional functionality. Hopefully it means version 2 will have web access and they want both products to have a consistent user experience
Mine just updated tonight to 618516920, but no web browser option
Manual update and it will update to 620525720 lots of new goodies,,,and pictured scrolling events,,also has smart home control on pulldown screen where settings is.
Great news. I have echo show and miss youtube
Manual update and it will update to 620525720 lots of new goodies,,,and pictured scrolling events,,also has smart home control on pulldown screen where settings is.
YES!!! You Tube is back after the update just say open You Tube and it’s Back :)
Not only you tube you have a independent web browser so access to content looks unlimited :)
I’ve just noticed with both Silk and Firefox browsers they only stay on for 5 minutes anybody else experienced this?
This is happening to me as well.
This is how I watch YouTube on my echo show today
https://blog.tonchy.com/2018/10/watch-youtube-and-other-streaming-sites.html?m=1
Works perfectly.
Just ask Alexa to open Firefox. Then choose Google search from the touch screen ( not YouTube). You can then search for anything. Searching for YouTube gives you the normal page and from there you play anything. It does not time out. I have just watched a 2 hour 30 mins vid without interruption.
Well, it’s about time :)
Really glad to see that they added Firefox as well, and not just Silk. Silk is ok, and better than nothing, but… well, Firefox is great. Everyone knows that.