Skullcandy Headphones to Get Access to Multiple Voice Assistants

Owners of Skullcandy Push Active and Grind headphones will be able to have their devices upgraded to include multi-simultaneous wake word functionality using Native Voice technology, said the software company Wednesday at Amazon’s Alexa Live 2022 developer conference. Native Voice’s technology will give hands-free access to multiple voice services. The Push Active and Grind series headphones are Skullcandy’s first to include both Alexa and the Skullcandy assistant simultaneously, in addition to other voice assistants, said the companies. Amazon established the Voice Interoperability Initiative to enable more customer choice and flexibility with multi-assistant capabilities, said Erin Egan, Amazon voice interoperability initiative lead. Skullcandy launched the Skull-iQ technology in September, with a priority to give users more access to services via voice control. That technology will be part of a variety of products to be launched, which will include Native Voice and direct access to Alexa and other voice assistants, they said. Skullcandy customers will be able to choose which voice services are most suitable for their lifestyle and needs. The headphone maker’s voice technology provides functional control of various devices with play, pause, and answering or rejecting calls; Alexa handles voice requests such as getting a recipe, or checking a sports score or weather forecast. Headphone users have to use multiple wake words, a spokesperson emailed. The free Native Voice updates for Push Active and Grind users are expected by year-end.