Make This Tech Work (Archive)

Google Assistant, Alexa, and AnyList grocery, todo, shopping lists

2019-12-12 22:10:46

I think I may have finally come across a todo and shopping/grocery list system that works with voice across devices.  I'm always looking for voice assisted grocery lists or todo lists that work well across platforms and devices. I've been using Alexa on my Echo and Echo Dot for adding to my grocery list by voice.  But on the phone (especially when I'm away from home) I really don't like the Alexa Android app.  It opens pretty darn slowly.  And I certainly would rather use Google Assistant to add to the same list(s). On the Google Assistant side, the support for Google's grocery list has been really poor.  But they've very recently added support for other todo/list apps including Google Keep and AnyList.  I prefer Google Keep but Alexa doesn't support it (or really Google doesn't have open APIs for Keep).  So, I'm trying AnyList for the first time and it all works magically.  I can add to as many lists as I want using my voice on Alexa (Echo and Echo Dot) and using Google Assistant on my phone.  Best of both worlds.  And the Android AnyList app opens quicker than the Alexa Android app. You'll need to do the following to get it all working:

AnyList configuration with Alexa Echo support

Set the new "Notes and Lists" provider in Google Assistant on your phone

Now I can add to any list with Alexa at home and on my phone with Google Assistant when I'm away from home.  I also have a Google Home at home and can use that as well to add to the same lists!