Amazon is working on Apple AirPods rival

After Apple introduced hands-free access to Siri through AirPods 2, Amazon is set to follow suit. The company is reportedly working on bringing its own wireless earbuds that will also be the first Alexa wearable.

Alexa, Amazon’s voice-based digital assistant, is powering a lot of smart internet-connected devices. However, it has not been integrated with earbuds before.

The purported Alexa earbuds are expected to take on the design and features of the Apple AirPods, but offer enhanced audio quality, Bloomberg reports. It will come in a storage case that will double as a charger.

To activate the virtual assistant, users will have to simply say “Alexa”. In addition to voice support, the earbuds are also expected to support gesture controls for taking calls and skipping music tracks. It will also allow users to check the weather, order goods, and access information on-the-go.

Despite being one of the first manufacturers in the smart speaker category, Amazon is facing hurdles in developing the earbuds as it has been looking for parts suppliers and manufacturing partners over the last few months.