Alexa Built-in Badging Program

The Alexa Built-in (ABI) badge program is an enhanced marketing program that encourages device makers to create high quality, Alexa-integrated products, ensuring your customers have an intuitive, hassle-free Alexa experience. When your products fulfill ABI requirements, they can carry the Alexa Built-in badge on Amazon.com product detail pages and product packaging. The Alexa Built-in badge increases user confidence that your products integrate seamlessly with Alexa.

Important: Amazon has updated Alexa brand messaging to communicate 'Alexa Built-in' to customers by changing the phrase Alexa Enabled to Alexa Built-in across online and offline positioning. Device makers must remove Alexa Enabled from their packaging, marketing, and advertising campaigns.

Understand the ABI badge program requirements

Some ABI badge program requirements are implementation methodologies, some are hardware requirements, and others require the integration of additional binary libraries or software functions beyond the core AVS Device SDK.

To maintain eligibility for the ABI badge, you must always comply with the program requirements described in this document, the Alexa Built-in Trademark Usage Guidelines, and the Amazon Alexa Brand External, which Amazon occasionally updates.

Amazon determines Alexa Built-in badge approval on a product-by-product basis. ABI badging of one of your products doesn't guarantee that your other AVS products meet certification or approval requirements to use the ABI badge. If you would like to seek ABI badges for multiple AVS products, submit each product for certification.

Build the required features and functions

To be eligible and obtain approval for the badge, device makers must deliver an optimal user experience by implementing the following Alexa features. For headless speakers (products with no GUI), soundbars, and audio/visual receivers (AVRs), you can meet many of these requirement by using the AVS Device SDK, or leveraging the extensions and Alexa API interfaces associated with these features.

Important: Currently, this list covers headless speakers, soundbars, and AVRs with Alexa built in. For more on badging for other product types, such as smart screens and mobile accessories, talk to your Amazon Business Development representative.

Setup and authentication

Your headless product must support customer setup through your own mobile companion app with a hosted splash screen. To allow your customers to use Login with Amazon (LWA) to connect their Amazon account, see Authorize an AVS Device.

Voice interactions

Wake word verification – To provide a hands-free user experience, support voice-initiated interactions with a cloud-based wake work engine. See the Requirements for Cloud-Based Wake Word Verification.
Speech recognition – When users ask a question or make a request, Alexa Built-in products must be able to capture and recognize speech as utterances. The core API interface for the Alexa Voice Service is the SpeechRecognizer Interface.
Speech synthesis – Your product must also be able to process the Alexa response from the cloud. Learn more about the SpeechSynthesizer Interface.

Streaming and playback controls

Music service providers – Your product must support all Alexa music services available in each country where you plan to launch. This includes Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, eBooks, Kindle books, Flash Briefing, Sports Briefing, and long-form audio skills.

You can fulfill the requirements for most Music Service Providers by integrating the AVS Device SDK.
- For Spotify, work with your Amazon representative to understand the integration steps.
- If your product supports additional music providers, include additional interfaces for those music service providers.
Transport controls – For the best media streaming experience, your product must allow customers to control the playback of streaming content. Use the following API interfaces, or implement the AVS Device SDK:
- AudioPlayer – To enable audio playback controls through voice, start with the AudioPlayer Overview.
- PlaybackController – To map playback controls to buttons, see the PlaybackController Interface. If your product has a companion app that contains Now Playing Metadata, your product must also support button actions in your companion app.
- Speaker – To let customers adjust volume and mute/unmute your device, you can use the Speaker Interface.
Multi-room music (MRM) – MRM allows customers to play music from a set of synchronized Alexa Built-in products. If your product supports MRM, it must be capable of fully compliant synchronization with other MRM-compatible products. Get started with Multi-room Music, which works as an extension of the AVS Device SDK.
Input controls – If your product provides multiple input sources, such as aux-in or Bluetooth, you must support the ability to select and switch inputs. Review the InputController Interface. Implement this feature can by using the AVS Device SDK.
Equalizer controls – If your product provides EQ control, the EqualizerController Interface allows a product to adjust equalizer settings through Alexa, such as decibel (dB) levels and modes. Equalizer controls are also covered by the AVS Device SDK.

Alexa behaviors

Alarms, timers, named timers, and reminders – Your Alexa Built-in product must allow customers to set, act on, and cancel alerts. To implement each type, use the AVS Device SDK, or leverage their supporting interfaces. Explore common scenarios in the Alerts Overview.
Notifications – Persistent audio and visual indicators must inform customers that new content is available from Alexa skills and domains. Learn to design, deliver, and test Notifications. Work with your Amazon Business Development representative to be added to the allow list for the Notifications Interface.
Do not disturb – Allow customers to block Notifications and communication with the Do Not Disturb Interface. For headless devices, this feature is included when you implement the AVS Device SDK.

Communication

Amazon recommends but doesn't require supporting communications features for speakers, soundbars, and AVRs. Contact your Amazon Business Development representative to get started with all Alexa Communications features.

Calling – Your product should give customers the ability to place audio calls. (If your device has a display, also support video calling.)
Announcements – Your product should have the ability to send and deliver Announcements. It should also be able to send voice recordings to devices associated with the user account.

Follow the minimum product requirements

Important: Currently, these requirements cover headless speakers, soundbars, and AVRs with Alexa Built-in. For more on badging for other product types, such as smart screens and mobile accessories, talk to your Amazon Business Development representative.

Interaction type

Your smart speaker, soundbar, or AVR product must support far-field voice-initiated interactions when the device is wake word-enabled.

Learn the Requirements for Cloud-based Wake Word Verification.
To enable a far-field input-audio range, design your audio front-end (AFE) with microphones and an appropriate form factor. Explore typical Audio Hardware Configurations.
During audio Focus Management, use mixing instead of hard-switching.

Bluetooth connectivity

Allow users to use Bluetooth to connect your device with peer devices, such as smart phones and Bluetooth-enabled speakers, by implementing the AVS Device SDK. Or, learn how Alexa Built-in products can receive Bluetooth directives with the Bluetooth Interface. To support Bluetooth connectivity, also include a Bluetooth driver interface.

Functional and UX design

Users expect your Alexa Built-in product experience to be familiar and natural. AVS provides functional and design requirements and recommendations to help you avoid issues as you build the required features and prepare for testing.

Meet all Functional Requirements.
Comply with all UX Guidelines.
Design a clear Attention System with non-verbal audio and visual cues, such as buttons or LEDs.

Security best practices

All device makers must implement all reasonable security measures to prevent unauthorized access to the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) when developing AVS products. To be eligible for the badge, your product must meet the minimum AVS Security Requirements for AVS products.

System and device management

To handle AVS events and directives, implement the following core API interfaces. (Each of these are fully covered by the AVS Device SDK.)

Allow your AVS client to support complex interactions with the InteractionModel Interface.
Implement the Settings Interface to manage Alexa settings on your product.
Use the System Interface to expose events across multiple client components.
Use the AudioActivity Tracker Interface to inform Alexa which interface has focus of an audio channel.
Declare which interfaces your device supports with the Capabilities API.

Submit your product for testing and certification

Testing and certification for Alexa Built-in products consists of four test categories: Functional, UX evaluation, Music, and Acoustic (far-field) testing. Conduct the required additional testing for key features, such as Multi-room Music.

Before submitting your product for Amazon testing, your team must undergo Self-testing and an independent security review. After Amazon receives and approves your security and self-test results, you can submit your product for Amazon testing and certification.

After your product completes the testing and certification process, Amazon should approve your product for launch, and your product advances to the eligibility verification phase of the Alexa Built-in badging program.

Display the Alexa Built-in badge on Amazon.com

After your product meets the ABI eligibility requirements, Amazon automatically applies the Alexa Built-in badge to the Amazon.com product details pages for the ASINs you specified on your certification intake form.

If your ASIN has changed or a new ASIN was created for your badged product, contact alexa-built-in-support@amazon.com with the new ASIN and date of certification.

If you have received confirmation from Amazon that your product was certified with a specific ASIN, but the badge doesn't appear on Amazon.com, contact alexa-built-in-support@amazon.com with the ASIN and date of certification.

Add the badge to your marketing materials

If you received approval for your Alexa Built-in certification, but you didn't receive the Alexa Built-in badge files to place on your marketing materials, request the badge by emailing alexa-built-in-support@amazon.com. In your email, include your company name, product name, and ASIN for each product.

After receiving the Alexa Built-in badge, you are also eligible to apply to use the badge on product packaging and other marketing materials. All marketing materials must comply with the Alexa Built-in Trademark Usage Guidelines and the Alexa Built-in badge requirements.

Ready for brand review? Submit your marketing materials to alexa-built-in-support@amazon.com.

Maintain a quality product

Customers trust that AVS products associated with the Alexa Built-in badge meet a high standard for quality and integration with Alexa. To make sure that these products continue to meet the quality standards expected with the ABI Program, Amazon might conduct periodic reviews of badged products.

Customer engagement – Each ABI-badged product must maintain a favorable user experience. Amazon periodically reviews the overall user experience of ABI-badged products through Amazon customer star-ratings and reviews, Alexa registration rates, or customer engagement rates.

OTA updates – Your AVS device must have an Over The Air Update (OTAU) system to stay up-to-date with the latest applicable AVS API functionality. If Amazon introduces new features or functionality to the AVS APIs for your ABI-certified product, you must update your Alexa integration to include the new feature or functionality as applicable. When you update your product through an OTA update, Amazon could require you to re-certify your AVS products to maintain eligibility for ABI badges.

Note: Amazon might update these program guidelines with new features or requirements. To maintain continued eligibility for the ABI badge, you are expected to comply with these program guidelines, as updated from time to time. If new features become available for your product, or if you seek to launch your product in a new country, Amazon could also ask that you re-certify your AVS product. If you choose not to re-certify your products, you might lose access to the ABI badge. Amazon has sole discretion to determine whether to award or revoke access to the ABI badge.

Additional resources

Last updated: Mar 17, 2021