Users of certain Skullcandy earbuds will soon be able to say “Hey iHeart” to access iHeartMedia content.
Native Voice, which makes on-demand voice assistant technology, announced a collaboration in December with iHeartMedia to offer access to iHeart audio content via voice.
The integration is for devices from Skullcandy that are equipped with its Skull-iQ system. “Any existing user of Skullcandy earbuds that are Skull-iQ enabled will be able to add ‘Hey iHeart’ to their earbuds for an instant update, at no cost.”
The company gave examples. Users could say, “Hey iHeart, play Dua Lipa radio” or “Hey iHeart, play 102.7 KIIS FM” to stream that content.
“Over time, users will also be able to select music by mood or genre and play the podcasts they know and love,” according to the announcement.
Katie McMahon, president and COO at Native Voice, was quoted in the release: “It’s an exciting time for voice recognition, where end users get exactly what they’re looking for while saving time and reducing friction. And most importantly, users don’t have to pull out their phone to touch, type or swipe, minimizing the time-suck that’s so common with mobile phones.”
Earlier in 2022 Native Voice announced that its tech would be deployed on Skullcandy devices, providing hands-free access to multiple branded voice assistants including Alexa.
John Vermeer, EVP of digital distribution and platform partnerships for iHeart, called Native Voice a pioneer in this space and said the agreement is “yet another way to meet listeners where they are with the services they expect.”
[Related: “Cerence Partners With iHeart and Radioline” ]
