Amazon’s Kindle lineup is one of the most successful family of e-readers ever sold. Kindle devices are cheap, easy to use, and incredibly long-lasting. Many of them are waterproof now and the battery literally lasts for weeks on end. Currently, those looking to buy a Kindle can choose from the base model Kindle, the Kindle Paperwhite and Paperwhite Signature Edition, and the Kindle Oasis.

Since Amazon’s e-readers come with loads of Amazon apps and services on board, it is natural to wonder whether you can use an Alexa speaker with your Kindle or not. The tech giant’s smart speaker brand of devices are sold under the Echo Dot banner. Plop an Echo Dot speaker anywhere in your home and you can integrate a lot of other smart devices with it for hands-free controlling. All you have to do is set everything up on your phone and talk to the smart assistant Alexa.

You can command Alexa to play music from third-party apps like Spotify in addition to reading out audiobooks from Audible, as long as your Amazon account is connected the relevant platform and you’ve paid for whatever you’re trying to access if required. Since your Kindle is also set up using your Amazon account, one would think that it is possible to use your Alexa smart speaker with it.

Unfortunately, things aren’t quite as straightforward. Yes, you do have Audible in your Kindle e-reader. Using Bluetooth — if your model has it, of course — you can pair any speaker with your Kindle and not just an Amazon Echo Dot. In fact, you can even use any wireless Bluetooth earbuds or headphones to listen to audiobooks from your Amazon-branded e-paper device.

However, none of the Amazon Kindle e-readers come with Alexa built-in. This means that you can only use your Alexa speaker as any other Bluetooth speaker without the extras. Ironically, this eliminates the possibility to control your Amazon device via voice commands given to an Amazon smart speaker. There’s no reason to go out of your way to purchase an Amazon Echo Dot speaker if you’re in the market for a speaker to use with your Kindle.

Still, I won’t deny that the Echo Dot speakers have benefits over other Bluetooth speakers. You’ll be able to control a lot of your smart home devices with your Alexa speaker and the audio quality is pretty nice. The understated design looks lovely and you can buy newer models like the Echo Dot (4th Gen) speaker for under $50. Not to mention, there are three colorways and a Kids Edition with adorable animal faces. It’s just that none of these advantages are related to e-readers; it just makes the Echo Dot a very good Alexa speaker as a whole.

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