Amazon Adds Spoken Q&A Tool to App Product Pages

Amazon has begun offering a new spoken question-and-answer feature in its shopping app that lets customers ask about items and receive on-the-spot audio replies generated by its automated product advisers. The “Join the chat” capability, introduced Tuesday, is designed to speed up shopping by delivering concise, conversational responses instead of forcing users to wade through long descriptions or customer write-ups.

The tool lives inside a broader audio experience Amazon calls “Hear the highlights.” Shoppers who open a product page in the app can tap the Hear the highlights control beneath the main image, then launch Join the chat to type or speak specific questions. The system pulls together product specifications, buyer comments and other data to craft spoken answers and continues playing while users browse other pages. Amazon says the responses adapt as a shopper asks follow-ups, and the assistant tries not to repeat earlier information.

Unlike static FAQ blocks, the feature aims to let customers guide the exchange. An Amazon representative described the interaction as a back-and-forth where each query shapes the assistant’s next reply, allowing people to drill down into details that matter to them. For instance, shoppers might ask whether a vacuum handles pet hair well or whether a jacket is suitable for winter layering, then steer the conversation toward size and care concerns.

Hear the highlights first entered trials in May 2025 and is currently available to users in the U.S., but only a subset of listings include audio summaries. To access the new chat, customers must use the Amazon Shopping app; the option appears below product images for eligible items and accepts both voice and typed input. The company has positioned the tool as a way to reduce friction during browsing by packaging key information in short audio form.

The release extends Amazon’s growing slate of automated shopping assistants, including its generative agent Rufus, a personalization feature that surfaces new items based on a shopper’s tastes, and a recommendation tool that weighs browsing and purchase history to suggest options. A retail technology analyst said the move could shorten decision time and lift conversion rates, though they cautioned it raises questions about accuracy and how the system weights customer feedback.

Amazon says it has built safeguards to keep answers relevant and to avoid repeating content, and it frames the feature as a supplement to product pages rather than a replacement for reviews or specifications. For now, the spoken Q&A is rolling out within the U.S. app and will reach more listings over time.