Amazon's Echo devices can now keep an eye, or rather an ear, on your home while you're away. An update is rolling out that enables the new "Alexa Guard" feature. Just tell your Echo that you're heading out, and it will begin listening for signs of trouble on the homestead. This feature was in beta testing over the last few months, but now it's coming to all users.

To enable Guard, just say "Alexa, I'm leaving," on your way out the door. Alexa Guard can listen for specific events like the sound of glass breaking or a smoke alarm going off. If it hears something like that, it can send out smart alerts with audio snippets for you to check. If you've got an Echo Show, the alerts will link you to a live video.

You'll obviously get much more functionality with a real home security system like Ring or Nest, but plenty of people already have Echos sitting around. This is a free bonus feature and something Google and Apple don't have. If you do have the Ring Home Security system, Alexa Guard can automatically arm that system.

Source: TechCrunch