June Update for Alice: Enhanced Duo Max with YaOS X and New Calling Plan for Smart Station Users

The press service of Yandex shared updates about their smart speakers, which became available in June, with Habr. Now, users can interrupt «Alice,» the Duo Max speakers run on the YaOS X operating system, and a special tariff for making calls through the smart speaker has been introduced.

Here’s what’s new with Yandex Stations:

**»Alice» can now be interrupted.** Previously, users had to wait for the voice assistant to finish speaking or call for it again by name to interrupt. Now, similar to a typical conversation, users can clarify or abruptly change the topic during Alice’s response. This feature is currently available only in beta mode on the Midi Station, Mini 3, Station 2, and Duo Max. To enable it, users must activate the «Respond to Interruptions» option in the «Virtual Assistant» section of the «Home with Alice» app.

**Significant update for Duo Max.** The Duo Max smart speaker now operates on YaOS X, the same OS used in Yandex smart TVs. This allows users to customize the main screen, launch multiple applications, switch between them with swipes, manage smart home devices from the screen, and watch videos in a continuous flow without interruptions.

**»Separate Number» tariff.** Previously, calls via the Station were only available to MTS subscribers. Now, Yandex has launched the «Separate Number» tariff, which is accessible to users of other operators. To make a call, users simply say, «Alice, call mom,» and to answer an incoming call, they can respond vocally with, «Alice, answer the call.»

Additionally, Yandex introduced two smart home devices in June:

**Smart IP camera.** The Yandex ecosystem now features its first home security device. It has a 103-degree field of view and a housing that rotates 350 degrees. The camera records in QHD and automatically activates night mode in low light. If there is movement in the room, a loud sound is triggered, or someone appears, users receive a push notification immediately. Videos can be stored on a memory card or in the cloud with a subscription.

**»Station Lite 2″ without a clock.** In June, a new version of the Station Lite 2 was released, now without a clock. This speaker is equipped with two microphones and a 6W wide-range speaker. It comes in two colors: purple and green.