Alexa, why are you crying?

Nobody is using Alexa to buy stuff. 😢

Turns out, asking a virtual assistant to buy toothpaste wasn't the "killer feature" Amazon and Google expected it to be. Only 2% of the 50 million voice assistant devices sold been used to purchase something. Oops.

But don't throw away your Echo just yet. These tiny voice assistants can do a lot more than reorder toilet paper. We've compiled a list of voice-assistant ready products for your Echo or Google Home:

💡 "Alexa, turn on the lights." LIFX Bulbs can be controlled with just your voice, or from your smartphone anywhere. Pro tip: schedule your lights to gradually turn on in the morning to get yourself out of bed.

👄 "Alexa, start Chompers." This daily podcast from The Tooth Fairy is designed to help kids brush their teeth for the entire two minutes, from the same team behind community favorites StartUp and Reply All.

👀 "Alexa, enable Away Mode." This awkward skill plays weird noises when you're away to fend away burglars. Tracks vary from "Couple Breaks Up And Watches TV" to "Man Helps Daugher Assemble Drawer."

😋 "Alexa, enable Gordon Ramsey." Yes, Michelin-star chef Gordon Ramsey is just waiting to hang out with you while you cook. We can't promise he won't roast your cooking skills.

Want to build your own Alexa skill? Storyline can help, with 1300+ upvotes from the community, no coding required.

And if you're feeling left out, Amazon's new Echo Spot is adorable. Of course, it's on Amazon Prime. 📦

Amazon Spot

Grow your app with Setapp: revenue, users, & AI

You shipped the app. Now comes the part nobody warns you about.

Billing across dozens of countries. Licensing agreements. Tax compliance. Customer support for users you haven't met yet. And if your app does anything with AI, add provider management and infrastructure costs to the pile. None of that is why you started building — but all of it is now your problem.

Setapp is trying to take it off your plate.

You probably know Setapp as the subscription marketplace — one monthly price, hundreds of Mac apps. On May 21st, they turned toward developers. The pitch is simple: list your app, reach users who are already looking, and let Setapp handle the business layer.