Facebook app includes interface for voice assistant Aloha

The Facebook app contains an interface for a voice assistant called Aloha. That name previously appeared as a code name for a smart speaker with a screen. That device may be called Portal, according to another reference in the app.

software researcher Jane Manchung Wong discovered the presence of voice assistant Aloha in the Facebook app. The assistant is not yet functional and cannot answer yet. When an answer is required, an error message appears.

The existence of the interface indicates that Facebook is planning to add a voice assistant to its social network. It could be used in the app and in Messenger, but Facebook also plans to release hardware with the smart assistant.

The researcher also posts a screenshot with a reference to Portal. That would be the smart speaker with screen, which Facebook is reportedly working on. You can pair a smartphone with the device via WiFi or Bluetooth.

At the beginning of this year, it was rumored that Facebook was planning to release two smart speakers with a 15-inch touchscreen in July. The arrival of the devices is said to have been delayed due to the Cambridge Analytica scandal.