question

hofo avatar image
hofo asked

What if we don't have user accounts?

The Video Skill API makes it clear that for some reason (that I assume is different than use cases for the Echo and Dot, though I can't see it) those video skills require implementation of OAuth. But with whom are we supposed to be validating user accounts? We (in my day job) are making video content but we don't have user accounts (and the business line is very intentionally steering away from that). What's our use case then for the API? Can we create a skill without user accounts?

video skill api
1 comment
10 |5000
Toggle Comment visibility. Current Visibility: Viewable by all users

Up to 2 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 512.0 KiB each and 1.0 MiB total.

Jamie Grossman avatar image Jamie Grossman ♦♦ ·

Passed to the relevant team.

0 Likes 0 ·

3 Answers

digisam avatar image
digisam answered

From what I can tell the Video Skill API does not deliver the video content to the user's screen. It is assumed there is already a way you are delivering the content to the user and you can identify and control what they are watching and on what device. Spotify Connect is an example that uses this idea currently. You can listen to music on the Spotify app on your phone and use the web player (or another app) that is logged into the same account, to browse and control playback of that music remotely.

Does that answer your question?

10 |5000
Toggle Comment visibility. Current Visibility: Viewable by all users

Up to 2 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 512.0 KiB each and 1.0 MiB total.

tartan_guru avatar image
tartan_guru answered

You could authenticate against the users Amazon account, which is the approach I'm using for testing See this page for details

https://www.whizzy.org/2016/12/howto-add-oauth-to-your-alexa-smart-home-skill-in-10-minutes/

10 |5000
Toggle Comment visibility. Current Visibility: Viewable by all users

Up to 2 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 512.0 KiB each and 1.0 MiB total.

Jamie Grossman avatar image
Jamie Grossman answered

At this time, we can't authenticate a customer without oAuth.

10 |5000
Toggle Comment visibility. Current Visibility: Viewable by all users

Up to 2 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 512.0 KiB each and 1.0 MiB total.