Amazon Alexa is useful for playing music, controlling smart home devices, and answering inquiries, but it is not always the most polite assistant. Fortunately, Amazon has corrected one of Alexa's most annoying communication quirks.

Often when I call up Alexa, I do so before I've organized my thoughts. It takes me a second or two to recall the assigned name of the best smart home device I own or the phrase that triggers each of my Alexa routines. In those moments of hesitation, Alexa tends to interrupt me.

Sure, I can make an effort to think a little more before I speak. But in any of the best Alexa speakers, there is still pressure to say what I have to say after Alexa's ring glows blue to indicate that it is waiting for a command. In fact, the expectation of quickly telling the query reminds me of ordering a deli sandwich in New York City. If I don't say my order quickly, I face the wrath of hungry, impatient city folk.

Amazon's new "More Time to Finish Talking to Alexa" setting seems to attempt to allay this anxiety by giving users more time to inquire before Alexa responds. Most of us (key word is "most") know that it is rude to speak to oneself while the other person is speaking. Since Alexa is an AI, I have given it some leeway, but it is encouraging to see the assistant adding more comprehensive communication options.

By increasing the amount of time it takes to finish speaking with Alexa, people with speech impediments like stuttering will be more comfortable interacting with Amazon's voice assistant. Knowing how to use Alexa will be easier if they know they have all the time they need to speak.

According to Amazon, the ability to increase the amount of time you have to finish talking to Alexa is currently available and can be enabled in the Alexa app on your smartphone. I did not see this toggle on my account, so it is probably still being rolled out. It would probably appear in the "Voice Response" section of the Alexa preferences, along with Brief Mode, Whisper Mode, and Adaptive Volume.

I have become a big fan of Adaptive Volume, where Alexa adjusts the volume to the sounds around me. I tested this feature with the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock, but this feature also works with newer devices like the Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd generation) and Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd generation).

Overall, Amazon's biggest Alexa upgrade this year improves the assistant's communication capabilities. While many of the new tools are optional, it is clear that Amazon is committed to giving Alexa more human-like enhancements. A little creepy? It probably is. But perhaps what's more infuriating than the thought of an AI takeover like Westworld is being interrupted before you've finished speaking.