Amazon introduced calling to Amazon Echo in mid-May, making it possible to call other Echo owners. What it failed to do at the time, however, was let people block incoming calls or messages. Luckily, a recent update to the Alexa app takes care of that serious flaw.

If you've granted Amazon access to your contacts, the app can tell you who you know has an Echo and lets you call or message them. You could already prevent any calls or message notifications by using Do Not Disturb mode. Just say to the Echo "Don't disturb me" to turn it on and "Turn off Do Not Disturb" to turn it off.

Now you can selectively prevent other Echo users from calling you. To do this, open the Alexa app on your phone and open the Conversations tab. Tap the contacts icon, and scroll down to the bottom of the screen and tap Block contacts. A list will come up allowing you to selectively block individual contacts.

What do you think of using the Amazon Echo to make phone calls? Do you think it will become as ubiquitous as the telephone? Do you think Amazon's latest update makes up for the mistake of not giving users a way to block calls in the first place? Let us know in the comments.