Create Property Skills for Alexa Smart Properties

A property skill is a hidden skill that isn't available in the Alexa Skill Store. To enable a property skill, a user must have the unit administrator (A4P.UnitAdmin) role and have the skill ID for the skill.

Hidden skills are similar to public skills in many ways. Like public skills, hidden skills are developed using the Alexa Skills Kit. They can use account linking to map users to a backend system, and they must go through the same certification process as other custom skills.

The following sections contain information about creating skills for Alexa Smart Properties.

Create and publish a property skill

You build a property skill as you would a public skill, except that after you publish the skill, you immediately mark it as hidden. You accomplish this by completing the following steps.

To create and publish a property skill

  1. Create a custom skill by using the ASK developer console. If you are new to skill development, see Getting Started with ASK.
  2. Contact your Solution Architect and provide your skill ID to have your skill ingested for hidden skill processing.
  3. Submit your skill for certification by following the steps in Certify and Publish Your Skill. Be sure to include in-room collateral as part of the submission. After the certification review, you'll receive an email at the address associated with your Amazon developer account.
  4. After your skill is certified and published, your skill will be hidden by the Alexa certification team.

HIPAA Eligible Skills

Refer to Certification Requirements for general requirements that apply to all skills. For HIPAA Eligible skills in Enterprise environments, please refer to the guidelines below.

Requirements for Skills that are HIPAA-Eligible

An Alexa skill can be HIPAA-eligible if the developer is a HIPAA Covered Entity (CE) or Business Associate (BA), uses the means we provide to identify the skill as one that processes Protected Health Information (PHI), and agrees to the Alexa Business Associate Agreement (BAA). HIPAA-eligible Alexa skills must also adhere to the requirements listed below and pass a certification review. Note that these guidelines might change over time.

HIPAA-Eligible skill submission checklist

  1. The developer account must be owned by the Covered Entity or Business Associate that will publish the skill.
  2. The developer name of the account must represent the legal name of the Covered Entity or Business Associate that will publish the skill.
  3. You must indicate in the developer console (requires login) that you intend for your skill to handle protected health information (PHI)
  4. You must agree to the Alexa Skills Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with Amazon, made available in the developer console (requires log-in).
  5. Your skill must never have been published prior to when you indicate that you intend for your skill to handle PHI and/or agree to the BAA.
  6. Your skill will not send Amazon information that includes patient name or other patient personal information, (e.g., Room 101 needs pain meds and not John Smith needs pain meds).
  7. Your skill must be published live, but hidden from the skill store.
  8. Your skill must only be made available and distributed in the United States.
  9. Your skill cannot use PHI for development, testing, or certification purposes.
  10. Your skill must include a link to a privacy policy URL in the skill description.
  11. Your skill can only use Approved APIs and services.
  12. Your skill must not be Child Directed.

Approved APIs

HIPAA-eligible skills can only use the following APIs.

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Last updated: May 01, 2024