Amazon Alexa Tips and Tricks

Introduction

Alexa is one of the most advanced and at the same time easy to use voice assistants. Nevertheless, by learning a couple tricks, you can make even more out of your virtual friend. In this article I bring ten tips and tricks to take your Alexa device to the next level.

Before we start…

This article assumes that you have already setup your Alexa device. I don’t cover such things as how to setup Alexa device or connect it to a network or download Alexa app. I assume you have already done those basic steps.

Alexa comes in many devices of all sizes and shapes. Some of these devices have screens, some not. The best devices are built by Amazon like Echo speakers and Echo Show devices. The Show series come with screens. The tips and tricks covered here apply to all devices.

Are you ready to take your virtual friendship to the next level? Let’s dive in.

1. You can change how you wake Alexa

By default Alexa is the wake word. However, you can change it. This is especially useful if someone in your household is named Alexa. Another reason why you may want to change the wake word, is to avoid accidentally awaking Alexa when the wake word is used in TV commercials.

Limitations

Unfortunately, as of now, you cannot set an arbitrary wake word. The alternatives are Amazon, Computer and Echo.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the wake word works per device. Thus, if you own more than one Alexa device, you need to set desired wake word on each device.

How to do this?

You can change the wake word from the Alexa app. Simply click on your Alexa device and open the settings. In the General settings group you have the Wake Word setting.

2. You can whisper to Alexa and…

… have Alexa whisper back to you. This is one of my favorite features. Well, we all like whispering and sometimes whispering is outright necessary.

By default this is turned off. To turn this on, go the Settings section in the Alexa app. This setting is found in the Voice Responses group.

Bonus tip — you can have Alexa speak less by turning on the Brief Mode. This setting is found right in the Voice Responses group.

3. You can have Alexa speak slower or faster

Alexa can speak slower or faster but this can be done only by voice commands. Just say “Alexa, talk slower” or “Alexa, talk faster”. Say “Alexa, go back to your default speed.” to return to the original speed.

4. You can change the default music service

By default Alexa plays music through Amazon Music. While Amazon Music is an excellent service, you may have a paid subscription to an alternatives like Apple Music, Spotify or Google. You can easily change the default music service.

Spotify and TuneIn are already built in and you can change them from the Settings and then Alexa Preferences group. However, to add Apple Music, you first need to add the Apple Music skill and then link the Apple Music account.

5. You can change Alexa’s voice to masculine

People often ask who is behind Alexa’s voice. Alexa’s voice is Alexa’s voice. It’s not human but rather computer generated. I personally like it. It’s pleasant and not creepy. But if you prefer a masculine voice, you can do so and the new voice is called Ziggy. Though, in Amazon’s terminology the voices are called Original and New.

How to do it?

Simply say “Alexa, change your voice” or you can do so from the Alexa app. Go to the Alexa device settings and you will find this option in the Alexa’s Voice group.

Keep in mind that you need to set this setting per device. Thus, if you have more than a one device, you have to change the voice on each device separately.

Bonus tip — you can have a Samuel Jackson voice in Alexa. This is not a built in feature and you need to get a paid Alexa skill. Also, this skill is not available in every region.

6. You can keep tabs on your favorite sport teams

Alexa can track your favorite sports teams. To use this feature, first you have to select your favorite leagues. After doing so, you can simply say “Alexa, what is my sports update” and you will get information about scores, upcoming matches and so on.

7. You can do your math with Alexa

Alexa can do some simple math. You can just say “Alexa, 12 times 7” or “Alexa, square root from 7”. Alexa can easily do conversions. Just say “Alexa, how many grams is 2 pounds” or “Alexa, how many meters are in 5 feet”.

Alexa can handle a little bit more involved math as well. For example, you can say “Alexa, is two thirds more than three quarters?”.

Bonus tip — Alexa can generate a random number. Just say “Alexa, random number” or “Alexa, random number between 1 and 100”.

8. You can make your 20-second handwash really cool with Alexa

With the ongoing COVID-19 a 20-second handwashing procedure has become indispensable. No surprise tech companies started introducing different features. For example, you get a handwash app on Apple Watch. But Alexa can turn the 20-second handwash procedure really amusing.

Just say “Alexa, help me wash my hands”

9. You can expand Alexa’s capabilities with Alexa skills

You can expand Alexa’s capabilities by using Alexa skills. Alexa skills are like apps that add extra capabilities to Alexa. There are more than 100 thousand Alexa skills available.

You can browse skills on Amazon website or from the Alexa app. You can also activate skills with a voice command. Just say “”Alexa, enable…” followed by the name of the skill. Alls skills have a name or a so called invocation word.

10. You can train Alexa to understand you better

This is one of the most important things to do. Training Alexa on your voice dramatically improves your Alexa experience.

To get started, just say “Alexa, learn my voice”. Alexa will need your consent to do so. Afterwards she will confirm your name and ask you to pronounce several phrases.

After the process is over, Alexa will be able to understand who is speaking to her. Yes, you can create voice profile for every member in your household.

Conclusion

In this article I covered just ten tips and tricks that I think are useful for beginner Alexa users. Alexa is a fantastic voice assistant with vast possibilities. Some features are really straightforwards, others more obscure. Stay tuned for more interesting articles. If you find this useful, please follow me and Alexa Insider publication here on Medium.