Amazon echo tips and tricks 2019

Amazon Echo devices are some of the most popular smart home hubs on the market. These feature-rich, Alexa-powered smart speakers can do it all — from playing music and dimming your lights to controlling your home security system and checking your calendar, Alexa makes it easy to automate your daily tasks. While most Echo users know the basics, there are a lot of incredible features that are hidden below the surface. Read on amazon echo tips and tricks 2019 uncover some impressive features across the Echo lineup and make full use of its versatility.

Amazon's family of Echo speakers are some of the most popular gifts right now, so many people are activating their Echo units for the first time. Here's what you need to know: These speakers, which can respond to either "Alexa," "Amazon," or even "Computer" for those "Star Trek" fans out there , are extremely quick to respond, and understand your commands far better than any other device I've used. I can hear it — and it can hear me — almost perfectly. Amazon's Echo has completely transformed the way I live in my apartment. Take a look at some of my favorite ways I use it. Honestly, the best use cases for Amazon Echo are the simplest ones. With the Echo, I don't need to bother searching for my phone just to get the time — you can ask for the time from anywhere in your house and get the answer immediately.

Amazon echo tips and tricks 2019

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement. Get a new Echo and want some ideas on what to do with it? Thinking about buying one and curious about Alexa's appeal? You, my friend, have come to the right collection of images and captions. Get a new Amazon Echo, or thinking about getting one? Wondering how you might put it to use? You, my friend, are in the right place. Scroll through for a look at some of our favorite Alexa tricks. Read more : Which Amazon Echo speaker should you buy?

Of course, there are some downsides, too, such as having a limited run time or a smaller dustbin, but those aren't necessarily dealbreakers, especially if you have a smaller home or are willing to buy a second battery to run a bit longer.

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Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement. Don't forget about these convenient Alexa features. Your Alexa device can really do it all. Whether you need a TV speaker or a home security camera , -- or you want to turn your smart home into a haunted house for Halloween -- your Amazon Echo has you covered. With all of these neat tricks and the list of Alexa commands ever-growing , it can be easy to overlook the basic -- yet useful -- things your Echo device can do for you.

Amazon echo tips and tricks 2019

Virtual assistants are all the rage. By far the most popular, however, is still Amazon's Alexa. Since appearing on the first-gen Echo back in , it has spread to a plethora of smart propositions such as the diminutive Echo Dot now into its fifth generation , the Echo Show — complete with a screen that can follow you around your room — Fire HD tablets and even into Amazon's own true wireless Echo Buds. Alexa can set alarms, stream podcasts, compile to-do lists, play audiobooks, read PDFs, give you traffic updates, provide the weather forecast, answer trivia, pit you as a contestant in Pointless , control your smart home, play music and much more. If you're one of the many to have picked up an Amazon Echo speaker or Dot, or Show, or Dot Kids Edition , but don't know if you're making the most of its functionality, or you're simply wondering what to ask Alexa next, here's everything you'll want to try. Have fun! Want to make sure your Echo definitely heard you? Under the device's 'Sounds' menu on the app are a couple of toggles so your speaker will make a sound at the beginning or the end of the request. Or both. And you'll want to make sure your incoming call ringer is on, if you're expecting someone to 'drop in'.

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There are a number of third-party developers who have created skills for Alexa , including games, quizzes, and fitness routines. Add in the thumping bass of the new Echo Sub , and you're looking at a legitimate, voice-activated 2. The Alexa app also offers bare-bones controls for supported smart thermostats, like the Nest thermostat seen here. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. If you've got a Fire TV streamer plugged into your TV, you can use your voice to launch specific streaming apps and shows , or even search for a specific genre. Got more than one Echo device? Amazon offers five different shell options. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. If you have a Prime Music or Amazon Music Unlimited subscription, you can instantly access this feature. I've outlined my favorite features to get the most out of Amazon's Echo devices. You can create your own skills using Alexa Skills Blueprints. If you're familiar with Dyson, then you know that it makes everything from hair dryers to bladeless fans, and it uses that same tech to make high-end vacuums. It symobilizes a website link url. The smart speaker will listen for deliberate noises like breaking glass and smoke alarms and ping your mobile devices with alerts.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. So acquainting yourself with an Amazon Echo can feel like a riddle, wrapped up in an enigma, roll up inside… a tech-packed tube.

After that, if you ask Alexa for the news or a flash briefing, you can hear news straight from those sources. Previously, if you wanted to add a new skill, you had to do so manually. You can listen to anything on Amazon Music just by asking Alexa to play it as long as you have an Amazon Prime account. For the longest time, thermostats weren't supported in Alexa routines. When the timer's up, a radar-like ping will sound until you say "Alexa, stop. So, routines are cool, but how about your cleaning routine? Echo can wake you up in the morning — or get your attention at any other time of day — with over 10 different alarm tones. Music playback and custom Alexa responses are now supported, too, along with options to tweak device volume and settings or make Alexa wait in between actions. I assumed that we'd see at least a couple of other options emerge by now, perhaps from third parties, like we've seen happen with phone cases. Cool thing 3: Multi-room audio Got more than one Echo device? The Food Network skill , for example, gives you access to an extensive library of recipes.