Amazon Echo: 33 tricks (and some extra) to get your entire smart speaker with Alexa

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Yúbal Fernández@Yubal_FM

Today we bring you a compilation of 31 tricks for your Amazon Echo. This is the range of smart speakers manufactured by Amazon, and which uses the personal assistant Alexa to work. They arrived in Spain in October 2018 with several models, which you will always have to have plugged in and connected to the WiFi to ask your assistant any question you want.

Unfortunately, there are some functions that are not yet available in Spain, such as being able to configure several voices or perform certain types of actions. In any case, Amazon will gradually add new features to it, so our list of tricks will increase as we review it over time.

1. Use the mobile application

And before starting with the bulk of the tricks, the first step is always to download and use the Alexa mobile application, available for Android and iOS on Google Play and the App Store. Not only because you need it for the initial configuration of the device, but because it gives you full control of the configuration of your Echo and Alexa.

All the configurations that we are going to see below will be done from this application. You will also see a time line with your latest activities, you will control the reproductions and messages to other devices. In addition, it will also allow you to use Alexa on your mobile by clicking on the central icon in the bottom bar.

2. Change the command to activate Alexa

Just by saying Alexa near your Amazon Echo, the Amazon assistant will listen to the rest of the sentence to detect what you are asking. However, you can change this wake word to two others. It is a different configuration for each device, so if you have several you can make each one respond to a name.

3. Call or send messages to other Alexa users

Amazon is an ambitious company, and it is setting up a service with which you can receive calls and send messages to other Amazon Echo users. If when setting up the device you allow it to access your address book, Alexa will check those phone numbers to see if any of them are assigned to an Amazon Echo. If so, you can make calls between devices at no additional cost.

4. Change the language of Alexa

You can also change the language of your Amazon Echo, although keep in mind that if it does not match the language of your Amazon account, there may be some Alexa functions, Skills or content that do not work correctly.

5. Manage your activity history

Alexa is always listening, and everything you say will be recorded in a command history. In it, Alexa will save everything you've asked her and her answers, so that if there's been a joke, song or any kind of answer that you particularly liked, you'll always be able to remember it. You can also tell him if he was right with the answer or even delete some entries from the history

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6. Make your purchases through Amazon

If you are a member of the Amazon Prime program, your Echo device will also allow you to make purchases through Amazon. You only have to tell it what you need, and Alexa will tell you the main results so you can decide whether to buy it or not.

7. Create your shopping, to-do, or any other list

The Amazon Echo shopping experience is not only focused on Amazon, since it also allows you to create, for example, a textual shopping list for what you add what you want and check it on your mobile when you go to the supermarket. You just have to tell Alexa, add popcorn to the shopping list and it will create add the term popcorn to a list called Buy. You can do the same with another pre-generated list called Tasks.

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You can manage these lists from your mobile with the Alexa application. You just need to open the side menu and enter the Lists section. Here you can also create other lists to later add elements from any other site.

8. Change the default equalizer and sounds

The Alexa application also allows you to change the equalizer of your Amazon Echo to suit your tastes, as well as the default sounds of notifications, their volume or activate an option so that alarms have ascending sound. All these options are grouped in the same sound configuration.

9. Alexa is a good kitchen helper with her timer

If you have an Amazon Echo in the kitchen, Alexa can help you cook by allowing you to program a timer to accurately calculate the times in your recipes. All you have to do is ask nicely. You can also ask him when you want how much time is left until the countdown ends

10. Change the default units of measurement

Although if you live in Europe the most likely thing is that the Alexa of your Amazon Echo already tells you the degrees of temperature in Celsius, you also have the possibility of changing them to Fahrenheit or changing the default distance measurements.

11. Make Alexa sing to you

If you want to revel in your assistant's melodic voice, you can ask her to sing you random songs, and even sing you happy birthday if no one else has. Say Alexa, sing a song, and Alexa will sing a song. These songs will generally be children's. You can also tell it specific songs, like Alexa, sing happy birthday.

12. It better play you music

And if Alexa's songs fall short and you need more, you can always ask her to play music for you. Your Amazon Echo will come pre-configured to access the Amazon Prime Music included in your Prime account, so all you have to do is ask for music.

13. You can add and change the sources of the music

If you have different accounts for streaming services or create one after the fact, you can always add new sources to the music section of the Alexa application or select the one you want use default when you ask to play music.

14. Connect your Amazon Echo to external speakers

And if the sound of your Echo device doesn't convince you, you can always pair it with other external speakers. You can do this by pairing the Echo with a Bluetooth sound device, or by adding a second Echo to create a set of stereo speakers.

15. Synchronize your Google, Apple or Microsoft calendar

If you already have your calendars and appointments perfectly organized with your Google, Microsoft or Apple account, you don't need to transfer all the appointments and data to your Amazon account . In fact, the Amazon Echo allows you to import your accounts from these three companies to synchronize their calendars.

16. Add an event to your calendar

And whether you do it after syncing your calendars or taking advantage of Alexa's, you can also add events to your Amazon Echo's calendar so it reminds you when the time comes. Again, it's as easy as asking for it and following the step by step that the assistant himself will mark for you.

17. And of course, you can also set an alarm

And how could it be otherwise, your Amazon Echo allows you to set alarms so that you never miss an event or appointment again.

18. Set the location of your Amazon Echo

You can set a location on each Echo device you have at home, which can be the full address of your home. By handing this data to Amazon, you'll be able to ask the Echo for, say, weather forecasts and other relevant location-dependent functionality. Thus, when you request these predictions or execute the functionalities, you will not have to specify a city or address

19. Ask her for the news of the day and configure the sources

Alexa is also useful to stay up to date with current affairs. Not only can you ask it to tell you the news of the day, but you can also configure the sources. And in this case, Alexa's news sources are much more complete and varied than those you can find in other assistants.

20. White noise to relax

Amazon Echo not only plays music, but it has a database of white noise and relaxing sounds that you can ask it to play. All you need is to tell it commands like Alexa, play me the sound of rain Alexa, play me the sound of a storm.

21. Ask him about the weather

In your Amazon smart speaker you will be able to know the weather that he is going to do in the city of your choice. By default it will tell you the one corresponding to the city that you have configured as local, but you can also specify by telling it other specific cities.

22. It will also tell you sports results

You can also ask questions related to your favorite sports team, and Alexa will tell you through the Amazon Echo what its last result has been, for example. You can do it with commands like Alexa, how is Madrid doing, and it will tell you its latest result. Explore this possibility, because although there are many sports and results that you do not control, little by little you can go further.

23. Easily set reminders

Your Amazon Echo will also help you set reminders. In this way, you can tell it to remind you of a certain thing at a certain time, and Alexa will save it to tell you.

24. Real-time translations and conversions

Amazon Echo lets you translate a word or phrase into the language of your choice in real time. In addition, it will also allow you to make conversions between currencies or units at your request. This can be very useful if you have foreign guests at home and need a second way of communication.

25. Flip a coin

If you're in the middle of an argument and want to stake something on heads or tails, you can have Amazon Echo flip a coin for you completely randomly and tell you if it came up heads or tails. cross. You just have to ask it with the appropriate command.

26. Get a random number

If a coin and a binary result are not enough, the wizard can also tell you a random number. You can make it any random or one between one and any number you want.

27. Use it as your dictionary or encyclopedia

Another of the curious and useful functions that you can find in your Amazon Echo is to use it as a dictionary by asking for definitions. For that, say commands like Alexa, what XXXX means, changing the XXXX by the name of the word whose meaning you want to know.

In addition, you can also ask for other specific information more typical of an encyclopedia with commands such as Alexa, how and when Edgar Alan Poe died. Here I recommend that you explore, and that you simply ask Alexa the questions that arise. You will be surprised how many answers it is capable of offering you.

28. It can also be a calculator

And if it can act as a dictionary and a small encyclopedia, the calculator functions are not far behind either. You can try telling your Echo operations with commands like Alexa, square root of twenty-five, and also with addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. Amazon Echo will answer them.

29. Send content to other devices

Alexa also allows you to link other devices, so that through your Amazon Echo you can execute commands on them or send them content depending on the type they are. Each device that you add will have some functionalities or limitations, so the operation and the type of orders that you have to give will depend on each one. You can link lights, plugs, switches, cameras, locks, thermostats, televisions, and much more.

30. Amazon Echo as an audiobook player

If you are one of those who never have time to read, you will surely like this trick. Alexa will be able to read you any book you have purchased for Kindle, and all you have to do is ask her. Use commands like Alexa, read the book American Gods, and if you have bought it the assistant will just start reading it.

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You can tell it to stop at any time, but even if you do it, everything is an advantage, since Alexa will remember where it left off and the next time you ask it to read the same book it will pick it up from there. This is valid for any device you have with your Amazon account, and if you start the audiobook on an Amazon Echo, for example, you can follow it on another or even in the Alexa mobile application.

31. Increase functions thanks to Skills

And we've saved the best for last, because if there's one thing that makes the Amazon Echo and Alexa stand out from the competition, it's their huge collection of Skills. The Skills are extra skills added by third parties, and can range from games to video applications, including others such as the Directo al Paladary cooking Skill and others related to sports, children's themes, food, shopping, weather, humor or film and television. . We also have our Xataka Now Skill.

32. Create routines to configure your own commands

And if you don't have enough Skills, you should also know that Alexa allows you to create routines for your Amazon Echo. This means that you can make when you say a certain command that you can configure Alexa to execute a specific action. This is fully configurable

33. Alexa will shut up whenever you want

It's not being rude, it's preventing Alexa from wasting saliva. If you no longer want to listen to the assistant, you can ask him to shut up at any time. All you have to say is Alexa, stop, and the assistant will stop what it's doing, whether it's reading an audiobook, playing music, or giving you an answer.

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