AMAZON is constantly injecting Alexa speakers with new and improved voice commands to make its users’ lives easier.
Be it finding your phone, updating the shopping list or accessing secret games, here are 15 of the gadget’s best tips and tricks.
Make music sound better
Alexa products are speakers first and foremost.
But if your favourite tunes are sounding tinny coming from your Echo, there are a couple ways to boost the audio quality.
First, try adjusting Alexa’s settings to fine-tune your music.
Amazon has built an equaliser for Echo which lets you adjust the bass, treble and mid-range of the sound output.
Simply say: “Alexa, set the bass to maximum” or “Alexa, turn down the treble”.
If you follow our second little-known trick and connect all your speakers into a sound system, you can even specify which room you want the change in.
For a more nuanced view of the equaliser head to your settings on the Alexa app.
If the equaliser doesn’t do the job, there are a number of speakers you can connect your Alexa to via cables or a Bluetooth connection.
Amazon has a guide on how to do just that here.
Surround sound speakers
Once you’ve worked out how to make the sound less tinny, you can connect all your Alexa speakers together to make a surround sound system.
It’s perfect for parties – or even housework – if you’re reluctant to shell out the cash for a proper sound system.
Simply say, “Alexa, play music everywhere” to play your music across all Echo devices in your home.
You can connect multiple speakers to Alexa by grouping them in the Alexa app.
The Sun has a guide on how to do that here.
Secret games
There are dozens of fun games you can play with Alexa, ranging from simple trivia to virtual escape rooms.
They’re triggered with the phrase “Alexa, play [name of game]” or “Alexa, start [name of game]”.
Here are some of the games you can try out:
- Bingo
- Tic Tac Toe
- Blackjack (Beat The Dealer)
- Memory Match
- Song Quiz
- Twenty Questions
- Trivial Pursuit Tap
- True or False?
- Hunt the Yeti
- Escape the Room
- Would You Rather
- Heads Up!
Useful Alexa skills
“Hey Alexa, speak to Ring”– If you own an Amazon Echo Spot or an Amazon Echo Show and any Ring Video Doorbell or Security Camera, you can initiate two-way communication through the Echo.
“Alexa, add cheese to my shopping list”– Amazon’s Alexa can keep a running list of items you need to buy, which will be stored in your mobile app.
“Alexa, find my phone”– If you have missed placed your phone Alexa can help you find it. The smart speaker can call your phone so that you can pinpoint it.
“Alexa, play music for sleeping” – Your Amazon Echo will play gentle music as you drift off. You can even tell Alexa to stop playing music in half an hour, so she turns off once you’ve entered the land of nod.
“Alexa, start rain sounds”– This uses the free, ready-to-use Alexa Ambient Sounds Skill which has 24 audio subjects to choose from. To have the full lise, just ask Alexa for an Ambient Sounds list.
“What should I wear today” – Alexa will then analyse the weather for you and offer outfit choices based on its findings – which is perfect for when you’re in a rush in the morning.
“Alexa, give me a chocolate brownie recipe” – This uses the Allrecipes skill to provide detailed cooking instructions for chocolate brownies. The recipe can also be sent to your phone, if you need to pop to the shop for ingredients.
“Alexa, start a 7-minute workout” – If you’re not keen on forking out for a gym membership, Alexa can provide you with a narrated workout for free. Just don’t get mad at her if you’re feeling sore the next day.
“Alexa, change the subject”– Your smart speaker can come up with a conversation starter, which is perfect for when you’re trying to stop an argument or encounter an awkward chat with friends.
“Alexa, what’s on BBC 1 tonight?” – The Echo can reel off some top content for you to watch this evening. You can also ask about specific shows, like when the next episode of The Apprentice is on.
“Alexa, roll a dice” – A handy tool for anyone who wants to leave their big decisions to chance. Alternatively, a great replacement if you’ve lost dice from a board game.
“Alexa, what Italian restaurants are nearby?” – If you’ve set up your location in the Alexa app, you can use your Echo to find restaurant recommendations in your local area.
What is Alexa?
If you've never heard of Alexa, here's what you need to know...
- Alexa is an “intelligent” personal assistant built by Amazon.
- You can find her on several different devices, including Amazon’s Echo speakers.
- Alexa responds to voice commands, and can talk back to you.
- She can perform thousands of different tasks, including telling you about the news or weather.
- But she can do more complex things too, like ordering a pizza or arranging an Uber taxi pick-up.
- To activate Alexa, you need to say “Alexa” to an Amazon Echo speaker.
- Because she’s powered by artificial intelligence, Alexa is constantly getting smarter.
- Alexa will also get more used to your voice, and better understand what you want her to do over time.
“Alexa, read The Jungle Book from Audible” – Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale for kids is available as a free audiobook through the Amazon Echo.
“Alexa, set a repeating alarm for Tuesdays at 8am” – It’s no secret that Alexa can set alarms. But save yourself the effort of creating new ones all the time, and use this handy command to set up repeater alarms instead.
“Alexa, add milk to my shopping list” – Alexa can keep a running list of items you need to buy, which will be stored in your mobile app. That makes for easy viewing once you’re actually in the supermarket.
“Alexa, how long does it take to boil an egg” – Culinary queries needn’t be Googled. Alexa is a one-stop shop for all your basic cooking trivia needs.
“Alexa, set a timer for 15 minutes” – Makes cooking a breeze.
“Alexa, how long left on my timer?” – Check on your timer before it buzzes.
“Alexa, change the subject” – Alexa will offer up a topic of conversation for you to discuss with your mates. Great for dodging impending arguments over the dinner table.
“Alexa, ask Domino’s to place my Easy Order” – Enable the Domino’s Pizza skill in your Alexa app and set up a favourite ‘Easy Order’. Then you can simply order Domino’s deliveries just by using your voice, whenever you like.” You can even get updates on the delivery status by saying “Alexa, ask Domino’s to track my order.”
Fun Alexa skills
“Alexa, open Ditty” – Speak a message aloud, and the Ditty skill will turn your words into an actual song. You can even link your Twitter account to share your creations with friends.
“Alexa, drum roll please” – Does what it says on the tin.
“Alexa, rap for me” – She’s not quite Eminem, but Alexa can lay down some pretty sweet rhymes if you give her the chance.
“Alexa, tell me my horoscope” – The Echo can offer up predictions based on your star sign – but there’s no guarantee they’ll actually come true.
“Alexa, play rock, paper scissors, lizard Spock” – A fun variant on the traditional hand-sign game, as popularised by hit TV series The Big Bang Theory.
“Alexa, what’s the phase of the moon” – Cool, but not particularly useful unless you’re a druid, or a werewolf.
“Alexa, how many goals has [football player] scored this season?” – For the stats nerds among you.
“Alexa, give me an insult about [football team].” – Even robots can dish out insults for your fierce football rivals.
Alexa Easter Eggs
“Alexa, I have a cunning plan” – For Blackadder fans.
“Alexa, what’s the meaning of life?” – If you’ve read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, you’ll love this.
“Alexa, open the pod bay doors” – An excellent throwback to classic sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
“Alexa, do you know Siri?” – When it comes to virtual assistants, it’s a small world.
“Alexa, who you gonna call?” – GHOSTB…actually, we’ll leave this one as a surprise.
“Alexa, what’s the first rule of Fight Club?” – Once you know, tell no one.
“Alexa, I am your father.” – For the Star Wars fans among you.
“Alexa, give me an Easter Egg” – Ask this to get ideas straight from the robot’s mouth.
Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) for £49.99 from Amazon – Buy Now
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