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You can ask an Amazon Echo for information, music, timers, reminders, smart-home controls, household announcements and more. The examples below are starting points: what works depends on your Echo model, country, Alexa settings, account links and compatible devices or services. Substitute your own names, times and device labels.
Ask Alexa everyday questions
Try asking for the weather, a definition or a general answer to a question. Alexa can provide information, but answers may vary by wording, region and Alexa experience; check important details rather than treating a voice response as authoritative. Amazon describes these basic capabilities in its Echo setup and use guide.
Amazon describes Alexa+ as a newer, more conversational experience, including broader answers and the ability to remember details. Access and availability depend on eligibility, market and current terms; these capabilities are not guaranteed on every Echo or Alexa account. See Amazon’s Alexa+ overview.
Play music, podcasts and other entertainment
Depending on your linked accounts, supported services, region and device, you can ask Alexa to play a named song, artist, playlist, station or podcast. Once playback starts, try “Alexa, pause,” “Alexa, resume,” or “Alexa, turn the volume down.” Alexa’s help topics include music, podcasts and video; available playback and results vary by service and device (Amazon’s Alexa help index).
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- Your favorite music and content – Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
A screen-equipped Echo Show can also display some visual results, including video, images, recipes and footage from compatible connected devices. A speaker-only Echo responds by voice rather than showing those results (Amazon’s Echo guide).
Set alarms, timers, reminders and lists
Alexa’s help categories include alarms, timers, reminders, lists and calendars. Useful requests include:
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- Your favorite music and content – Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
- “Alexa, set an alarm for 6:30 a.m.”
- “Alexa, set a 20-minute timer for the oven.”
- “Alexa, remind me at 3 p.m. to call the supplier.”
- “Alexa, add batteries to my shopping list.”
Calendar features may require you to connect or configure a calendar account. Check the relevant Alexa app settings if a request depends on an account or service connection (Amazon’s Alexa help index).
Control compatible smart-home devices
If compatible products are connected and set up, try commands such as “Alexa, turn on the kitchen light,” “Alexa, set the thermostat to 20 degrees,” or “Alexa, is the garage door closed?” Alexa can work with supported categories that include lights, switches, plugs, thermostats, cameras, locks, televisions, printers, kitchen appliances and robot vacuums. A command only works when the particular product and setup support it.
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- Meet Echo Dot Max: Experience rich room-filling sound that automatically adapts to your space and fine-tunes playback. Features a built-in smart home hub and Omnisense technology for highly personalized experiences.
- Music to your ears: With nearly 3x the bass versus Echo Dot (2022 release), it fits beautifully in any space, delivering your personal sound stage with deep bass and enhanced clarity. Listen to streaming services, such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and SiriusXM. Encore!
- Do more with device pairing: Connect compatible Echo smart speakers and smart displays in different rooms, or pair with a second Echo Dot Max to enjoy even richer sound. Pair your Echo Dot Max with compatible Fire TV devices to create a home theater system that brings scenes to life.
- Simple smart home control: Set routines, pair and control lights, locks, and thousands of smart home devices that work with Alexa without needing a separate smart home hub. With Omnisense technology, you can activate routines via temperature or presence detection.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot Max doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
Connection methods vary: a product may use an Alexa skill, a compatible Echo hub, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, or setup in the Alexa app. Some products may be discovered automatically. Where supported, you can try “Alexa, discover my devices” after connecting a product. Not every Echo has a built-in smart-home hub, and compatibility is model- and product-specific (Amazon’s device FAQ).
Build routines that combine actions
A routine groups actions so one trigger can start several of them. Amazon describes routines as “shortcuts for Alexa, saving you time by grouping together actions so you don’t have to ask for each one individually” (Amazon’s routines help).
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- Your favorite music and content – Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
For example, create a morning routine in the Alexa app that turns on compatible lights, gives a weather update and starts a playlist. You choose the trigger and available actions in the app; the products and services involved must be set up and supported. Amazon says an account can have up to 200 routines, though the help page does not display a publication year (Amazon’s routines help).
Possible triggers include a voice phrase, a time of day, an alarm, sound detection or presence detection. Visual ID and temperature triggers have more specific device or setup requirements; Amazon specifically lists indoor-temperature triggers for Echo Dot 5th Generation and Echo Pop. Available triggers and actions therefore depend on the Echo model, settings and connected devices (Amazon’s routines help).
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- CUSTOMIZABLE SMART CLOCK - See time, weather, and song titles at a glance, control smart home devices, and more. Personalize your display with your favorite clock face and fun colors.
- BIG VIBRANT SOUND - Enjoy rich sound with clear vocals and deep bass. Just ask Alexa to play music, podcasts, and audiobooks. See song titles and touch to control your music.
- EASE INTO THE DAY - Set up an Alexa routine that gently wakes you with music and gradual light. Glance at the time, check reminders, or ask Alexa for weather updates.
- KEEP YOUR HOME COMFORTABLE - Control compatible smart home devices. Just ask Alexa to turn on lights or touch the screen to dim. Create routines that use motion detection to turn down the thermostat as you head out or open the blinds when you walk into a room.
Communicate with people at home
With supported Echo devices in a household, an Announcement can broadcast a one-way message to other devices. Drop In allows two-way communication after setup. Alexa also supports calls, messages and, in some cases, calls to certain phone numbers. Contact setup, permissions, supported devices and availability determine which options you can use (Amazon’s Echo guide; Amazon’s device FAQ).
Shop by voice and try optional skills
Alexa can add specific items to a shopping basket by voice. Whether a request can proceed depends on your account and Voice Purchasing settings; review those settings before relying on voice shopping (Amazon’s Echo guide).
Skills are optional extensions that can add experiences such as games. You can explore and enable available skills through Alexa, but their availability and behavior vary by marketplace and provider (Amazon’s Alexa help index).
Understand what changes by Echo model
Voice requests are the common starting point across Echo devices, but hardware changes what Alexa can do around them. An Echo Show can present visual responses such as images, recipes, video and compatible camera footage; a screenless Echo cannot display them. Smart-home connection options and routine triggers also differ by model, so check the specific Echo and accessory compatibility rather than assuming every feature applies to every device (Amazon’s Echo guide; Amazon’s routines help).
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Review Alexa voice activity and privacy controls
Amazon says an Echo gives a visual or audible indication when wake-word detection triggers recording audio for streaming to the cloud. You can review and delete recordings, transcripts and typed requests through More > Alexa Privacy in the Alexa app or on Echo Show devices. Amazon cautions that deleting this data may limit personalization or stop some features; for example, Voice ID will not work if recordings are not saved. These controls do not necessarily delete data held by skill developers or stored outside Amazon’s cloud (Amazon’s device FAQ; Amazon’s privacy help).
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