You use your Amazon Echo for all sorts of things around the house — from playing music and replacing an old alarm clock to using it as a base for all your smart home devices. Or maybe you wanted it to make you laugh or you wanted more than one Echo speaker for whole-home audio. Whatever the case, Alexa has so many other surprising features that you may not know about.
For example, did you know you can turn your Echo into a TV speaker? Keep reading to learn how these surprising tips can be an asset to your day-to-day schedule.
Instead of spending money on a new soundbar, you can just stream sound to your Echo device from your TV. This is useful for when you’d like the sound to be louder (and closer) without waking up the entire house.
To do so, you’ll need to connect your Echo devices to a smart TV with Bluetooth capabilities or a Fire TV. Saying, “Alexa, connect,” can help you get started. When you’re ready to unpair the two, just say, “Alexa, disconnect.”
If you’ve been worried about an older loved one during the pandemic, Amazon now has a feature that gives you some ease of mind. It’s called the Alexa Care Hub and it allows you to monitor their activity and receive alerts if they haven’t been active for some time.
To start using the Care Hub, open the Alexa app and tap More > See More > Care Hub. Select Get Started and follow the instructions. Your loved one will need to accept the request in their email and then set up a four-digit code to complete the setup.
When you get home, it’s easy to just plop your keys down somewhere without thinking. However, all that time spent searching for your keys can become tiresome. Fortunately, you can use Alexa to help you find your keys when you’re in a hurry. You’ll need to attach an RFID device, like a Tile tracker, to your keychain and then pair it with Alexa.
Another option is to set your keys down somewhere and immediately activate your Echo to let it know where you’ve placed them. For example, say, “Alexa, remember that I placed my keys in the basket by the TV.”
Worried about your furry best friends when you’re at work all day? They’re probably missing you too, so why not have Alexa entertain them while you’re gone? You’ll need to download a skill in the Alexa app, like Meow! for cat lovers and Woof! for dog lovers.
The way it works is Alexa acts as a virtual cat or dog and converses with your pet by meowing or barking. Alexa can start the “conversation” and once your pet responds, the virtual assistant will continue mimicking the animal sounds. Just say, “Alexa, enable Meow or Bark,” and your pets will be entertained all day.
If you prefer talking to your pets, you can always use the drop-in feature to get your dog’s tail wagging. You’ll need to turn that function on in the Alexa app in the Communicate tab. Once it’s enabled, you can say, “Alexa, drop in on the Echo Plus .”
Much like the keys you always misplace, Alexa can remind you to take your medication and which medication to take. You can set a reminder to, say, take your blood pressure medicine at 4 p.m. and Alexa will remind you. You can also tell Alexa that you took your medicine and if you later can’t remember if you took it, Alexa will let you know you already did.
If you’d like to give back to your community but you don’t have time to volunteer, you can always donate to the cause. To get started say, “Alexa, I want to make a donation.” Alexa will ask which charity you want to donate to — there are nearly 400 options. Alexa will ask how much you want to donate. Make sure you have Amazon Pay set up before you donate.
Not everyone has time to check the weather in the morning. If you’re pressed for time, ask Alexa if you should wear rain boots or sandals, pants or shorts, a jacket or T-shirt, so you can get the wardrobe info that you need.
Start by saying, “Alexa, what should I wear today?” It will then give you the weather forecast and an outfit based on the weather. For example, on a hot day Alexa may tell you to consider a white dress or gray shirt and linen shorts.
Want to know more things you can do with your Amazon Echo? Check out these six essential Amazon Echo tips you’ll use daily, how to turn your Fire TV into a larger Echo Show and how you can still use your Echo when you’re not home.
You already know you can play music on your Echo and ask about the weather, but there are so many other things Alexa can do.
Your Amazon Echo device is packed with tons of commands that can do everything, from controlling your home devices to making phone calls. But that’s not all Alexa can do to make your life easier.
In fact, you might be surprised to learn all the actions that Alexa can perform. For example, did you know you can cast your music from one Echo device to another? You can also quickly send donations to a charity, and have Alexa guard your house while you’re away.
We’ll explain how to find these things your Amazon Echo can do and how to use these little-known features.
When you’re really into a song that you’re listening to on your Amazon Echo but need to go to another area in the house, it can be frustrating to pause the music. Fortunately, if you have multiple Echo devices, you can use the Alexa Cast feature to send that music to another speaker.
From the Amazon Music app on your phone, select the playlist you’re listening to. Pull up the music controls and tap the button on the lower right side of your screen. Then select which Echo speaker you’d like to cast to.
You can also do this from the Alexa app. Just tap on the playlist you’re listening to and select which device to play it on. For instance, all devices or just one Echo speaker.
If you’re ever worried about your house when you’re out of town, you can turn on Alexa Guard before you leave the house. Just say, “Alexa, I’m leaving” and the voice assistant will start listening for signs of a break-in, like glass breaking. If it hears anything suspicious, it will send you an alert so you can decide whether to contact authorities and have them check it out.
When you arrive back home, you can say, “Alexa, I’m home,” and it’ll stop listening for noises.
Want Alexa to guard your home? Read our guide on how to set up Alexa Guard Plus on your Amazon Echo smart speakers and displays.
If you have a charity that you’d like to donate to that’s on Amazon’s list, you can use your Amazon Echo to send the donation over. When you say, “Alexa, I’d like to make a donation,” the voice assistant will ask which charity you’d like to give to. Then Alexa will ask how much you want to donate. Note that you’ll need to have Amazon Pay set up before trying to send your donation.
When you’re running low on house supplies, like paper towels or toothpaste, you can ask Alexa to order some for you through Prime Now. You’ll first have to enable voice purchasing in the Alexa app.
To do so, open the app and go to More > Settings > Account Settings > Voice Purchasing > Purchase Controls and select who can make purchases. When you’re ready to buy something, say, for example, “Alexa, I’d like to buy toothpaste.” The product will be added to your cart and Alexa will ask you to confirm that you want to buy it now.
You can add a PIN code in the same settings so that only you can make purchases on your Echo speaker.
Losing your phone in the house happens way more often than you’d like to admit. And when you don’t have anyone around to call it for you, it can be frustrating trying to track it down on your own. Fortunately, you can use your Amazon Echo to find it. You can ask Alexa to call your phone, but if it’s on silent, that won’t do much. Another option is to download the Find My Phone skill in the Alexa app.
Want to know more about your Amazon Echo? Check out the four worst places to put your Amazon Echo in your home and how to customize Alexa for a better Amazon Echo experience.
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