Amazon’s Echo speakers and Alexa assistant are incredibly useful, and quite intrusive.
On the practical side, it acts as a security alarm for devices you already own. Neat. Here’s how Alexa Guard works.
crawl? When I was sure I wasn’t asking Alexa to listen, I found a recording of a conversation that my Echo had captured. It just thinks it heard the wake word. Check out the extensive list of terms that can trigger your smart assistant.
If you have one (or more) Echo devices, let’s make them as useful as possible. Change these settings to stop the biggest annoyance.
BIG TECH is listening and tracking your voice recording. How to make it stop!
step back
Alexa monitors and understands your actions and requests. Then it knows what you missed. For example, a response to “Alexa, good night” might be, “You left the kitchen light on. Do you want me to turn it off?”
Instead of yelling, “Leave me alone!” turn off Amazon Instinct. talk, “Alexa, disable Hunches,“Then you can start.
Want more tips like this? Join the 400,000 subscribers who receive my wise advice in their inbox every morning.
calm down
Past your bedtime? Adjust Alexa’s volume so she doesn’t wake up the whole house. talk, “Alexa, turn on whisper mode.After that, anytime you whisper to Alexa, she will whisper back. Speak in your normal voice, and the speaker will too.
Privacy 101: It’s not just apps spying on you. Here’s how to check if someone is snooping on your phone.
your music is low
You play some tunes to clean the house, but the sound is weird. Every now and then, it happens. Fortunately, the fix is simple: Unplug the Echo, wait 30 seconds, then plug it back in. The magic reboot trick helps with most technologies.
What if the sound is cut off?
Amazon Alexa smart assistant device connected on table at home with defocused living room in background with no people (iStock)
If restarting doesn’t fix the problem, there may be a problem with your Wi-Fi network. When too many devices are connected to your network, your Alexa device can get lost in congestion. Try turning off any connected devices that are not in use.
Also, keep your Alexa device away from metal objects, Bluetooth devices, baby monitors, microwave ovens and other sources of interference. Placing Alexa higher up will help boost signal strength.
It’s all in the data: Most People Make This Big Mistake When Sharing Photos
no accidental insertion
It’s not just annoying. This can be downright dangerous. Drop In connects you to another Echo speaker or display for instant conversations. “Alexa, come and see the Echo Show in the kitchen.” You can also announce all your Echos at once and say bring the family over for dinner. The command is “Alexa, access all devices”.
But remember, Echo speakers or displays are two-way. It allows someone to listen or watch what is happening in the room immediately after 10 seconds.
You can set permissions to enable or disable specific devices.
Open Alexa appthen tap equipment.
choose Echo & Alexathen select your equipment.
click set gear in the upper right corner > communication.
Tech guide: How to automatically alert loved ones in an emergency
choose deliveryand then select the permission to enable or disable.
choose exist Only allow entry with allowed contacts or My family Serve only on devices on your account, or leave This means no one can Drop In.
wait, what?
It’s unnerving when Alexa starts up suddenly. Most likely, she’s pissed off by hearing something that sounds like her wake word (Alexa, Echo, or Computer, depending on your choice) from the TV or from a conversation you’ve had with someone.
Try saying, “Alexa, why are you doing that?You can also change Alexa’s wake word by saying “Alexa, change wake word” if you accidentally trigger her more often than you’d like.
You forgot which one is 3rd Echo
The default name is not convenient, especially if you have multiple speakers around. A straightforward way to differentiate speakers is to name them according to the room they are in, such as kitchen, computer, living room, bedroom, or office.
Open Alexa app.
choose equipment > Echo & Alexa.
Photo of an Amazon Echo Dot with a red ring and Alexa muted. (Fox News)
choose your equipmentclick set gearThen edit name.
Note: You may not see this option on every device.
Boost
Follow up mode lets you issue multiple commands to your smart speaker at once. Wait for Alexa to say “OK” after it performs your first command. Then, issue your next command and you’re good to go. When you’re done, say “Stop,” “Thank you,” or “Go to bed” to stop Alexa from waiting for further commands.
You need to enable this feature:
Open the Amazon Alexa app and tap equipment at the bottom of the screen.
Select the device you want to use this feature on, then scroll down and tap follow up pattern.
Slide the switch next to Follow Mode to the right to enable Function.
“Sorry, I don’t quite understand”
It’s frustrating when you have to keep repeating yourself. If it happens often, take a few minutes to let the Echo better sample your voice.
A person holds an iPhone displaying various apps, including BBC IPlayer, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Amazon Music, Sky Go, Disney Life and Amazon Alexa. (Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images)
In the Alexa app, tap the more > set up.
choose Your Profile and Family. choose your profile.
tap add your voice.
You can set this up for everyone in your family if you want.
no repeat
Alexa often parrots back to what you say to make sure she understands. If you say, “What is 34 minus 13?” you’ll hear the whole equation before you get the correct answer. It’s harsh, but you can stop it.
open your alexa application and click more > set up.
scroll down.under Alexa preferencestap voice reply.
Slide the switch next to Brief Mode to the right to enable this function.
Did you realize that unless you log out, you’re always logged into Amazon? If you’ve ever jumped onto someone else’s computer or phone to order something, it’s scary. Take these steps now.
maintain your technical knowledge
My popular podcast is called “Kim Komando Today. “It’s a full 30 minutes of tech news, tips, and tech questions for callers like you from around the country. Search it wherever you get the podcast. For your convenience, click the link below to Get the most recent episode.
Podcast Picks: AI Steals Voice, ChatGPT Spam, and 60-Second Cybersecurity Checks
Also, ChatGPT has stereotypes for every US state – you won’t believe what it says. Science reveals when aliens are coming to Earth, why we’re obsessed with selfies and (cool? creepy?) wedding rings, and you can feel your partner’s heartbeat no matter where they are.
Click here for the Fox News app
Check out my podcast “Kim Komando Today” apple, google podcasts, spotify musicor your favorite podcast player.
Sound like a technologist, even if you’re not! Award-winning popular host Kim Komando is your secret weapon. listen on more than 425 radio stations or get podcast. JOIN OVER 400,000 PEOPLE Get her free 5-minute daily email newsletter.
Copyright 2023, WestStar Multimedia Entertainment. all rights reserved.
