12+ Useful Alexa Commands You're Not Taking Advantage Of (no Subscriptions Required)

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Virtual assistants will soon beryllium arsenic commonplace arsenic smartphones -- successful galore parts of nan world, they already are. Most smartphones person a built-in adjunct powered by artificial intelligence (AI), whether it's Siri successful iPhones aliases Google Assistant (now Gemini) successful Android phones. 

Inside our homes, though, Amazon Alexa has go nan astir celebrated virtual adjunct successful nan US and astir nan world, arsenic a wide adopted virtual assistant. Users from various countries extracurricular nan US support Echo devices successful their homes pinch Alexa group to different languages.

Also: Amazon autumn hardware arena unrecorded blog: Latest updates connected Alexa, Fire TV, Echo, and more

I've been utilizing Alexa for a fewer years, and present are immoderate ways that nan adjunct has changed nan measurement I negociate my smart location and usage my Echo devices.

1. Become a lighting assistant

Each clip I participate my bedroom's en-suite bathroom, an Echo Dot greets maine by turning connected nan lights and saying, "Hello, gorgeous." The Echo Dot's occupancy sensor detects erstwhile personification is adjacent and runs nan regular of switching connected nan lights and saying nan phrase.

Also: Everything you request to cognize astir Alexa+, Amazon's generative AI assistant

I person a smart wall ray move pinch a built-in mobility sensor that turns connected astatine nighttime each clip nan headlights of a car are spotted connected nan model other it. Aside from getting creeped retired erstwhile my bath lights randomly turned connected astatine 4 successful nan morning, it was getting annoying, truthful I delegated nan task to Alexa. 

2. Streamline your nightly routines

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

You've astir apt heard of nan "Alexa, bully night" regular for turning disconnected your smart lights. However, location are galore ways to usage this attack and create aggregate routines for each chamber aliases area successful your home. 

For our main surviving area, I person a lights-out regular that switches disconnected nan surviving room, kitchen, office, and outdoor lights. This task is completed utilizing smart lights and smart plugs. 

Also: All your Alexa recordings will spell to nan unreality soon, arsenic Amazon sunsets Echo privacy

Our kids' room has its ain routine. When we say, "Alexa, it's bedtime," their sound instrumentality turns connected (powered by a smart plug), their bedside lamp switches off, and their smart ray portion turns connected to 2% brightness, operating arsenic a nighttime light.

When I'm fresh for bed, different Alexa bid switches disconnected my smart lights, turns connected nan smart plug connected my fan, and sets my smart aerial purifier into slumber mode.

3. Find my phone

I often look to suffer my telephone erstwhile my Apple Watch is dead, but a speedy connection to Alexa easy solves that. I tin conscionable say, "Alexa, find my phone," and nan sound adjunct initiates a telephone telephone to ringing it. 

4. Make Alexa your landline

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

Alexa useful for my family overmuch for illustration a landline utilized to activity successful my location increasing up. Whenever I'm retired and can't scope my hubby if he's engaged pinch nan kids, I tin telephone 1 of my Echo devices aliases make an announcement to get successful touch pinch them.

5. Prompt your kids to nan adjacent task

In nan mornings, my kids person an siren and greeting regular that's group done Alexa connected their Echo Show, which helps aftermath them earlier school. Weekday mornings are engaged successful my house, arsenic I'm packing lunches and snacks while my small ones are getting dressed, truthful Alexa nudges them to nan adjacent task.

Also: Amazon's caller AI supplier tin make an advertisement from commencement to decorativeness - really to effort it

A fewer minutes aft their siren goes off, Alexa switches their lights to daylight achromatic successful 100% brightness and tells my kids, "Let's get fresh for school." Some clip later, it says, "Okay, it's clip to spell downstairs." This punctual helps my kids enactment connected task truthful they're fresh to go, and pinch their beds made, astatine nan correct time.

6. Track your packages

Alexa tin way your Amazon orders from an Echo instrumentality by simply asking, "Alexa, wherever are my packages?" The virtual adjunct past informs you astir nan existent position of your orders successful nan shipping process and erstwhile you tin expect them to get astatine your door.

7. Let others cognize erstwhile you're busy

I person respective smart lights and a smart aerial purifier successful my location office, and I've group up routines to fto others cognize erstwhile I'm connected a call, busy, aliases erstwhile I person to attraction connected tasks:

• If I say, "Alexa, I'm making a video," nan smart lights move greenish to go my video background. 
• Saying, "Alexa, I'm connected a call," makes nan lights move to reddish truthful anyone who passes by knows not to interrupt me. 
• When I request to focus, I say, "Alexa, it's activity time," and my lights move a soft achromatic and nan smart aerial purifier switches on, which is beautiful adjuvant for combating pet dander, arsenic I stock nan location agency pinch our dog. 

8. Multiple timers astatine once

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

The Echo Show 21 is my room companion, acknowledgment to its ample show that doubles arsenic a Fire TV, beardown speakers, and built-in Alexa. I usage nan instrumentality to inquire Alexa for recipes and group aggregate timers for different things simultaneously. 

Also: How to get entree to Alexa+ for free correct now (and which Echo devices support it)

If I'm baking and cooking astatine nan aforesaid time, it's easy to inquire Alexa to support a cupcake timer, a chili timer, and more. The sound adjunct past tracks nan aggregate timers by sanction and lets you cognize which 1 is ready.

9. Make your choices much fun

Many of america usage Alexa for nosy stuff, specified arsenic proceeding a joke, learning a fact, aliases getting definitions. However, you tin besides inquire Alexa to make lighthearted decisions for you. 

Are you and your partner divided connected what to eat for dinner? Ask Alexa to flip a coin. If your kids are voting astir what crippled to play for crippled night, inquire Alexa to rotation a die. If you alteration nan Spin nan Wheel skill, you tin moreover springiness Alexa up to 10 names and inquire it to rotation nan instrumentality to take 1 astatine random. 

10. Act arsenic a achromatic sound machine

An Echo speaker tin go a achromatic sound machine, and Alexa tin play various sounds, from thunderstorms to brownish noise. You tin adhd nan characteristic to your nightly regular aliases inquire nan sound adjunct for it connected nan fly. 

11. Make routines your go-to commands

Skip elemental "turn connected nan bedside lamp" commands and alternatively make routines go your go-to Alexa prompts. You tin create routines that are arsenic elemental aliases arsenic intricate arsenic you'd like. For example, create an out-the-door regular that switches disconnected each your devices, isolated from erstwhile you say, "Alexa, I'm headed out," aliases an other 1 to shake hands you arsenic you travel home.

Also: Amazon conscionable gave Alexa its biggest upgrade since debut - and you'll want an Echo Show for it

When I watch movies, I for illustration to person nan surviving room lights dimmed aliases off, and nan Nanoleaf 4D mirroring my TV. Instead of having to return each action, I person routines group up that tally nan afloat process.

12. Substitute ingredients and measurements

As a go-to cooking companion, Alexa tin easy connection constituent substitutions and measurement adaptations, allowing you to set your recipes to what you person astatine location arsenic needed. For example, you tin inquire Alexa really galore tablespoons are successful ⅓ cup, aliases what you tin usage successful spot of food successful a cake. 

13. Read a bedtime story

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

My kids emotion their bedtime story, particularly made-up ones from their dada (Peter Pants is presently a large deed successful my home). Thankfully, Alexa tin besides help. The Amazon Kids+ subscription, which comes free for a play erstwhile you bargain a kids' Amazon device, lets you activate a Hey Disney accomplishment that includes plentifulness of Disney stories and soundscapes.

An Echo instrumentality besides lets you entree Audible stories. You tin inquire Alexa for these short stories, narrated by charming characters that are judge to connection screen–free intermezo for your kids.

14. Use successful lawsuit of emergency

Alexa tin beryllium much than a sound adjunct -- arsenic I mentioned above, it tin besides enactment for illustration a landline, and, pinch Alexa Emergency Assist, it tin telephone for thief erstwhile needed. One of my biggest worries astir not having a landline is really my kids will telephone 911 successful lawsuit of an emergency. I've taught my oldest kid to do it connected my phone, and I've put papers pinch our telephone numbers and reside successful a fewer spots astir nan house, but Alexa Emergency Assist alleviates this interest successful nan champion way.

A $5.99 monthly rank gives my family seamless 24/7 entree to emergency services done Alexa. This attack is cleanable if my hubby aliases I were to require thief while watching our younger kids. They cognize that if an emergency occurs, simply saying "Alexa, telephone for help," gets them successful touch pinch an agent, who tin dispatch first responders to their home. They don't moreover person to springiness them nan reside aliases thing other -- each of this accusation is saved successful your floor plan erstwhile you group up nan service. 

The work gives maine bid of mind that I wouldn't moreover request to hunt for my telephone if thing were to happen; conscionable utilizing my sound is enough. The subscription besides alerts your pre-selected emergency contacts erstwhile thief is called, making nan work a bully fresh for seniors who are astatine consequence of falls and walk clip unsocial astatine home. 

Also: In 2 years, half of each work calls will beryllium resolved by AI - survey

You tin moreover shop aesculapian information, including allergies aliases pre-existing conditions, and adhd gross codes and pet data. The subscription besides allows your Echo devices to observe sounds, specified arsenic fume alarms and solid breaking.

15. Handle your pet care

Smart pet feeders person been a game-changer for my dog, particularly pinch really engaged our lives tin be. These inexpensive devices make a large quality successful my dog's day-to-day life and link easy to third-party sound assistants, specified arsenic Alexa and Google. 

This attack makes it easy to inquire Alexa to provender my canine arsenic needed, aliases group up routines to provender him erstwhile nan backyard lights travel on, for example. I tin besides brace nan smart feeder pinch different devices, truthful Alexa switches connected nan lights successful his area and feeds him successful nan early morning.

16. Be an intercom

I moved from a starter location to a five-bedroom fixer-upper (more of a money pit, but that's a communicative for different day), and I often joked pinch my hubby that we'd request an intercom strategy erstwhile we moved in. Lo and behold, I now usage Alexa and nan various Echo devices astatine location arsenic my intercom.

Alexa tin make announcements to each devices, but it tin besides nonstop messages and driblet successful connected devices, truthful erstwhile I'm successful nan room and my kids and hubby are dispersed retired betwixt nan office, bedrooms, and playroom, I opportunity "Alexa, denote that meal is ready," and everyone gets nan message. I make akin announcements for bedtime aliases erstwhile it's clip to caput retired nan door, and they scope each my devices.