The 7 most bizarre Alexa tricks for Echo devices

Make Amazon Alexa speak faster or slower

It sounds a bit bizarre at first that users can slow down or speed up Alexa’s speaking speed. In fact, this echo function is very practical. People who are in a hurry, for example, can save time with their morning news update by increasing the Alexa speaking speed. Older Echo users, on the other hand, benefit from a slower speech rate because they can understand Amazon’s voice assistant better.

Adjusting the speaking rate works simply through Alexa voice commands. For example, the instructions are sufficient: “Alexa, speak faster.” or “Alexa, speak more slowly.”

In our instructions, we reveal which other commands are available to adjust Alexa’s speaking speed: Alexa, set speaking speed – this is how it works.

Alexa can answer in whisper mode and speak softly

Amazon’s language assistant scores with many functions and a large selection of so-called Alexa Skills. But sometimes Alexa surprises with her almost human skills. She can also whisper. The bizarre function is very helpful on closer inspection. Especially when Alexa answers are needed while roommates or family members are still asleep.

If users whisper their question to Alexa, she also answers in a whisper. Alternatively, the whisper mode can also be set via the Alexa app:

  1. Select “More” in the lower right corner of the start screen.

  2. Tap Settings and then Voice Responses.

  3. The whisper mode now appears as a tab, which can be activated using the sliding bar.

Maintain privacy and delete conversation histories

Many users are concerned about their privacy when using voice assistants. When is Alexa listening? Is there a risk behind the smart voice control of being recorded unnoticed?

Alexa activity history can also be quickly deleted via the Alexa app

(Screenshot: Alexa App) 

In fact, Amazon is very transparent here. Alexa fans can use the Alexa app to view the activity log and delete the history if necessary. Only the following steps are necessary for this:

  1. On the start screen, tap “More” at the bottom right.

  2. Select “Activities” and then “Voice history”.

  3. Different time periods can be varied in the display: “Today”, “Yesterday”, “Last 7 days”, “Last 30 days” or even “Total history”.

Why are we listing this as a bizarre function? Alexa needs as much information as possible in order to be able to provide particularly user-oriented answers. If users regularly delete their history, Alexa can also learn badly and therefore only give answers that are difficult to adapt. In general, the more Alexa knows, the better. Anyone who deletes history prevents this added value.

Use Echo Show as a security camera

Amazon Echo Shows are characterized by being speakers with a screen. They have also gained in popularity because they are also suitable for video telephony thanks to the camera. In addition to the entertainment factor, users can also increase their security with an Echo Show and use the Echo Show as a surveillance camera.

This works by allowing users to view a live video from an Echo Show through the Alexa app. For this to work, you must first enable health home monitoring on your Echo Show. To do this, tap on “Camera” via “Settings” and then “health home surveillance”.

Interested parties can see a live video via the Alexa app in these three steps:

  1. Open “Devices”.

  2. Select “Cameras”.

  3. Select the name of the device to receive images from.

  4. Now Echo Show works as a surveillance camera.

Alexa no longer listens to her wake word

Anyone who is at health home in the Amazon Smart health home knows that commands are only answered and executed if “Alexa” was said as the activation word beforehand. When friends visit, it initially seems bizarre for them when Echo devices don’t respond to “Alexa”.

But the trick is easy to explain, because users can simply change the activation word. As an alternative to “Alexa”, there are “Amazon”, “Echo”, “Computer” or “Ziggy”.

We explain how users can change the Alexa activation word in our How-To change Alexa name – this is how it works.

Make Amazon Echo react to sound

If you own an Amazon Echo speaker or Echo Show, you can not only look forward to good music and the operation of many compatible devices. Users can also increase security with an Amazon device. With the right settings, an Echo speaker will respond to the following sounds:

  • barking

  • Beeping household appliance

  • crying baby

  • Cough

  • snoring

  • water sounds

Sound detection can be activated via the Alexa app under Routines

(Screenshot: Alexa App) 

Unlike the wake word, an Echo model only responds to the sounds when users set it as a routine via the Alexa app. This means practical “if-then sequences”. In the Review of the bizarre function, we decided on the following scenario:

When echo perceives a bark, then should Alexa respond with “You are a great friend.”

What initially sounds like a gimmick can, however, be a kind of warning system. For example, if users opt for a warning beep to which Alexa should respond, it could be a smoke detector, for example, that residents are informed about via an app even when they are not at health home.

We give the exact instructions for this in this article: Start the Amazon Echo noise detection – this is how it works.

Alexa should speak with a male voice

Anyone who uses an Echo device, has selected their favorite series on demand using the Fire TV remote control or has seen an Amazon advertisement knows the typically female-sounding voice of Alexa. For a long time, however, users had also wanted a male voice color as an alternative.

What sounds literally unusual or even bizarre at first is possible: since November 2021, users have been able to have their appointments and the like presented by a male voice. All you have to do is say “Alexa, change your voice”.

Here we explain why Amazon decided on an optional male-sounding voice assistant: Changing the Alexa voice – this is how it works.

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