10 things you didn't know you could ask Alexa
Alexa is so much more than a voice-activated virtual assistant that you sometimes have to yell at…
Image credit: Shutterstock/Panthere Noire
Alexa is so much more than a voice-activated virtual assistant that you sometimes have to yell at…
From lesser-known features to hidden gems, Alexa holds a treasure trove of surprises waiting to be discovered. Some are downright invaluable, while others offer more of a novelty value. In the era of voice-activated virtual assistants, Amazon’s Alexa has become a household name, capable of performing a variety of tasks with just a simple command.
While many of us have already come to rely on Alexa for weather updates, music streaming and general information, the extent of its capabilities goes far beyond that. So if you want to get more out of your Echo smart speaker or smart display, here are some good things to ask Alexa today.
It's one of the simpler things you didn't know you could ask Alexa, but you can ask Alexa to wake you up with an artist or song at a set time. Alternatively, choose your favourite radio station or playlist from your Amazon Music app to help you get up in the morning.
We asked Alexa to wake us up with some Kylie Minogue at 6.30am, and after a little beep, her latest song played, which certainly made for a more pleasant awakening than the usual alarm.
If you’re facing conversation stalemate at home, get Alexa to suggest a new topic to chat about by simply asking it to change the subject.
We asked Alexa this question a variety of times and got a real mixture of topics, from “Is ‘Die Hard’ a Christmas movie?” to “What’s been the highlight of your year, and why?” They certainly got the conversation flowing – and may or may not have created a household divide over Die Hard.
If you have more than one Echo device, you can play music in multiple rooms at the same time. Before you can ask Alexa to play music across your home, you’ll need to create speaker groups in the app. You can also ask Alexa for help with this by saying: “Alexa, how do I play music in multiple rooms?”
Otherwise, go into your app and…
Once you’ve sorted out your groups, it’s simply a case of saying something like “Alexa, play the latest hits upstairs” to get that particular group of speakers playing the same thing at the same time.
We all know the benefits of exercise, but sometimes life can be too busy to fit it in. Cue Alexa and the seven-minute workout. While Alexa can never beat a real-life personal trainer, if you’re looking for a little daily exercise routine, this command is a pretty good substitute.
On first asking Alexa to start the workout, you’ll be asked some set-up questions, including the level of workout and the type of music you’d like to hear while exercising. Alexa will then instruct you to do an exercise, such as abdominal crunches, for a minute, counting down until your time is up.
If you don’t know how to do the exercise, you can ask for help and Alexa will explain the move. It’s probably better if you have a basic understanding of core moves, such as push-ups, before you start.
If you need a breather, when Alexa asks you to start another exercise just say you’re not ready. Alexa will then ask you again in ten seconds. You also get a little Alexa pep talk. All-in-all it’s a fun and easy way to add exercise into your daily routine.
Are you at a loss for what to wear? Alexa can help you decide. For this one, you'll have to enable the Wear Assistant skill on your app.
On that chosen device, Alexa will immediately tell you some clothing recommendations based on the forecasted weather at your location. In future, you can ask Alexa directly – just remember to include “ask Wear Assistant” in your command.
While she can recommend you wear shorts rather than trousers to fit in with the forecasted weather, sadly she can’t tell you what colours go well or what style will suit you best.
If Alexa tells you that its sending something to your app usually more information how do you find it? The easiest way is to click on More at the bottom right-hand corner of the Alexa app, and then on Activity. Here youll see every skill youve used and any information or Cards that Alexa may have sent you.
Ever had one of those moments when you just can’t remember where you left your phone? Alexa can help with that. Just ask Alexa to find your phone and it will call you. If it’s on silent, this might not help much, but Alexa is an AI assistant not a magician.
To make sure this command works properly, double-check you have the correct mobile number associated with your account. It’s easy to change if not. In the Alexa app, click the “More” button and choose “Settings”. From there, you can change your number.
One of the things you didn't know you could ask Alexa is receiving your own personal news briefing. With the BBC News skill, you can stay up to date with everything that’s happening without spending hours reading a newspaper or watching the news.
Make sure you enable the skill first in the app and then just ask Alexa to either “Play my flash briefing” or “What’s my flash briefing?”. You’ll then have the latest news bulletin read to you by a BBC newsreader. You’ll also hear the latest weather direct from Alexa.
Not keen on BBC News? You can also enable this skill from BBC Sports News, or from other broadcasters such as Sky News and RTE News.
Struggling to find some dinner inspiration? Turn to Alexa. Thanks to teaming up with BBC Good Food, Alexa has countless recipes to brighten up teatime. Once you’ve asked for an easy recipe, Alexa will ask you for either a type of dish or some ingredients that you want to use.
Once you’ve chosen your recipe, you can either begin, with Alexa narrating the ingredients and method, or get it sent to your phone. There are also options to add it to a list or hear another recipe.
You can also be quite specific, for example, asking Alexa “How do you make chocolate chip cookies?”
If you aren’t planning to cook right away, you can also add any ingredients to a shopping list by saying, “Alexa, add eggs to my shopping list”. You can find the list in your app and if you want to check what’s on it at any time, just say: “Alexa, what’s on my shopping list?”
Alexa can be a wonderful companion when it comes to relaxation, offering a range of features to help you unwind, from soothing sounds to guided meditation.If you need assistance going to sleep, you can literally ask Alexa to help. You’ll be offered a variety of sleep sounds to choose from, the full list of which is helpfully sent to the app. Just choose one, close your eyes and let the soothing sound aid your slumber.
Who would have thought that Alexa would make the perfect sommelier? Alexa will help you choose the best wine to pair with whatever you’re eating when you use the Virgin Wines Advisor.
We asked Alexa to recommend a wine to drink with chicken. The suggestion of an Aussie Chardonnay was followed up with a specific recommendation from Virgin Wines, with further information about the wine sent to the Alexa app. On the app, you can find this in the “Activity” section under “More”.
Our columnist wonders whether 24-hour TV is doing our grandchildren more harm than good?
Women in the intelligence services did more than just take notes and chide flirtatious spies - many had real power and ran missions.
