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10 neat tricks for your Amazon Alexa Device

    As the saying goes, with April Showers brings Home Automation, or something like that. Below are ten neat tricks to help get you the most of your Alexa devices. As always if you need help with anything streaming or smart home related you can contact us at 309-778-8611 or by emailing us at OneSource@midcentury.com





  1. Multiple Profiles: If you have multiple people in your household with Amazon accounts, you can add them to your Alexa household profile. While this won’t give separate shopping or to-do lists, it allows you to share content libraries. To switch profiles, just say, "Alexa, switch profiles".
  2. Voice Profiles: Set up voice profiles to personalize results. For instance, if you ask, “Alexa, what’s on my calendar?” it will read events from your calendar. If someone else asks Alexa to play music, it will select music based on their personal preferences.
  3. Change the Wake Word: If you’re tired of saying “Alexa” or have someone named Alexa in your house, you can change the wake word. Choose between “Alexa,” “Amazon,” or “Echo” in the Alexa app settings. As a big Star Trek fan, I naturally went with “Computer.”.
  4. “Can You Say That Again?”: If you miss Alexa’s response or need her to repeat something, simply ask, “Alexa, can you repeat that?”. You can also review recent responses in the Alexa app.
  5. Funny Easter Eggs: Try saying, “Alexa, tell me a joke” or “Alexa, sing a song.”
  6. Cooking Assistance: Alexa can help you in the kitchen. Ask for recipe conversions, cooking timers, or even set up hands-free timers while your hands are messy.
  7. Morning Routine: Set up a morning routine. For example, when you say, “Alexa, good morning,” it can turn on lights, read the news, and provide weather updates.
  8. Smart Home Control: Use Alexa to control smart home devices. Turn off lights, adjust thermostats, or lock doors with voice commands.
  9. Trivia and Quizzes: Challenge Alexa with trivia questions or ask her to quiz you on various topics. My personal favorite is “Song Quiz.”
  10. Custom Skills: Explore third-party skills. Enable skills like “Jeopardy!” or “Escape the Room” for interactive experiences. 

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