Do you use your Amazon Echo just to play your favourite music remotely, set the alarm and ask some silly questions? If the answer is yes, think again. Alexa, Amazon’s digital assistant is capable of performing some very interesting tasks.
Listed below are some tips you might make use of every day.
5 Amazon Echo tips you should try first https://t.co/UNp5oE2m03 pic.twitter.com/ZTzgO1TbeA
— CNET (@CNET) December 26, 2017
Play games on Amazon Echo
Imagine sitting lazily on the couch with the kids on an evening and wanting to play some games. Did you know your Echo has a ton of games hidden under its sleeves?
Alexa has a large variety of short games such as Jeopardy, some music games and various types of trivia. Alexa is also capable of playing some multiplayer games with Amazon Echo buttons.
All you need to do is say “Alexa, play a game” if you are unsure of what you want to play. Otherwise, you can just say “Alexa, play [name of the game]” and you are good to go. Alexa will give you instructions on how to play a particular game.
Your Amazon Echo can set an alarm- Remotely
Almost every Echo user is aware of Alexa’s capability to set an alarm or remind you to do something at a set time. But what you might not is how to set an alarm if you are not around your Echo.
If you're setting up an Amazon Echo today, don't miss this vital tip https://t.co/RXg3BYhpTP
— TIME (@TIME) December 25, 2017
Afraid of forgetting to set the alarm when you get back home? You can do it from the Alexa app too! Just open up the Amazon Alexa app, go to Reminders and Alarms> Alarm and Add Alarm. It’s as simple as that!
You can also tell Alexa to play some sweet music when you want to wake up.
Find movies near you
If you have set your location, your Echo device can also help you find theatres nears you and also let you know what shows are on currently.
There are a number of ways you can ask Alexa for help. Want to know what which theatres are nearest to you? No problem. Just say “Alexa, which theatres are near me?” and you will get all the details.
Want to know the showtimes of the movie you plan to watch? Just ask Alexa and she will let you know. Just say,
“Alexa, what time is Inception playing at the Box Office tomorrow?”
and you are good to go.
Link various audio services besides Amazon Music
Almost everyone is familiar with the company’s music service, Amazon Music. But what if you use some other service or your favourite artist is unavailable on Amazon’s own service?
Fortunately, your Echo can connect to a plethora of services such as iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Amazon Music and even Pandora. Just fire up the Alexa app, go to Settings > Music, select the service you want to connect to and you are good to go.
In case you want to link your Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal or Vivo accounts, use the Link New Service option and enter your login credentials.
What about iTunes and Google Play music? Unfortunately, if you happen to use either of these services, your Echo device will act as a speaker and nothing more. Currently, the only way to use these services is to pair your Echo device using the phone’s Bluetooth and using it as a regular Bluetooth speaker.
Of course, Alexa is not just limited to this and includes many more features such as the ability to convert weights and heights. It can also do some interesting things such as ordering things from Amazon using just voice commands, but here are some few ways you can make the most of your Echo!
If you have some interesting tips you want to share, please let us know in the comments section below! Meanwhile, for more techie and geeky scoop, stay tuned with us on Hiptoro.
