Alexa Voice Commands You Should Try Right Now

Alexa is much more than a voice to turn on lights and play your favorite tunes. Power users rely on a less well-known set of voice commands that can save time, secure home automation, and enhance privacy beyond the defaults. Analysts at Consumer Intelligence Research Partners note that Amazon still has the top share of the U.S. market for smart speakers, but most Echo owners use just a fraction of what Alexa can do.

If you already utter “Alexa, good night,” here are 10+ underappreciated commands that will unleash smarter control and more useful shortcuts on your daily routine. They pair with Echo speakers and displays, and most play well out of the box with popular smart home brands.

Build smarter Alexa routines with motion and temperature sensors

Recent Echo and Echo Dot devices have also had ultrasound motion and temperature sensors. Create routines in the Alexa app, and then initiate them by voice for versatility. Try: “Alexa, I’m home” for a routine that turns on entry lights, adjusts a smart thermostat if the room is warm, and plays a welcome playlist. About a third of U.S. adults own smart speakers, according to NPR and Edison Research, though people aren’t setting up routine-based automations proportionally as often as they are doing things like playing music and setting timers.

Use Alexa to find your phone instantly, even on silent

Stop digging under couch cushions. Once you have calling enabled in the Alexa app, just say, “Alexa, find my phone.” Alexa will ring your handset—even if it’s on silent in most instances—making this one of the quickest remedies for a misplaced device.

Use Alexa Drop In for a fast, hands-free home intercom

Utilize Alexa as a hands-free home intercom without having to make a call. Tell it, “Alexa, drop in on Kitchen,” and you’ll start speaking through that Echo at once. It’s great for hailing kids to dinner, or for poking in on a nursery Echo Show without needing to take out your phone.

Name multiple kitchen timers for real-life cooking clarity

Several single-task kitchen timers can be confusing without labels. Say, “Alexa, set a pasta timer for 9 minutes,” and “Alexa, set a cookie timer for 12 minutes.” Then inquire, “Alexa, how much time is left on the cookie timer?” It’s a minor fix that keeps dinners from burning.

Get dynamic Alexa translations wherever and whenever you need them

Then there is scaffolding: Alexa can be a nifty prompter-interpreter. Say, “Alexa, translate Spanish,” and then talk as you would naturally; Alexa repeats what you say in the other language. It is convenient at the front door, in a classroom, or when traveling with an Echo Buds–paired phone.

Use Alexa’s memory to remember details you’ll need later

With Alexa’s memory feature, your speaker becomes a searchable brain. “Alexa, remember the spare keys are in the blue tin,” and then “Alexa, where are the spare keys?” Great for stashing gifts, measurements, and appliance filter sizes.

Erase recent voice recordings with simple Alexa privacy commands

Privacy features are built in—and voice controllable. Say, “Alexa, delete what I just said,” or “Alexa, delete everything I said today.” Transparent privacy tools engender trust, consumer surveys from organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Consumer Reports have found; lean on them heavily.

Track orders and deliveries quickly by voice with Alexa

Alexa can check in on your deliveries with no app open. Ask, “Alexa, where are my packages?” for status and estimated arrival. It’s a small but convenient way to help you keep on track while you’re cooking or bolting out the door.

Broadcast household announcements to every Echo in your home

Apply entire property voice broadcasting with “Alexa, announce ‘Dinner is ready.’” It chimes and, if you have any Echo in your home, it plays that message on every one of them. It beats texting, and screaming up the stairs, by a mile.

Play relaxing sleep sounds and brown noise on a timer

For a better night’s sleep, request: “Alexa, play brown noise for 30 minutes,” or “Alexa, play thunderstorm sounds.” Couple this with a bedtime routine and “Alexa, good night” now does things like dim the lights, lock doors with your smart locks, and start a soundscape on a timer.

Find and add new smart home devices with no app required

When you install a new smart plug or bulb, for instance, say, “Alexa, discover my devices.” It can kick off a scan and frequently takes care of the setup automatically, at least for Matter or Zigbee gear in supported Echo models. Follow with, “Alexa, turn on the lights in the living room,” assuming you’ve set up room groups in the app.

Monitor energy use by device with quick Alexa voice checks

Ask, “Alexa, how much energy did the coffee maker use today?” if it’s plugged into an energy-reporting smart plug or thermostat. Or, “Alexa, how many watts is the space heater pulling?” There’s detail in the Energy Dashboard on the Alexa app, but voice is the quickest snapshot.

Set relevant reminders by time or location for better habits

Reminders are not just about time; they can be associated with locations through your phone. Try, “Alexa, remind me to get milk when I arrive at the store.” Or: “Alexa, remind me every Sunday at 8 a.m. to water the plants.” It’s much better than packing little notes and sturdier than good intentions; that’s also the finding from habit research done by behavioral scientists in universities like Duke and Stanford.

Create and view sticky notes on your Echo Show display

If you own an Echo Show, for example, just say: “Alexa, make a sticky note that says ‘Dentist at 3.’” The note pins to your screen, where it is more visible than a little reminder card. You can also say, “Alexa, show my sticky notes,” to see them.

Move and group your music across multiple Echo speakers

Don’t lose a playlist when you move to another room. Say, “Alexa, move my music here,” to move playback from one Echo to another, or “Alexa, play jazz in the kitchen and dining room” if you’ve set up a multi-room audio group. It is the best party trick that nobody knows about.

Amazon claims there are hundreds of millions of Alexa-enabled devices in use. The more you converse openly with yours with exact, deliberative commands like these, the more it feels like a helpful home assistant than just an expensive light switch.