If you’ve yet to hear about Amazon’s virtual assistant, Alexa, you’re missing out on its features! Alexa, much like Apple’s Siri, is designed to interact with users through voice commands. It can perform many different tasks, such as answering questions, playing music, setting up alarms and calendars, providing weather and temperature updates, and can even control smart home devices! There’s a lot more to Alexa than just those, you can read more about its features here. But of course, aside from practical use, Alexa can also be fun as it can entertain you with games, tell you jokes, and can even engage in light conversation. So, whether you’re looking to set up your day and home seamlessly, or simply looking for a quick bit of fun, Alexa has you covered on that! This guide will walk you through a quick step-by-step overview on how to connect your Amazon devices and interact with Alexa.
How To Access Alexa
Step 1. Get a Device that Supports Alexa.
Alexa is built into many Amazon devices such as the Amazon Echo line of speakers, Echo Buds, or use the Alexa app on your smartphone.
Step 2. Download the Alexa App.
Before everything else, make sure you have the Alexa app. You can download the Alexa app in iOS’ app store and Android’s play store.
Step 3. Sign in to Your Amazon Account.
Once you’ve downloaded the Alexa app on your mobile device, sign in with your Amazon account and complete the setup process.
Step 4. Set Up Alexa Devices.
Open the Alexa app on your smartphone and tap the “Devices” icon at the bottom. Hit the “+” icon to start adding a new device, then choose the type of Alexa device you’re setting up from the list. Whether it’s an Echo Buds or Echo Show, the app will walk you through connecting to Wi-Fi and any other setup steps. Make sure your device is on and ready to pair!
Step 5. Select Which Device You Would Like to Set Up.
A list of compatible devices that you can set up will appear on the app. Just pick a device, like an Echo, Echo Buds, or any other product that has Alexa built in. Prompts will appear, simply follow the instructions for the device of your choice.
Step 6. Use Voice Command to Test if Alexa Responds.
To test if Alexa would respond to a command, use the wake command “Alexa,” followed by a command like “What’s the weather today?” or “Play music.” If Alexa responds, then your setup is successful! You may then explore more commands and features in the app, like controlling smart home appliances, creating reminders, or you can even ask for a joke!
Step 7. Customize Alexa’s Settings
Once you’ve confirmed that Alexa is responding to commands, you may go to the settings in the Alexa app to customize preferences to your liking. You can change the wake word, adjust voice response settings, or create voice profiles for different users to personalize interactions however you wish to!
Step 8. Connect and Manage Smart Home Devices
If you have other smart home devices, add them to the “Devices” section of the app to add and manage them. Just follow the instructions to connect each device, such as smart lights, plugs, thermostats, or security cameras.
