14 Amazing Useful Things Alexa Can Do

Alexa has become a widely used personal voice assistant. Of course, many dream of the smart assistant that Tony Stark had in the movie "Iron Man," but for now we make do with what we have.

Many people are probably curious about the features Alexa has that you may not have known about before. Let's talk about 14 things that will definitely make you feel more at ease with this robot assistant.

It's worth noting that developers are often especially proud of features that customers usually don't notice. This usually happens because major features and innovations provided a competitive advantage or attracted more attention. Nevertheless, there are Alexa features that deserve special attention. 

Song Identification

This feature is useful if you use Amazon Music. If you ask Alexa to "turn on song identification," it will announce the song and its artist before playing it. For example, when you ask to play rock music, Alexa will say: "Up next is 'We Will Rock You' by Queen." 

Routines

Routines let you automate a series of customizable actions using voice commands of your choice. For example, say "Alexa, good night" and the voice assistant will turn off the lights, lock the door, and play sleep sounds. You can also create routines based on the time of day. For instance, you can set up a "good morning" routine in which turning off the alarm causes Alexa to share a fun fact, give the day's weather forecast, or play music. 

External Routine Triggers

Various routine options can be triggered by a voice command, the arrival of a certain time of day, being in a specific location, smart home triggers (such as a motion sensor), alarm signals, and even the sound of breaking glass. An Alexa routine can also be triggered by online store purchases or train delays. 

To use some advanced external triggers, you need to install Voice Monkey, a free app connected to IFTTT, Zapier, RESTful API, and some other smart home platforms. Setup takes some time, but Alexa will then warn you about a delayed train or plane. 

Android Tasker Integration

Android Tasker is a scripting and programming environment that lets you configure your Android device. You need three apps: Tasker, AutoVoice (which lets you create custom voice commands for Google Home and Alexa), and Alexa. Tasker can be used to program almost anything. Want the lights in the house to become cooler when you flip your phone from the front camera to the main camera? Easy. 

Deleting Everything Recorded by Alexa

Alexa does not record active conversations within the range of its "ear." However, it does record requests after it hears the wake word. Sometimes it records your words after mistakenly thinking it heard the wake word. If you want the voice assistant to delete everything it has heard (both locally and in the Amazon cloud), just say: "Alexa, delete everything I said." 

Sending Money to Kids

Sometimes it feels like parents are literally living wallets for their kids. If they are far away and you want to send a few dollars via PayPal, link this skill to Alexa and your PayPal account. For now, this only works in the US and is based on your contacts. You can simply say: "Alexa, send Misha $10." And it will do it. 

Ordering Pizza

Nothing is more pleasant than saying: "Alexa, open Dominos and place an order." You need to link this voice assistant skill to the pizzeria's website and set up an order profile. Your last order or any simple order will be prepared so Alexa doesn't get anything mixed up. You can settle back and wait for the pizza to arrive right at your door. 

Announcements

This is a communication feature that customers can use for one-way announcements on other Alexa-enabled devices, including Echo, Echo Show, and Fire TV. You can say: "Alexa, announce that dinner is ready" or "Alexa, announce that it's time for bed." The voice assistant will broadcast the announcements on all your other devices. 

Couples find this to be a great way to "shout" to each other when you are at opposite ends of the house. 

Reminders

Alexa can notify you in advance when something is happening. For example, you can set it to remind you when your favorite show is airing on TV. You can set recurring reminders or location-based reminders. You can also assign reminders to other family members. 

Drop In

This feature can be used to instantly connect to other Alexa devices in the home, for example, for two-way intercom or to instantly connect all Echo devices to a group conversation. Drop In is used to connect with primary contacts who have granted permission for it. 

Hands-Free Calling

With Alexa, you can easily make voice or video calls without using your hands. Say "Alexa, call (contact name)," and the voice assistant will call the contact. 

Emergency Contact

After registering for Alexa Communication and adding your contacts, you can choose any contact with a US-supported phone number as an emergency contact in the Alexa app. In an emergency, when you or anyone else in your home says "Alexa, help me," the assistant will try to call or message this contact. 

Shopping Help

Ask Alexa to help you keep track of future purchases by adding items with its help. Simply say: "Alexa, add spaghetti and meatballs to my shopping list." You can always check the list in the Alexa app, even while on the go. You can share it with those who want to help you with your shopping trip. Alexa can even help you find substitutes for a product. 

Multi-Room Audio

Speaker groups let you play music, podcasts, and news simultaneously on multiple Echo devices, providing sound throughout several rooms. In the Alexa app, you can create custom speaker groups such as "Upstairs," "Bedrooms," or "Downstairs." You can also simply say: "Alexa, play music everywhere." Then music will play on all supported devices in the home.