The evolution of technology is incredibly thriving with each passing year. From smartphones to artificial intelligence, it’s amazing how big digital corporations can produce thousands of innovations to make life more comfortable. One of the many innovations that has gotten so much positive feedback is artificial intelligence voice commands, like Amazon Alexa.
You’ve probably heard Alexa way too many times, you even might have it at home too. Alexa is a voice assistant that helps you control smart gadgets and devices compatible with it, making your daily routine much simpler and more convenient. Using Alexa is not just to boost your home’s “smart advantages”, because there’s so much more you can do with it aside from the usual commands you know. There are tons of tricks you can do with Alexa to live more comfortable, and they are the following:
Alexa For Basic Tasks
When you’re always busy, you may have a dozen of things you need to set to remind you of what you need to remember. These things could be setting a timer, setting an alarm, setting appointments, setting reminders, etc. Here are some of the commands you can use to set something with Alexa:
“Alexa set a timer for X minutes”
“Alexa set a timer for [subject] for X minutes”
“Alexa set a timer for [name] for X minutes”
“Alexa set a meeting with [name]”
“Alexa set party mode on”
Alexa For Entertainment
Have you ever wondered why Alexa was created first? Its most popular function is providing voice assistance for entertainment-related Alexa-integrated platforms such as music, movie, television series, speakers or soundbars, video games, and the like. If you’re not familiar with the voice commands you can do to control your appliance at home, here they are:
“Alexa play (artist name/playlist/song title)”
“Alexa play song from (online music platform)”
“Alexa play the latest (track/album) of (artist name)”
“Alexa set the volume to (volume number)”
“Alexa create a playlist for (artist name/genre)”
“Alexa play (playlist/artist name/genre) for X minutes”
“Alexa play the movie (movie title)”
“Alexa set speed to (speed level)”
“Alexa pause the movie”
“Alexa play episode X of (series title)”
“Alexa start (video game name)”
“Alexa pause the game”
Change Amazon Echo’s Wake Word
If you have an Amazon echo and you know someone whose name is Alexa who always visits your house, you’ll realize just how annoying it is to have your Amazon Echo respond every time it hears the name. Fortunately, you can change it and use other wake words such as Echo, Amazon, and Computer.
Make Individual Profiles For Each Family Member
Enjoy Alexa’s full functions by creating profiles for each family member. If all of your family members have Amazon accounts, you can add them to the Household profile of Alexa. By adding individual profiles for your family, they’ll be able to use custom commands they made for Alexa every time they use their profile.
To know which profile is currently in use, you can simply ask “Alexa, which profile is this?”, then switch profiles by commanding “Alexa, switch profiles.”
Another technique you can use for Alexa to quickly determine who is commanding her is to create voice profiles. In this way, Alexa can immediately change the profile being used once it recognizes the voice owner of the person commanding.
To add a household member, go to echo.amazon.com by searching it on your browser, then go to settings. Find Household Profile on the settings, then input the login credentials of the person you want to add. After logging in, click Join Household, and you are done!
Solve Simple Math Equations and Conversions
Not most people are blessed with quick-solving skills. Some of us take too long to solve a simple equation. Good thing we have Alexa now.
You can solve conversions and simple math equations with Alexa, which you can use when you need to compute something quickly and when you need to measure ingredients when you’re cooking or making something.
Here are samples of the commands you can do:
“Alexa, 9 x 25”
“Alexa, $699 – $48”
“Alexa, 59mm to cm”
“Alexa 3 cups to tablespoon”
“Alexa 87 inches to feet”
Use Alexa For Non-Smart Devices
Yes, you read it right, you can add nonsmart devices to Alexa’s system. However, there are limitations. Most nonsmart devices are not compatible with Alexa, but you can check the sites IFTTT and Yonomi to know if your devices are supported. Once you’ve checked and some of your devices are supported, you can expand it to Alexa.
Conclusion
Alexa has so many functions that can help you with anything in your home. Maybe you are not used to using smart devices and may find other tricks a bit difficult to set up, but you just have to learn more about it to maximize Alexa’s functions and get your money’s worth. Once you know how to use Alexa like a pro, your life will never be the same.
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