Amazon Alexa is arguably one of the most advanced and helpful AI assistants on the market. I for one call on Alexa daily to control the lights and thermostat in my home. But there’s more to Alexa than just switching off the lights when you’re ready for bed. There are a number of ways you can use the Amazon Alexa app to communicate with your family and friends. Here they are:
Use the Alexa app to call friends and family through Skype.
To enable Skype calling through the Alexa app you’ll need to link your Microsoft account. You can link your account through the Alexa app.
Once you’ve linked Skype to Alexa, you can begin calling making Skype-to-Skype calls, including voice and video calling to Amazon Echo speakers and displays. To get you started, Skype gives you 200 free minutes of calling to 34 countries.
Send a voice or text message to one of your contacts
You can send text messages directly from the Alexa app. Alexa will then read your message out loud to the recipient through their Echo device.
Sending a voice message is just as easy. Simply press the mic icon at the bottom right corner of the messaging screen to begin recording. Your recording can then be played to the recipient through thier Echo device. The Alexa app will also transcribe your message to facilitate communication.
Drop in through the Echo devices in your home
The Drop In feature lets you connect instantly to any Echo devices registered to your account. It works similar to a two-way intercom system. You can use Drop In to have a conversation with someone at home, or listen in on the doggo while you’re away.
Make an annoucement
Alexa Announcements allows you to broadcast a text or voice message to all Echo devices in your home at once. Annoucements are disticnt from all other Alexa communication options as you cannot select a specific contact or Echo device to send your message to.
Use annoucements to annouce throughout the house that dinner is ready or to send a friendly reminder to everyone that it’s time to wake up and get ready to take on the day!
The communication options available in the Alexa app are a convenient way to stay in touch from your smartphone to any Echo device. I’ve found this feature to be very helpful in managing my family’s day-to-day routine. I hope these tips help you get the most out of the Amazon Alexa app.
If you haven’t yet downloaded the Alexa app, you can use one of the links below:
For help with setting up an Echo device, check out another of my recent articles How to set up Amazon Echo: The ultimate guide.
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