Feeling a little lonely? ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. “So, when you say … Fill in the appropriate fields with the reminder itself, the date, … So, say “Alexa, Simon says ‘your statement’” and then it will repeat what you said (as in, whatever you said instead of ‘your statement’). To be doubly sure, go to Communications in your Alexa App and adjust the “Drop In” setting to “My Household” or Off. Alexa smart light colors come in 123 different shades and hues. If you have not set up Verified Parental Consent in your app, try one of the skills and head over to your Alexa app to finish the process there. To change the wake word, just say "Alexa, change the wake word" and make your selection. It's not Alexa. In my testing of all these wake words, the one that was triggered the least amount of times for me was "Computer," with "Amazon" as a close second. Here's what you can do if your Echo's blue light ring comes on more often than you'd like. If you're tired of seeing your smart speaker light up when you're not talking to it, it's time to give it a new name. Alexa, my name is Inigo Montoya. Ready for more advice for your smart speaker? For this skill, you need a little help from the travel site, KAYAK. Creepy Command No. When does Alexa record? Next, tap on “Sounds & Notifications”. To confirm if this is the problem, go to your Alexa app and, under the Conversations tab, tap the contact button. They are not sent to a server and, therefore, not stored. When transmitted to servers, these queries are encrypted. Select your name and toggle on the switch next to ‘Can Drop In Anytime.’ When you are done, click OK. Here's what we learned about Alexa, six Amazon Echo settings you won't regret changing, customize Alexa for a better Amazon Echo experience. Alexa records snippets of everything you say to her, so you'll have loads of audio files in your app. This is the most radical way (and one I love) to disable your … But in order to detect its name, the Echo has to be listening in at all times on some level. Sucker speech … Now, choose When this happens. I know my picks: Knight Rider, Wall-E or maybe even Minion. Step 7: Say "Alexa, learn my voice" within 1-5 feet of your speaker device. Amazon’s list of frequently asked questions says that Alexa only begins recording your conversation upon hearing the device’s wake word. Under the section “Request Sounds”, tap on the toggle switch under “Start of Request”. " Amazon said. "The background conversation was interpreted as a name in the customer's contact list. Changing Alexa’s name / wake word. â work the same way: The device activates once it detects the "wake word." The issue likely isn't that your Echo is always listening, it's that similar-sounding wake words keep triggering your Echo speaker, like "Lexus." in the cloud today. I have an Ecobee thermostat, and changing my wake word to Echo created all sorts of chaos. Alexa, do you know Siri? “Alexa, can you fart?” Yes, yes she can. Does your Amazon Echo's blue ring light up when you're talking on the phone or TV and didn't say "Alexa"? In the app menu, select Devices. Words that can trigger your Amazon Echo ($51 at Amazon) when you have "Alexa" set as the wake word include Lexus, Alexis, Elixir and Lexa. For the Amazon Echo, the wake word is the assistant's name, Alexa. I'm looking forward to the day when Amazon will let us come up with our own unique wake words. The Echo likely heard something that sounded similar to "Alexa." Go to the Alexa app. Words like "Amazonian" and "parmesan" can also activate your speaker when the wake word is Amazon. Add a Routine by pressing the + button. When Alexa runs your home, Amazon tracks you in more ways than you might want. Create Reminders in Alexa App. After you set up your profile, Alexa can call you by your name and deliver personalized results based on your voice. Create routines. Using "Echo" as the wake word proved to be about the same as using "Alexa," so both are out for me. Although Alexa is automatically set as the wake word when you unbox your device, you have other options to name your smart speaker. But what about the things said prior to the wake words? In the meantime, though, you now know you can chalk up most of Alexa's creepy behavior to misinterpreted sound waves. Your responses are fast, but mine are faster. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. Click on the menu in the top left, then click on Routines. Alexa, do you know the muffin man? Yes, as Chen has suggested you can create a custom skill that will say most anything you can program it to say. Discuss: We tested all 4 Amazon Echo wake words. Alexa, testing 1, 2, 3. Enter in the answer you want Alexa to give. Select your Echo at the top of the screen (or if you have multiple Echos, select one that you want to enable the feature on). 2. Here are six Amazon Echo settings you won't regret changing, four Alexa skills you should enable first and how to customize Alexa for a better Amazon Echo experience. When Amazon released its voice-controlled personal assistant in November 2014, an important question was raised about the hands-free speaker: if the Amazon Echo is voice-controlled, then is it always listening? Plan your vacation. If the kids go to bed at 8pm, write that in the next box. Asking Alexa Out. According to Wired: From a legal standpoint, voice tracking isn't necessarily out of line. If you're an Amazon shopaholic that always says "let me see if I can find it on Amazon," you shouldn't name your device that. Hours of fun. Words like Lexus and Elixir can trigger your Echo device. If the best mom in the world is you, put your name … If Alexa's AI ever does achieve self-awareness, we probably all are doomed. But in order to detect its name, the Echo has to be listening in at all times on some level. Users who want privacy from their Amazon Echo can use the mute button (the "Microphone off button") which will turn off the device's microphones. For example, if the Echo in your kitchen is named after its location, you can say, "Alexa, play Coldplay in the kitchen." After you … Why is it listening for a command when nobody uttered the wake word? “They are always listening,” will reply Alexa to … My list of recordings is also full of commercials playing in the background because someone on TV said the magic word. It will also start calling you by name. "These devices are microphones already installed in people's homes, transmitting data to third parties," Joel Reidenberg, director of the Center on Law and Information Policy at Fordham Law School in New York City, told USA Today. In those recordings, I didn't use the wake word. At which point, Alexa said out loud, 'To whom?' Of course, you'll want to select the one that you'll say least often in conversation. After you've tested them, check the Alexa app privacy settings to see which word triggered your speaker the most without you deliberately activating it -- that will be the wake word you'll want to use. A: My name is Alexa, and I have to say, I’m the baddest A.I. Other words that can trigger your device when using this wake word are "gecko," "metro," "expecto patronum" (yes, from Harry Potter) and the phrase "fact of," and in "the fact of the matter.". 2:26. Name your Echo devices accurately. 4. 1.0 out of 5 stars Does not pronounce my name correctly Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2020 i tell Alexa to pronounce my name phenetically and she still gets it wrong. Here are some noise commands to try: 1. Teach Alexa to know your voice. Sick of saying Alexa’s name? We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. Also, words like "consumer" and "commuter" will trigger your smart speaker if you do. Is Alexa … Alexa will talk with you, but it won’t be a replacement … To interact with the skill again, the user would need to invoke the skill by saying “Alexa” and the invocation name. 3. Step 8: Follow Alexa's directions to complete the training. Could be a fun one for your kids to ask. You first … It's easier to keep track of your Echo speakers if they're named logically. When I go into the Alexa app to listen to my voice recordings, there are always multiple entries of me having conversations with coworkers (pre-self-quarantine days, of course). Routines are a … "All voice queries are encrypted as they are transmitted to the servers, hopefully making them hackproof," NBC's Tom Costello reports for Today. At times, Alexa Drops In on the wrong device when you forget to give yourself permissions to access specific devices. Want a different wake word to trigger the voice assistant on your Echo devices? 1: “Alexa, Ask the Listeners” This one was a shocker for many Alexa users. As for data collected, recordings can be deleted one entry at a time on the app or on a larger scale by visiting amazon.com/myx. 2. Well, customisation options are very limited, but you can change the wake word from “Alexa” to “Echo”, “Amazon” or “Computer”. But Amazon helpfully flags the recordings that it thinks weren't meant for Alexa… "Echo and Alexa were designed with privacy and security as part of the design, not an afterthought," Amazon told NBC. If you don't know which wake word you'll accidentally trigger the least, try each of them for a few days at a time. This will emit a short audio tone after you say “Alexa”. Alexa, how old are you? Alexa either repeats "what is your name" over and over or she says "I don't recognize your voice but you are using (name) device. "So reasonable privacy doesn't exist. Now playing: Watch this: How to create Alexa routines. It takes some getting used to, but after a … “Alexa, can you burp?” Alexa will give you a funny response. Wired reports that Alexa and similar devices send audio clips of what is said just before and after the wake word to a server, where a response is formulated. First Alexa will list people from the account, and start reading names on the account until it comes to you. https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/how-to-change-alexas-name Most people don't realize that Alexa records everything you say to it. For example, if you constantly talk about how your computer is running slow, you probably don't want "Computer." For example, you can change the device's name to Computer, Amazon or Echo. If bodily noises give you the giggles, or you just want to mess with your cat, Alexa has what you’re looking for. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. Under the Fourth Amendment, if you have installed a device that's listening and is transmitting to a third party, then you've waived your privacy rights under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.". Not recommende… Use long-form audio when you expect the user interaction to consist of audio-control requests. Any time I said "Ecobee," my smart speaker activated. Essentially, all voice-controlled assistants â Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana, Google's AI assistant, etc. A little frustrating because you would think saying my name would be simple. If you say this to Amazon Echo voice assistant, she’ll assure you that ‘they’ are always watching (over) and listening in to you. By default, saying "Alexa" near an Alexa speaker will activate the voice assistant and it will begin listening for your requests or commands. We've tested the options against each other to determine which one accidentally activates the Echo least. It might be time to assign Alexa a new name. “Alexa, bark.” She’ll bark, but if you tell her to bark a few more times things get out of hand and she starts rapping using dog noises. 1. For the Amazon Echo, the wake word is the assistant's name, Alexa. Although Alexa is automatically set as the wake word when you unbox your device, you have other options to name your smart speaker. For example, in one recording, a coworker said "the last time…," which the Echo might have figured sounded like "Alexa.". The Power LED light will be red when the microphones have been switched off. From Alexa laughing & making scary comments to Siri siding with robots, these scary things Alexa & Siri say are cause for concern. Then, choose Voice, and fill in the blank after Alexa to have your device trigger when you say “intruder alert,” or whatever you’d prefer to say, and then hit Save. Alexa, I am your father. To start training Alexa to know your voice, ask it simply to "Learn my voice" in an Echo device. © 2021 CNET, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. Your skill can also add new audio files to the queue for continuous playback, such as with a playlist.