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5 Things Every Amazon Echo Owner Needs to Know
With more than 200 million sales made so far since it was released in 2014, Amazon Echo is the ultimate choice of 68.2% of smart speaker users in the US. So, it’s fair to say Alexa and her home, the Amazon Echo, makes up the installed base in one out of every three homes.
But how much do you know about your smart speaker? There are a few things you should know before you start dating your new roommate, Alexa. In this article, we’ll tell you five things to be aware of with your smart speaker.
How child-friendly is your Alexa?
Alexa knows how to get along with the little ones and even your pets when you’re away. Its jokes are always suitable for children’s ears and they’ll never get bored. However, there is no explicit parental control!
For instance, when the little ones make a wish for a gangster rap… Or when they ask for the answer to their math homework, Alexa will grant the wish without hesitation. So, always keep that in mind.
The biggest thing however is, if you are not careful, the children could even accidentally order something on Amazon. And it’ll be all on you!
How to prevent accidental purchases
With the advent of voice assistants came voice commerce, which is a good thing. By default, Alexa can easily order products over the web.
However, to prevent accidental shopping sprees, select “Voice Shopping” in the settings. You can either turn off the option of purchasing via Alexa completely or set a PIN code that restricts the purchases.
Note however that since you have to say it out loud in front of Alexa, it doesn’t stay secret from the children for long. But at least you wouldn’t have to buy by mistake anymore.
Clarity, please!
We know Alexa can handle dialects. But for Alexa to be able to understand you, you should give simple and clear commands. Then when the assistant gets to know her owner better, you can start rambling at some point. But if you express yourself too inexplicitly, the smart computer might be overwhelmed and process the wrong call.
Alexa Stop!
If Alexa doesn’t understand the command you’ve given or accidentally starts, you can silence her immediately. Just make the simple exclamation “Alexa Stop” or “Alexa, shut up”. After that, you can calmly start over.
Beware, Alexa is always listening!
The Echo is always listening to you. But it’s actually just waiting for its code word. However, it’s okay if you want to protect your privacy. To prevent it from listening to you for a certain period, you can do that with the mute button. The device will then light up in red to indicate that it is no longer listening. Only when you press the button again will Alexa listen to your word again.
Your Smart Speaker Shouldn’t Outsmart You!
It’s called a smart speaker for a reason. The first thing to learn after getting a smart device like the Echo is how to be in control. With the few tips introduced in this article, we hope you’ve learned a thing or two about your new assistant.
