Site icon GFALOE Tech

These 200+ Alexa Commands Changed the Way I Use My Echo Devices

Since launching in 2014, Alexa has grown far beyond its original role as a simple voice assistant for music and reminders. With the rollout of Alexa Plus and new AI-powered tools, it’s now a capable hub for managing nearly every part of your daily routine.

From controlling smart devices and automating chores to keeping your calendar organized and managing your Fire TV, Alexa can bring real convenience to a connected home. If you haven’t tried using newer commands in a while, now’s the perfect time to see just how much more useful it’s become.

This CNET survey found that 73% of US adults who use voice assistants still have privacy concerns with AI features, but Alexa was rated the most trusted option among them. If you own an Echo device, learning the right commands is the key to unlocking everything Alexa can do. Here’s a full guide to the best ones to start with.

Don’t miss any of CNET’s unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome.

Newest Amazon Alexa commands

Amazon recently launched Alexa Plus, a major AI-powered upgrade to its voice assistant. This new version brings significantly improved conversational abilities and smart home control. The upgrade costs $19.99 monthly but is free for Amazon Prime subscribers. The upgraded system, first demoed back in 2023, can handle more complex requests, remember personal details and perform multiple actions through natural conversation. With these spring cleaning and organization features, Alexa+ aims to make managing your home more intuitive than ever. Notable new commands include:

Prior to that, Amazon had announced new hardware products while also talking up a few new additions to the already vast Alexa commands library, including:

Summoning Alexa

By default, Amazon’s connected speakers all have the same wake word. To cue up a request, just say, «Alexa.» You can change the wake word to something else if, say, your own name is Alexa, or you’d just prefer an alternative. You can also trigger your smart assistant with Amazon, Echo or Computer. To change it, in the Alexa app go to Settings then Device Settings then select the Echo device you’d like to change the wake word on (you have to change each device’s settings individually).

If you have an Amazon Tap, Dash Wand or the Amazon Fire TV voice remote, you’ll need to press a button to wake Alexa. Amazon updated the Tap with a hands-free mode that you must enable in the settings. The only wake word available to the Amazon Tap is Alexa.

There’s also a feature called Follow-Up Mode that makes it easier and faster to issue multiple commands to Alexa without having to keep repeating the wake word, if you enable it. When you do, Alexa will continue to listen for another command after it’s completed your first request. You can keep issuing more commands until you’re done or you say, «Stop.»

Amazon has also built on this a multiple commands feature by allowing you to string two related commands into one. You can say something like, «Alexa, play folk music at volume six,» or, «Alexa, add bread, milk and eggs to my shopping list.»

Other places you can access Alexa

While the most obvious or natural way to use Alexa may be through an Echo speaker from Amazon, it’s not the only way you can call up Amazon’s digital assistant.

In fact, there are more and more ways to access Alexa being created all the time, and you don’t even need any specialized devices. Here are some of the most prominent ways to use Alexa with the devices you already have:

You can enable the mobile apps to listen for Alexa when they’re open (this will, however, disable your phone from listening for its native digital assistant’s wake word — i.e. «Hey, Siri» or «Hey, Google» won’t work while you have the Alexa app open). Otherwise, you can tap the Alexa icon to call up the assistant.

On an updated Windows computer, you can summon Cortana and say, «Open Alexa.» After the initial connection is made, saying this will cue up Amazon’s assistant through Cortana.

Alexa Echo Auto allows you to connect your phone to Alexa in your car. The Echo Auto is capable of carrying out many of the same commands and features as your home device, but with some restrictions (it won’t unlock your doors, for example).

The complete list of Alexa commands

The list of Alexa commands is expansive and grows with every new service or device it supports. Alexa isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty great at understanding natural language, so you don’t always have to speak the commands exactly as you see them below. Many commands work when worded several different ways or even with words omitted.

When you consider the possible third-party commands through Skills — essentially the apps of Amazon’s Alexa — the list goes on even further. To learn what individual skills are capable of, visit the skill’s page from the Amazon Alexa app or alexa.amazon.com.

Here are all the native Alexa commands.

Basic Alexa commands

Alexa commands for Echo Show

The Echo Show devices and Echo Spot are the only Echo speakers with touchscreen displays. This means you can tell them to show you things.

Alexa commands for Fire TV and Fire TV Stick

You can now use compatible Echo devices (Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Look, Echo Show and Amazon Tap) to control your Fire TV and Fire TV Sticks.

Alexa commands for Fire TV Edition televisions

Amazon also builds its Fire TV operating system into televisions like the Element EL4KAMZ17 series. All of the commands above work on those too, in addition to a few TV-specific commands below.

Alexa commands to control media

Alexa commands to control time and dates

Alexa commands for calls and messaging

You can make calls and leave voicemails to other Echo users, as well as «Drop In» to your own echo devices, either to voice or video chat with whoever’s in the room (or just to monitor the space like a security camera). If you have an Android, you can send text messages with Alexa.

Alexa commands for purchasing

Alexa commands to control notifications

To turn on notifications, open the Alexa app and select to Settings, then Notifications, then Shopping Notifications and toggle it on. Your Echo speakers will light up yellow when you have new notifications.

Alexa commands for to-do and shopping lists

30 Alexa skills nobody really needs

See all photos

Alexa commands for news and weather

Entertainment-related Alexa commands

Alexa commands for food and businesses

Alexa commands for help with math

Alexa commands that can settle a score

Alexa commands for help with definitions and spelling

Sports-related Alexa commands

Alexa commands for Voicecast

Alexa commands for your smart home

Alexa can integrate with loads of smart home platforms, such as SmartThings, Philips Hue, Wink, Insteon, Lutron, Belkin WeMo and many more. Some require you to enable skills, and some don’t.

Here is a selection of the commands you can use for controlling your smart home, although there are dozens more.

Use Alexa commands with Bluetooth

Alexa commands for profiles and user accounts

Use Alexa commands with Skills

Skills are third-party applications for Alexa speakers. They allow you to connect third-party software and hardware to your speaker, as well as play games and add different news sources to your Flash Briefing. Originally, they had to be enabled before you could use them, but Amazon has since made that process automatic (just ask for the Skill and it will enable when it’s used).

Use Alexa commands with Cortana

Microsoft’s Cortana is available as a skill — but rather than just being a skill, it opens the door to a completely separate digital assistant through your Alexa speakers.

Once you’ve added the skill, enabled permissions and connected your Microsoft and Amazon accounts, just say, «Alexa, open Cortana.» When you’re speaking to Cortana you can check your emails, ask for the next event on your calendar or add items to your to-do list.

For now, the Cortana skill is limited because it’s a public preview of what the full integration will be in the future.

Search using Alexa commands

Holiday-related Alexa commands

Easter eggs for your Amazon Echo

Alexa comes chock-full of Easter eggs and jokes — the list is long. We cover the strange world of Alexa Easter eggs here, noting some of the more popular or prominent commands that prompt a snarky or humorous response.

For even more, check out this Reddit thread dedicated to Alexa Easter eggs.

More Alexa-centric recommendations

Exit mobile version