How To Begin With Amazon Alexa And Echo?
Is your Amazon Echo just arrived? If yes, then you might be wanting to check the quick-startup guide for basic setup. Besides this, do you know the things that have to be performed before new echo setup? Well, we are going to let you know.
Alexa is a virtual assistant for Amazon echo devices. For more details about it, you can check ‘What Alexa does’ link.
Now, let’s go through the list of things that are required to get started with Alexa and Amazon Echo:
- Configure the Echo with Alexa app or from the browser
You can download the Alexa app from Google Playstore or from iTunes. If you are facing a problem with the app, then you can use a web-based browser interface.
By making use of the available link, you can configure the new device. If you are adding more than one device to the existing echo, then you will find the same steps to be implemented for that.
We recommend you to use browser interface for initial setup as you may get the problem in connecting the echo to the Bluetooth home hub with the app installed in the smartphone.
- Set default music on Amazon Echo
You can listen to your favorite music through speaker built-in in the echo. These are Bluetooth speakers that can play music even available out of the box in the Amazon’s library. You can purchase the subscriptions for any music app from the Amazon store.
- Fine Tune your Amazon Echo flash briefing
You can ask Alexa, what’s new or play my flash’. Your Echo will start fetching the new updates and recite through speakers built-in. If you want to select the news source of your choice, then you can do so quite easily.
From settings, click on ‘Flash briefing’. Here, you will find a number of sources like BBC world, sky news, the Guardian, the Telegraph and many more in the list.
- Sync Alexa to iCloud, Google and calendar
Your Amazon echo is pretty good in reminding you of today’s tasks that are on high priority and has to be finished on the same day. You can manage the routine activities through Echo. With the help of Alexa connected to Google, iCloud, and Outlook calendars, you can ask anything from Alexa at any particular hour.
For this, open ‘Settings’ and click on ‘Calendar’. You need to authorize the calendar to access the To-do list.
- Download more Alexa skills
Apart from above-mentioned skills, there are a lot of things that can be accomplished with the help of Alexa and you can use the Amazon Echo to the full potential.
Skills are none but plugins that allows you to do the different task with the help of Alexa. It can be like; ordering the meal, listen to music, booking a cab, getting the latest weather report and much.
- Change Echo wake word
Though this is not essential or required for setup, but you can consider this point if someone with the name ‘Alexa’ is already living in your home. To change the wake word, you can go to ‘device settings’. From there, click on ‘wake word’ and select the new one. Keep the mic of Echo close to your face, otherwise, the pitch of the sound or your voice may mismatch next time. You can select any name or wake word for Alexa according to your ease. There’s no as such restriction on it.