10 SURPRISING things you didn’t know you could do with your Amazon Echo Device

Created a list of 10 surprising things you can do with your Amazon Alexa devices.
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[@samb5065]

4:12 "Alexa, guard." Alexa: _"Defence turrets activated"_

[@jkwerko6887]

Realm of The Arcane why doesnt this have more likes

[@mrxxbrian]

Here's a classic: "Alexa, Intruder Alert" Say: "Welcome to the rice field mother fucker." Play: "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N Roses Turn of all Lights Release Claymore Roomba

[@deepthoughtswithjessica]

I’m excited for when the home drone comes out, bet it will work with guard.

[@johnmauldin]

I must say your delivery is terrific! And the method of explaining everything was SUPERB! Kudos to you, Steve!

[@bala8oo]

Like your style, all the info with none of the theatrics or childish banter. 👍🏼

[@jokers55151]

I am a senior and told myself I am going to learn my Alexa devices and the functions-this was super thank you!! I actually hooked up my echo to watch the sump pump in case we're not home.

[@mikedegrazia]

Thats awesome, so good having this technology after watching the jetsons as a kid! Cheers

[@AM-yc5tf]

Thanks for not saying Alexa out loud every time and me having to yell “Alexa STOP” over and over :)

[@hariharasudhan4820]

That whisper mode got you my like 😂👌

[@PrettyReliableTransportation]

It was hilarious!!!

[@dr.skulhamr3220]

On my 75th birthday, my daughter hooked me up with an Echo Show 8 and I've been falling down the rabbit hole ever since. I love computers and tech stuff, but I'd never ventured into Alexa land because I didn't see how she could be much help to me. I was wrong. Now I have Echo Show's in the bedroom and kitchen, with an Amazon Portal in the bathroom. I can listen to audio books as I move from room to room and I can see my Ring camera any time I need. This is great stuff and you, my friend, are a godsend for those of us who crave more tips and how-to's to keep our Alexa's singing.

[@rotel7083]

One skill I've found very handy is routines. You can create a routine for something like I'm home or goodnight and have it do things you've set it to do, like turn on/off certain lights, play music, etc.

[@MoneyMichelle777]

The whisper mode had me laughing so hard 😂

[@poojaramachandran00]

Really good content. Also I like the way you muted Alexa word so it doesn’t disturb our alexas when we are watching the video! Nice one..

[@SteveDOES]

Thank you!

[@j.louisrodriguez2025]

No joke.. jajajajajajaja

[@kickartist1]

Agree that this video is really well done. Thank you, Steve.

[@Abal223]

My alexas name is echo tho

[@SteveDOES]

That’s because It’s the beat wake word. ;)

[@neochaos03]

I've watched about 6 of these types of videos and this the only one where I actually learned multiple new things, most of the others just went over very basic functions. Thank you.

[@lyndanorth7948]

Thanks for this helpful video with lots of clear info without loads of excess chat! The little screen shots top left are very useful. I only got my Echo devices a few weeks ago so still need to find out what they can do for me. Looking forward to you making another Echo video. Thank you. 👍👍

[@oleandrummer]

Pro tip: if you hate having to say “living room lights on” or “bedroom lights on” and just want to say “lights on” based on the echo device the room it’s in then do the following in the Alexa app: 1) create a group for the room you are in for example living room 2) add the lights for the living room into that group 3) add the Alexa enabled device (echo device) to that group It’s that simple now when you are in that room and say lights on or off it will know you want the living room lights.

[@BlitzStudiosIsinsideyourhome]

adam smith thanks 😊

[@davidcarr7334]

Nice tip

[@BlitzStudiosIsinsideyourhome]

david carr That’s what she said

[@lisasoutherland8099]

😎

[@samhoskins8706]

When I did this all on my house lights came on, not just the living room. What could be wrong?

[@albertoflores6161]

If I wake up at night and Alexa is whispering to me, I am going to die.

[@SteveDOES]

Ok, now I’m freaked out about that too!!

[@tyslims2805]

Ahahahah

[@no.6687]

My Alexa would sometimes she would turn on randomly at night

[@ZeusWayy]

Creeepy

[@jeriesm]

Lemons, LEMONS, GIVE ME L E M O N S i thought I wasn't the only one

[@PennyChuah]

Thx for the tips! The guard function is so useful

[@SteveDOES]

You're welcome. :)

[@kck9742]

I'd prefer the guard function to be Alexa having spikes launched at the intruder's entry point.

[@jogordon1530]

Penny Chuah I totally agree about the tips for the guard function. I take care of an 89 year old mother who falls all the time. This is perfect when I leave the house with her alone. Is there a way to connect Echo to a video camera in the house to view on my phone?

[@fai5734]

The info about guard is awesome!! Thanks

[@kathleenmcdonnell977]

Hubby is hard of hearing bass sounds and happy to know I can add some treble or lower the bass so he can hear it. Thank you !!

[@peterkwolek2265]

Thanks for consideration in regard to not waking up our dots/echos. Personally I try to deafen my stuff before watching tech videos/podcasts, that said I have half a dozen now so I keep a few always deaf. Also I really liked whisper mode, discovered by accident recently. Good to know how to initially enable.

[@tpl608]

Change your wake word to other than Alexa. I use echo and it is never an issue. Ziggy is probably the one you will never hear

[@smoody2]

Anyone else think of home alone when he mentioned about the lights turning off/on when you're out? 😂

[@stoneblue1795]

Great tips. By the way, I like the flooring you used on that accent wall in the back of your office-workspace. Neat idea.

[@heatherdills8753]

Very helpful info for tweaking our new echo devices! Thanks Steve!

[@anwarm6551]

I really wanted to change the wake word to ”Jarvis”

[@krakenstale2924]

Or ATHENA

[@blackmask494]

😂 that's the same thing I wanted to do or Friday

[@soge5143]

Yeah....I was just thinking the same thing :(

[@beaujarvis9510]

Are you guys talking about me?

[@1985briank]

LOL I changed my account name to Tony Stark

[@iignacio89]

Thanks for letting us know about these tips. Very useful!

[@downunder74]

I already had “Computer” as my wake word. You activated my device so many times! 🤣

[@PrettyReliableTransportation]

Lol

[@williampennjr.4448]

computer is probably the most common word after Hello and Goodbye. It's a strange word to have as a wake word.

[@el-gn7vp]

I absolutely loved that your explanations are so user friendly. Many thanks!

[@ryanneubacher9559]

Wait...this was actually so helpful!! I just added so many new things to my alexa settings! Thank you!!

[@RedheadedMusic]

Best use ever for our Amazon Alexa dot thingy…. Putting it a trap and shooting it outta the sky instead of a clay disc! Brilliant!

[@kck9742]

I just ordered an Echo Dot (I want smart lighting in my home and many smart bulbs just aren't compatible with Homekit), so I was pleased to see this. It would be nice to have the wake word be whatever you choose though.. to me, "computer" is such a common word that you'd inadvertently be waking it all the time...

[@lealynnangel3717]

Great Job Steve Thanks for explaining in ways that us Older ppl can understand . & All those Different functions we didn't know we could do. Keep up the great Work & taking your time to do these Videos . It Really makes a Big difference to us Un - Technology user's Lol but willing to Learn your so helpful 😎

[@LawrenceMovies]

I've owned kindles since they've existed (on my 6th one). Unfortunately, none come with a manual. I used 4 of your lesson on my kindle i never knew i had. Thank you so much!

[@oliversmith7354]

Mediatek has done an awesome job with its VADs and the Amazon echo devices are a really amazing example

[@richardzicarelli3193]

Excellent!!!! Learned a lot.... Thank you

[@NeoFlowFPV]

Thanks I actually learnt a few good tips

[@peacekeeper882]

Guard mode 😲 Holy Hell how did I not know about that 🤯

[@jamesthomas4787]

The whisper option is next level !

[@beachboyde]

Steve, thank you for the class on Echo... I had no idea about the Music for everywhere... now whole house set up... thanks again... Jon

[@krisronchetti49]

I just got the echo dot... and this was some great ideas!!!! Thank you

[@kck9742]

I just ordered one, arriving tomorrow. Do you like it?

[@Gajh2014]

brief mode was big for me.. I was annoyed.. now it's nice. thank you.

[@jeanninethames2523]

You need too talk about “follow up mode”. Good tips..thanks! Learned a few new ones.

[@stevens5687]

Is it just me or the whisper mode sounds a bit too creepy and realistic

[@hero_zodiko560]

Sounds like asmr

[@jeganka]

I love it

[@RaymondYocum-uw5hd]

Yea, it's just you

[@marcusgardner2425]

Good tips and walkthrough to assist in locating these setting changes. I have notice whisper mode works great but only if you have not used dialogue already set as 'routine'

[@mejae8829]

Thank you for this video. My echo is coming today. Im excited🙂🙂

[@jz2188]

Thanks for this useful content, as new users really helpful, we don't have Guard mode in UK yet, will arrive soon hopefully

[@BelieveInTheLordJesus777]

Still not Guard for me... :(

[@joeybleu]

Thanks for this! I’m new to the Amazon ecosystem :) I bought myself the latest Echo Show for my Ring cameras

[@jmk1962]

Never knew I could change Alexa's accent. Thanks for that.

[@lcordova4919]

My wake word is echo and when you said that she's like sorry I don't know that one LOL. Also the whisper thing is freaky

[@rich91710]

One limitation to keep in mind... "Whisper" mode and "Followup Mode" do not work if the Echo device is paired to a Bluetooth speaker.

[@outbackeddie]

That's crazy - I didn't know about whisper mode. I have been waking everyone up in the morning with my "turn on this," "turn on that" commands. This feature totally solves that problem. Thanks for the info.

[@mrharlemike28]

That Sam bit at the end had me dying! 😂🤣 Not Sam, but your facial expressions! 😆

[@Waterbottle365]

Nice video. One suggestion for you though- You may want to blur your address. It shows up on the "Device location" section.

[@ashleighbelt9821]

The “guard” is super cool! I never tried it cuz I thought I needed to have a Ring or something like that! I’m kinda a paranoid person so I’m definitely gonna be using this!

[@rebeccahetrick6576]

No you don't need any additional devices. It just basically turns the microphone up so that if it hears a smoke or CO2 alarm or the sound of glass breaking it will notify you.

[@karenc2467]

Lol whisper mode - love it :-)

[@mschewy4970]

Your list of items is cool. I LOVE the whisper mode the best as many times it has given me the info back as if it's shouting ;) So this is perfect....Thanks.

[@michelletrudeau3146]

Didn’t know about the Guard. Great info. Thanks...

[@Mr.shawn918]

Thanks for doing this video it helped me a lot and learned a lot setting up some devices. What smart plug would you recommend.

[@SteveDOES]

Happy to hear this video helped. I really like the Wyze Plugs. I’ll link it in the description below.

[@PrettyReliableTransportation]

Lol that whisper is hilarious!!! I just got the echo 4 Gen sphere and ur channel is so helpful

[@NEOSPORIN7777]

I like the whisper. This was 👍 great, thanks for the tips!

[@lefty5349]

But wait... wouldn't the thief that's just broken into my house just say, Alexa... I'm home?

[@officermeyer5733]

They def could but I would hope your app on your phone would alert you

[@Snake616]

Not if she only responds to your voice

[@christinatorressd]

I have my Ring alarm connected this way. There's no code to arm, but it asks for the voice code when you disarm.

[@angelatgalvez]

@@officermeyer5733 it does

[@buddydoodle417]

Great information especially for someone who just received my first echo dot 4th gen for Xmas. Question...can I have the echo dot play through my Bose speakers or have Alexa play through the whole house using the Bose speakers plus the echo dot? I’m trying to decide if I should keep it because I have 2 Bose speakers that sound so much better than the echo. In other words is it worth keeping for the other features it has? I’m new to this...

[@geriannfoust4490]

This video was awesome. Saving it to my notes!

[@gunnerman1880]

Learned a couple of things so thanks I've been trying to get Sam but not available yet!

[@Faceless_Man]

-Alexa are you recoding me? -No Finds out today that she actually does🤔

[@badlighting]

The reason the echo responds and no, it means that it's not recording you when you are not directly talking to it, meaning unless you say the Wake word it will not record.

[@Faceless_Man]

@@badlighting hahahahah that's what you think...it records everything...even if you dont say the wake word...go check some videos that proves it

[@badlighting]

@@Faceless_Man my echo completely disconnects from my internet until I say the wake word. I have very slow internet and the echo just disconnects.

[@Faceless_Man]

@@badlighting then it should be called trasho than echo

[@goovibesonly1339]

Lmfao true

[@TylerJaneBronson]

3:52: "Alexa, give me ASMR."

[@sranwill1]

What is ASMR?

[@PrettyReliableTransportation]

Therapy

[@rayofsunshine427]

Very Helpful thank you!

[@SteveDOES]

Happy to hear that it helped.

[@happy17761492]

Like how you explain everything and show how. I can't wait until they start adding more languages. PS. Like your radio voice.

[@Randy-ry9ss]

My wake word is Computer............My house feels like the Enterprise.

[@sassytbc7923]

Randy nothing wrong with that. Lol

[@heatherdills8753]

LOL

[@gerardo.galvan]

I don’t see option to set it to anything other than Alexa, Echo or amazon :/

[@pindijatt]

@@gerardo.galvan computer is also there. also chk ur booklet in the echo dot box, amazon also describe there

[@outbackeddie]

I wish I could make my wake-up word "Hal" so I could feel like I was on the space ship in the movie "2001 - A space odyssey."

[@myHomeKithome]

Outstanding video! I really like the first tip. I didn't know you could just issue that command directly instead of going to the app or website. Whisper mode is also pretty amazing!.

[@SteveDOES]

Thank you! Yea, that first one was a new discovery for me too.

[@stephaniehillman2455]

I just got an echo for my birthday, i cant believe all of the info the echo can do. i watched your app and learned a few new things to do with my echo. it was very helpful to me. looking forward to more info from you soon on how to do new things.

[@SatyamTyagi_]

Whisper mode is a dope feature to have. Thanks 🤘

[@gailbird100]

Thank you, I just got mine and I have to be the most challenged person ever, I bought it to replace my radio and had no idea all this other stuff even existed

[@Tactical_Shenanigans]

I wish they could make echo with rechargeable speakers.

[@bluewaterdiggers5970]

They have a few. Check out megablast series. Pretty sick and loud as heck

[@peterjackhandy]

Tactical Shenanigans The Harmon Kardon Allure portable has excellent sound.

[@slowdownahead8909]

Thanks Steve. I just got my first Echo Dot and this helped.

[@Bernietube]

Very good video, nice structure, clear and up to the point(s), subscribed *thumbsup*

[@ianjeffery3762]

Thanks. I discovered Alexa whisper and it makes me chuckle!!!!! have any tips on stopping her playing random creepy Christmas music late at night without asking?

[@SteveDOES]

Ahhhh... does she really? I'll have to look but, i think you can check the app and see what's triggering it.

[@ianjeffery3762]

@@SteveDOES hi, I checked the logs and at the time there was no trigger detected. She just started playing music on all our echos! Creepy!!!

[@pflans2306]

Lol

[@sebmead9363]

My dad had this happen to him also

[@thirsty-_-hoes6042]

Wait so every time I told Alexa to call me daddy or told it a dirty joke that was saved 😂😂

[@tdmj2812]

THIRSTY-_-HOES Exactly! “Device disabled”!!! 😂😂😂😂

[@stephancunningham3072]

I told Siri to call me daddy stephan 😂😂

[@erinobrienbrown9896]

Haha

[@andrewjohnson1486]

I have tried many of these thing sand would try the rest today. I like how these mediatek powered Echo devices are doing so well.

[@xyuppi]

This was very informative. I just added the Guard Mode to my Alexa. It will come handy when I’m on vacation.

[@SteveDOES]

Glad to hear that it helped.

[@MarkMphonoman]

Nice video. Quick question. We have several chiming clocks in the house. If they bong, will that cause Alexa Guard to activate? Thanks, Mark p.s. i don’t understand why there is only 1 other celebrity voice. There should be many more options. It is a fun feature.

[@Jeremiahlation]

This is great!

[@SteveDOES]

Thanks!

[@lucienr]

It was useful. Thank you ! :)

[@papajoe5465]

Love this video explanation .Thanks Steve.

[@SteveDOES]

Glad you liked it!

[@MissOceanBlue]

So I watch KZbin on my FireStick and I ran past your Vlogs... I figured well if Echo is manufactured by the same company as firestick inbet some of these features work on firestick as well... Tried the whisper mode and it works on Firestick Too!! COOL BEANS 😁😁😁

[@nosirrahm]

I would come home and yell at my daughter because my office lights were on. I had no automations that turned on those lights. Plus, it was random. Didn’t realize that I had Alexa operating random lights in Guard mode. 😂

[@spinhero]

I really liked the ASMR mode, it was hilarious to me for some reason 😆

[@philliptatum2682]

Excellent tips! Just subscribed to your channel. Thank you, Phil Kentucky

[@yungjagg4160]

Equalizer never stays set, Have to set it each time I load the app....

[@ultraspray623]

Dont think this option works in the Uk with regards to amazon guard , shame i cant not find guard in the app on my phone . Any help please Steve ?

[@SteveDOES]

Someone else said the same. Typically the UK isn't far behind. But this having to do with security i don't know if there are different restrictions that Amazon has to overcome to bring it to the UK.

[@sandraellis5561]

Really learned a lot, didn’t know about six of them! You have an excellent and clear way of presenting and I like your graphics also. Why do we have to be interrupted by two ads, though?

[@jamesbarker8647]

This is a brilliant list thank you @steveDOES

[@itzkailaspeedbuilds4700]

Me: ‘Alexa, tell me a joke” Alexa: “why did the chic-“ My grandma: “ who’s that chap in the walls?” Also me:*face palms hand*

[@k-Did]

You can just say everywhere and it will play on everything

[@martigreen3055]

Very helpful, thank you

[@johnguillaume5919]

good stuff. Thanks for sharing.

[@IC4N7C]

In addition to Guard, there’s a skill that you can enable called Away Mode. It was written by comedy writers, to sound like someone insufferable is home.

[@Jo-xg6rk]

How do u turn away mode on....

[@IC4N7C]

Jo you can look it up in Skills, or just enable it by voice. Your device’s wake word, and, “enable away mode.”

[@Jo-xg6rk]

@@IC4N7C thankyou👍

[@gypsyc7510]

I had it do away mode so i could here it..lol It’s a mother on the phone with her adult child XD

[@IC4N7C]

Gypsy Xtina they have several different ones.

[@Vgp-rp4iu]

I wish Amazon would make a skill or have an option so when you arm away mode it will activate a loud siren when a sensor is tripped. I mean it's already got a speaker and alot of people have multiple devices so to be able to scare someone off would be nice

[@MrHoboMan]

They actually have that when you set up an amazon cloud cam. It senses motion from the camera then says "Motion detected on "camera name"" and plays a loud siren. Its really cool :)

[@Vgp-rp4iu]

@@MrHoboMan that's cool. They really need to implement that same feature with other cameras as well. Surely it wouldn't be that hard to be able to do the same thing with ifttt and another cameras.

[@Wolfie_Rankin]

I set up a routine where if I say "Intruder" an alarm will sound. You can find an alarm sound as a skill in the app. My light also turns bright red when the alarm sounds.

[@FjarilGoddess]

Super helpful, thank you!

[@sajthomas71]

That was cool! There are many things I never knew

[@Sanataniladkaaaa108]

4:14 - *Thankyou for saying ALEXA in a low tone so that our devices don't wake up* REAL GENIUS LOL.

[@garylucas637]

There's one feature I'm curious about. How do you adjust the LED brightness on the Echo Device? I have the second generation Echo Dot.

[@mikedegrazia]

In the app select devices, select your device and hit the gear in the corner. Under general select led display 😊

[@dawnfigueira1041]

Very Helpful. Thank you for sharing👍

[@derekthwaytes2392]

Thanks for a very useful video, showed me commands I was not aware of, and as I am new to this item, will put your information to good use. oned thing I am unsure of is when the echo dot is not in use and I see a complete orange/yelow light flashing all the time once powered up, it works fine and is paired with my network o. I only have the one echo, in the main room.