Communications

Alexa Keeps You Connected

Staying in touch with friends and family is easy, thanks to Alexa. Call, message, send a hug and make announcements between Echo devices or via the Alexa app.

Announcements

Get everyone’s attention with announcements. Broadcast a voice message around your home to one or multiple supported devices which are registered to the same account.

“Alexa, announce good morning everyone”
“Alexa, tell everyone dinner’s ready”
“Alexa, announce it’s time to go”

Find My Phone

With this feature, Alexa can help put an end to the days of saying, “Has anyone seen my phone?” As long as you're signed in to the Alexa app, you can have your Echo device call your phone. To try it, just say:

“Alexa, find my phone”

Communicate With Friends & Family

Staying connected with other Echo devices or the Alexa app has never been easier. To set up Calling and Messaging, follow these steps:

1. Download the latest version of the Alexa app and sign in on your mobile phone.
2. Along the bottom of your app, select Communicate.
3. Add and verify your mobile phone number and grant permissions for calling and messaging.
4. You can import your mobile phone's contact list when prompted or add contacts individually in the Communicate page. To do this, select the person-shaped icon in the top right corner of the screen, followed by the three dots in the top right corner.
5. If you have any difficulty linking your phone number, contact Customer Service.

How To Use Alexa Communication

To use Alexa Communication, just say:

“Alexa, call Ben” *
“Alexa, message Mum” *
“Alexa, send Grandma a hug” *
“Alexa, how do I send a hug?”

*Examples only. Contact names must match the names in your linked contact list.

Drop In

Like a modern-day intercom, this feature allows you to drop in on supported Alexa-enabled devices. When you receive a drop in, the light indicator on your Echo pulses green and you connect to your contact automatically. Remember: before you can get started, you and your contacts will need to opt-in to use Drop In. To setup, follow the steps below:

1. In the Alexa app, select the Devices icon located at the bottom right of the screen.
2. Select Echo & Alexa and then select the device you’d like to enable.
3. Select Communication.
4. Select Drop In and then select which permissions to enable.

How To Use Drop In

Drop In is turned off by default for all contacts in your contact list. To allow contacts to drop in, select the Contact in your Alexa app and turn on Allow Drop In. Your contacts will also be required to enable Drop In before using this feature.

To drop In on your devices from the Alexa app, go to the Communicate option in the app and tap Drop In near the top of the screen.

To use Drop In, just say:
“Alexa, drop in on Kitchen Echo”
“Alexa, drop in on Dad”
“Alexa, drop in on Sarah”

Favourite Contacts

When a person is marked as a favourite, they’ll show up at the top of your app contacts list and Alexa will make them your default contact. To setup favourite contacts, follow these steps:

1. In the Alexa app, go to Communicate.
2. In the top right of the screen, go to Contacts.
3. Select Contact and Add to Favourites.

To limit calling and messaging to just your favourite contacts, go back to your Contacts view and follow these steps:

1. Select the vertical three dots on the top right of the home screen.
2. Select Contact Access and Favourite Contacts Only.

Email

Forget trawling through emails on a screen, just have Alexa read them aloud. To get email setup, follow these steps:

1. Open the Alexa app.
2. Tap More in the bottom right corner and select Settings.
3. Select Calendar & E-mail.
4. Tap the + button to add an account and the + button to select your e-mail provider. Alexa works with Google, Microsoft and Apple email accounts.
5. Check e-mail option is turned on and select Next.
6. Log in with your email account details.