Good morning, all.
I'm wondering what everyone uses their Alexa devices for. I've had Alexa devices of one form or another for 6 years or so, I think - mainly Dots but also a Show 8. Apart from when I first got one and had a little mess around, I've realised that all I use them for now is to control my smart lights and plugs, listening to the radio, occasionally asking it what the weather's going to be like and as a timer. I don't have any music accounts (Amazon, Spotify etc), and while I do have Audible, I think I am right in assuming that if you ask it to play Audible it will simply play the last book you listened to.
Back when I was getting new Alexas I looked forward to a new one coming out and would likely get the newest Dot. But my Show 8 I've had for about 5 years and my latest Dot was bought for me a couple of Christmases ago.
Am I missing out? Is the Show 10 or 15 worth spending the money on? Are there Skills out there I could be using which would make my life better or more interesting or entertaining?
Interested to know what you folks use yours for.
I'm wondering what everyone uses their Alexa devices for. I've had Alexa devices of one form or another for 6 years or so, I think - mainly Dots but also a Show 8. Apart from when I first got one and had a little mess around, I've realised that all I use them for now is to control my smart lights and plugs, listening to the radio, occasionally asking it what the weather's going to be like and as a timer. I don't have any music accounts (Amazon, Spotify etc), and while I do have Audible, I think I am right in assuming that if you ask it to play Audible it will simply play the last book you listened to.
Back when I was getting new Alexas I looked forward to a new one coming out and would likely get the newest Dot. But my Show 8 I've had for about 5 years and my latest Dot was bought for me a couple of Christmases ago.
Am I missing out? Is the Show 10 or 15 worth spending the money on? Are there Skills out there I could be using which would make my life better or more interesting or entertaining?
Interested to know what you folks use yours for.
Share with Messenger
18 Comments
sorted byBut we also use ours to control our TV's (e.g. turn on the tv, control the volume, change channels, pause/play, set timers to turn TV off, etc.)
Get an app that plays sound files backwards and have it play this sentence backwards:
Oh! You sniff turkey fat!
Lots of features have been deprecated though:
find my phone has been replaced with call my phone
Send me a sample is closing
Red Alert now automatically closes (I kid you not I have this trigger when my gas sensor picks up methane!)
and a few others which I can't recall now!
Also reminders and alarm clock are the two other main ones.
They are also linked to spotify, which plays over my sonos, where I would bark "next track" at it a lot but this no longer seems to be working as it tells me nothing is playing when it clearly is until i go into the google home app which seems to remind it for a bit, until it forgets again I don't know what that's about.
The Echo in the kitchen is mainly used for music but also gets a lot me asking Alexa to convert daft American measurements if I’m cooking. Give me grams and ml, not pounds and cups aghhh.