If you’re finding yourself becoming frustrated with Alexa’s responses, it’s time to take action. Here are some tips to make Alexa’s communication skills even better.
1. Speed Up or Slow Down Alexa’s Talking Speed
But the feature can be useful for anyone who wishes Alexa would talk faster or slower. To activate this feature, just say, “Alexa, speak faster,” or “Alexa, speak slower.” Keep adjusting until you’re happy with its talking speed. To return to default speed, say, “Alexa, speak at your default speed.”
2. Keep Alexa’s Responses Brief
Sometimes, Alexa can go over the top with its responses where a simple confirmation would suffice. Luckily, Alexa has a Brief Mode feature that cuts down on verbal feedback, which is ideal for more experienced users.
It’s easy to turn on Brief Mode with your voice. Just say, “Alexa, turn on Brief Mode”.
To turn on Brief Mode in the Alexa app (available for iOS and Android), follow these steps:
Navigate to the More tab in the bottom right of the Alexa app. Tap Settings. Select Voice Responses. Tap the toggle next to Brief Mode.
Now, Alexa will give concise responses or even a little beep instead of a drawn-out answer.
3. Turn On Follow-Up Mode
If you’re somewhat of a power user, it can be frustrating to keep using your Alexa wake word before every command. Instead, Alexa has a feature called Follow-up Mode, which enables your Echo device to keep listening for five seconds after your initial request. Perfect if you want to start a timer and dim the lights in quick succession, for example.
To turn on Follow-up Mode using your voice, say “Alexa, turn on Follow-up Mode”.
Here’s how to activate Follow-up Mode in the Alexa app:
Open the Alexa app and tap Devices along the bottom row. Select the device you want to activate Follow-up mode on. Press the Settings cog in the top-right. Scroll down and tap Follow-up Mode. Hit the toggle to turn it on.
Alexa will now stay actively listening for five seconds after your first request. For more information, take a look at our primer on how to enable Follow-Up Mode.
4. Play a Sound When Alexa is Listening
In addition to the visual indicators that Alexa is listening, it’s also possible to hear an audio confirmation after you say your wake word. This feature is handy for those who can’t see their Echo light up when they say the wake word or often have their back turned when using Alexa.
You activate Request Sounds with your voice. Just say, “Alexa, turn on Start of Request Sound”.
To turn on Request Sounds in the app:
Open the Alexa app and tap Devices along the bottom row. Select the device you want to activate Request Sounds on. Press the Settings cog in the top-right. Tap Sounds under General. Select Start of Request.
Now, Alexa will play a noise when it starts listening. You can also select End of Request if you want an audio confirmation when Alexa has finished listening, or say, “Alexa, turn on End of Request Sound”.
5. Whisper to Alexa
If it’s late at night, or you don’t want to wake a sleeping child, it’s no good if Alexa blares its response at you. Whisper Mode solves this problem. Essentially, if you whisper to Alexa, it’ll whisper back.
To turn on Whisper Mode using your voice, just say, “Alexa, turn on Whisper Mode”.
To turn on Whisper Mode in the Alexa app:
Navigate to the More tab, found in the bottom right of the app. Tap Settings. Select Voice Responses. Tap the toggle next to Whisper Mode.
To test out this feature, try whispering to your Echo device.
6. Stop Alexa Suggesting Things to Try
If you’ve never had to shout, “Alexa, stop,” after hearing “by the way…”, count yourself lucky. Some may find its suggestions helpful, but for the vast majority, they’re just irritating. By turning on Brief Mode, you counteract many of these prompts. But, to turn them off entirely, you’ll need to go into your notification settings.
Now, you shouldn’t receive any more annoying suggestions.
7. Move Your Echo
Sometimes, not everything can be solved digitally. If Alexa isn’t hearing your requests correctly, it could be an issue with the location of your Echo device. For example, if it’s next to a wall, close to other speakers, or in an area with lots of background noise, Alexa can have trouble understanding you. If you’re a naturally quiet person, it can be unpleasant to have to shout to your voice assistant every time you want to make a request.
To fix these issues, try moving your Echo and follow these tips:
The center of the room is the best place to put an Echo. This is because of the Echo’s circular microphone arrangement that’s designed to pick up sound from all angles. If some of these microphones are facing a wall, Alexa may struggle to understand what you’re saying. If it’s impractical to keep it in the center of the room, keeping your Echo near where you use it most frequently is the next best alternative. If you do need to place it near a wall, try and keep a minimum of eight inches of space free around your Echo. Keep it away from other speakers. Having an Echo right next to a speaker playing music is like your friend trying to talk to you from meters away at a loud concert: often unsuccessful. Keep your Echo away from windows.
Customize Alexa’s Communication to Your Taste
But with these handy tips, it becomes a much more efficient and overall pleasant experience when communicating with the virtual assistant.
