Your Amazon Echo has some new tools.
Ian Knighton / CNET
Amazon has made several new improvements to them Echo speakers and the Alexa app in the past month, from a redesigned app that makes it easier for you to find what you’re looking to start a routine with your voice.
Last month, the big tech company also announced three new Alexa updates designed to help you better interaction with Alexa. Here are the latest features you can use on your Amazon Echo ($ 34 by Amazon) now.
Listen to news stories
From now on, you can get notifications on your Amazon Echo for the latest news from NPR and Fox News. The notifications will play short summaries of top stories of the day and can connect you to the full story if you are interested in hearing more.
To get started, say “Alexa, subscribe to news stories for NPR / Fox News.” The new feature will roll out to more news outlets in the coming months.
Start routines with your voice
You can now enable Featured Routines with a voice command. For example, to start your morning routine, you can say “Alexa, enable my morning routine”, so if you say “Alexa, good morning”, it will start with the routine you created. This is great if you wake up 30 minutes before your scheduled routine and you want to move forward and start the day.
Upload photos to your Echo Show ($ 180 by Amazon) via the Alexa app
Amazon has made it easier to upload your photos to your Echo Show. To do this, open the Alexa app on your phone and tap Apparatus, then select the Echo Show where you want to upload the photos to. Next, tap Wallpaper of home screen and upload photos from your phone or from your linked Facebook account. You must give Amazon permission to access your photos before you can start downloading.
Alexa handsfree for Alexa app
If you are not in conversation with your Echo speaker, then no problem. You can now access Alexa on your speaker through the Alexa app with just your voice. To enable the feature, open the Alexa app on your phone and tap the blue Alexa icon at the top of the screen. A window will open that says Use Alexa handsfree. Tap Put on to start using the new tool.
Go hands-free in the Alexa app.
James Martin / CNET
New homepage for Alexa app
Amazon designed the home screen in the Alexa app that changes the way you navigate within the app. For example, the settings can now be found at the bottom right of the screen, instead of at the top left. The more you use the app, the better it can personalize suggestions on the home page. So if you regularly listen to a specific music playlist, it will appear at the top of your suggestions.
Other new Alexa features
- Personal Wellness Tip: “Alexa, What’s My Wellness Tip of the Day?”
- Alexa Accessibility Website: Provides additional information for Alexa features, such as Alexa Captioning, Real Time Text, Show and Tell, VoiceView Screen Reader, Tap to Alexa, and more.
- Stock market information: “Alexa, what are the top files right now.”
- MLB and NBA come back: “Alexa, play MLB / NBA highlights.” For Echo devices only with screens.
- Camp Prime: How-to videos with ideas for home activities for family.
Ready for more tips? Here they are six Alexa features that you need to disable now, de best rooms in your home to place your Echo speakers en five unexpected uses for your Amazon Echo.
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