Alexa, Tell Me A Secret
Nearly a third of all homes in America have at least one device with Amazon Alexa installed. Alexa is known for making daily life more convenient, from setting alarms and reminders to calling contacts and looking up information for you. However, Alexa has a few tricks up her sleeve; here are some of the quirkiest commands she'll respond to.
1. Alexa, Beatbox
Did you know that Alexa has bars? Well, not her capabilities aren't quite at freestyling yet. However, if you ask her to beatbox, she'll give you a beat.
2. Alexa, Roll Dice
Alexa is great for settling disputes and making choices. You can ask her to flip a coin for you or roll a dice. For DnD players, you can even ask her to roll a d20...though I don't know if she'll be able to include your modifier.
3. Alexa, I Am Your Father
Alexa's devs included so many geeky Easter eggs that we could make a whole article about them. For a virtual assistant, Alexa's a pretty good actress. If you tell her you're her father, she responds just like Luke Skywalker, crying "No. That's not true! That's Impossible!"
4. Alexa, Tell Me About You
Alexa knows quite a lot about you (she's listening into your conversations, after all), but how much do you know about her? If you ask to tell you a little bit about herself, she'll happily oblige.
Nicolas J Leclercq on Unsplash
5. Alexa, What Sound Does An [Animal] Make?
This command is great for families, or for anyone who's curious about the world. Alexa can imitate pretty much any animal. Get her to trumpet like an elephant, growl like a lion, or meow to confuse your house cat.
6. Alexa, Track Santa
When it's that time of year, Alexa gets into the holiday spirit just as much as we do. If you don't want to constantly flip back to the NORAD Santa tracker, Alexa can give you an idea of where jolly old St Nick is.
7. Alexa, Tell Me A Joke
While Alexa may not have bars (yet), she definitely has jokes. These jokes range from simple to specific and can even be localized to where you're from, depending on how much she knows about you. She can tell you holiday jokes, fandom jokes, or simple knock-knock jokes.
OurWhisky Foundation on Unsplash
8. Alexa, Send A Hug
This one's sweet. If you're missing someone who also has an Alexa-enabled device, you can ask her to send a virtual hug. It's no replacement for the real thing, but it's a great way to let loved ones know you're thinking about them.
Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
9. Alexa, Open The Magic Door
Another fantastic mode for children! Alexa keeps you on your toes with this fun choose-your-own-adventure style game. Explore an enchanted forest, a haunted lighthouse, and of, course, a fairytale castle.
10. Alexa, Activate Self-Destruct Mode
Don't worry, this command won't make your device shut down forever and/or explode in your home. We don't want to spoil the surprise, but if you tell her Alexa, code zero, code zero, zero, zero, destruct, zero", she'll have a fun quip in response.
Now that we've covered some of Alexa's secret commands, let's take a look at some of the more basic tasks your device can help you with.
1. Alexa, Change The Wake Word
Do you live with a person named Alexa? We bet that can be confusing. Luckily, Alexa comes equipped with alternate names or "wake words" including Amazon, Echo, Computer, and Ziggy.
2. Alexa, Set A Timer
This is self-explanatory; you ask Alexa to set a timer, and she will. However, you can also be specific about your timers. For example, if you're setting a timer for pizza, you can name the timer "pizza" to keep Alexa from getting confused; you can also ask how much time is left on a timer.
3. Alexa, Make A Shopping List
Alexa is like a roommate who's also your personal shopper. If you notice you're running low on something, you can ask her to add it to your shopping list. You can also purchase Amazon items directly through Alexa.
4. Alexa, How Do You Spell [Word]?
Look, spelling can be hard. Don't want to mess up your crossword? Helping kids with homework and don't want to break out the dictionary? Simply ask Alexa.
5. Alexa, What's The Weather Like?
I mean, you could simply look outside if it's that urgent, but, if you're planning ahead you can also ask Alexa what the weather will be like. In addition, you can ask her what the weather is like anywhere in the world, or if there are any severe weather events you should be on the lookout for. And, just like a nagging mother, she'll remind you to wear a jacket if it's chilly.
6. Alexa, Play [Music]
Of course, you can get much more specific than simply asking Alexa to play whatever music she feels like. Not only can you request certain artists or songs, but you can also ask her to use certain music services. If you have multiple Alexa devices, you can also ask her to play music in a specific room.
7. Alexa, I'm Chilly
Too cold? Don't bother getting up to adjust the thermostat yourself, just ask Alexa to raise the temperature by a few degrees. Alexa will remember your temperature preferences and incorporate them into her settings.
8. Alexa, Call [Contact]
A basic but essential Alexa command. She can call other Echo devices, send an SMS, and even call a landline. If you have an Echo Show, you can also have Alexa initiate video calls for you.
9. Alexa, Dim The Lights
You can integrate Alexa into pretty much every part of your home with smart home platforms and add-ons. So, if you have compatible bulbs, you can have her dim the lights for you. You can also have her change the color of the light and the color temperature (i.e. make the light warmer or cooler).
10. Alexa, Snooze
The most important command in Alexa's roster. Snooze doesn't mean she'll shut up—though you can tell her exactly that, even if we don't recommend it—but rather that she'll snooze your alarm. Imperative for staying in your comfy, cozy bed for as long as possible.
