(This applies to Device triggers, Arrive or leave triggers, and the Echo Button. Create a phrase and choose what Alexa will do when it is said. Hopefully it won’t be long before Amazon takes the training wheels off and lets users do even more.Jared Newman covers personal technology from his remote Cincinnati outpost.
To begin creating Routines, open the Alexa app for Android or iOS, tap the menu button in the top-left corner, and select Routines. With lighting control, Alexa Routines are incapable of dimming multiple lights as part of a Group.
Certain smart home hubs, such as Samsung’s SmartThings, Despite these limitations, Alexa Routines continue to get more useful on a regular basis, with music timers, wait times, and location-based Routines among the most recently added features.
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Switching this off will disable the routine, so you can temporarily stop it from running without deleting the whole thing.One of the best ways to start using Alexa Routines is with wake-up and bedtime actions.For bedtime, try creating a “Goodnight” routine that plays relaxing sounds for a certain amount of time. Try having them turn off any music and lighting when you leave, or start playing some relaxing music when you get home.Although Alexa’s Routines are easy to set up and use, they do have some notable limitations, especially compared to Most notably, there’s no way to have Alexa carry out custom voice commands. Just set the Echo Button as the trigger, and then create three actions: Stop playback, wait 10 minutes (or however long you prefer to snooze), and then start playing music again. Users of multiple voice assistants can even make an Echo Button Alexa’s location triggers can enable some powerful automations as well. Digital Services and Device Support › Alexa Features Help › Alexa Routines Use Alexa Routines to automate tasks or tie multiple actions to a single voice command. A routine is something that you can set up so that when you trigger Alexa, either with a single verbal utterance or set it up to happen automatically at certain times on certain days of the week, Alexa can go through a number of different functions all sequentially without pausing between them. A custom Alexa command is a great way to control your smart lights with your voice.This guide will show you how to create an Alexa routine with a custom voice command in the Alexa … Read our Create your own custom voice command with Alexa! Alexa won’t make you any less sleepy or drag you out of bed, but it can make your morning routine much more efficient. )After you’ve set up a trigger, you can start selecting actions to go with it by hitting the “Add action” button, which brings up several options:Once you’ve set up an action, you’ll head to an Edit Routine menu, where you can further customize the Routine. Try using one to give yourself a random affirmation, start playing some funky music, turn on all the house lights, or broadcast a “Dinner’s ready!” message to every speaker around the house. All rights reserved.Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. You can even choose your directive. Instead of just letting you do one thing at a time, Routines can tie multiple actions to a single voice command. You can also prevent yourself from hitting snooze a second time by selecting “Change” next to “Anytime” in the Edit Routines menu, and then setting “Suppress For” to an hour or so.Echo Buttons can also be used to create all kinds of fun Routines.
If you have any For weekday mornings, try creating a scheduled routine that turns on your smart light bulbs, announces the forecast, your agenda, and your commute, and then begins playing music. I use Home Assistant, but even if you are just using stock Amazon Echo products, you can start to accomplish a lot of automation with their User Interface. For example, if you say the phrase, “Alexa, good night,” the virtual assistant might turn off all the lights, lock the doors, and shut off the downstairs heating system, depending on your preferences.With Routines, Echo device users no longer have to give multiple commands to Alexa, such as “Alexa, turn off the living room lamp,” “Alexa, turn down the thermostat,” and “Alexa, set an alarm for 7 a.m.” Instead, you can group the devices — located in different rooms, if you wish — on the app, which directs Alexa to take care of them all at once.