The Alexa voice assistant is quite popular given the growing sales volumes of Amazon's Echo, Dot, Spot and Tap line of speakers. Their common annoyances include non-recognition of device pairings, unwanted notifications, and inability to understand the user's voice and context. It's important to make Alexa smarter.
Contents1. Voice recognition2. Enable new skills3. Using the Drop in function of Alexa4. Create routines5. Building a smart home6. "Alexa, can I have privacy please?" »7. Developing Your Own Alexa Conclusion SkillsHere are some ways to adapt the virtual assistant to your lifestyle. Before you begin, download and install the app from Google Play or the App Store. Make sure the Wi-Fi speed is satisfactory.
Out of the box, Echo speakers may struggle to understand your accent. This problem is easily fixed by creating your voice profile in "Recognised Voices" in "Settings". In the next step, you'll prompt Alexa to "learn your voice" by speaking ten sentences while seated in a quiet place. Afterwards, you can confirm if he really understood your voice by asking, "Who am I?" »
You can also enable "Following Mode" in the settings, which allows you to avoid repeating the wake word "Alexa" every time. Currently, this mode is only available for US English.
If you're inside your home, you probably don't want to lug the Echo or Dot speaker everywhere. Alexa's "Drop in" feature is very useful for communicating with fixed speakers directly through your phone app. Tap the "chat" icon on the bottom screen to enable calls and messaging with friends and family. If they have an Echo speaker with reciprocal permissions, you can have a hands-free conversation or a video call via data/Wi-Fi.
Drop in is currently not supported by Tap, Look or Connect.
Tired of repeating the same things over and over again? Sometimes when our minds are blank, we just don't know what to say to Alexa. From the settings, you can create a new "routine" with a command that allows Alexa to perform a series of tasks. It can do a lot of things:play your favorite music, clean the house, give exercise motivational speeches or read bedtime stories.
Advice :do not define too many routines, because you are unlikely to remember more than five or six commands.
Every week we read news of more and more manufacturers enabling Alexa on their hardware. These include refrigerators, microwaves, cleaning systems (such as Neato), bedroom lights, and automatic door companies. If you have purchased one of these smart devices, you can discover and activate their skills on Alexa from the app search. With time and patience, you will feel comfortable and comfortable in your new smart home.
With Alexa's Drop in function, everyone in the room will be able to "join" the conversation. This can be temporarily disabled by selecting "Do Not Disturb" under "Alexa Devices". Also, if you're concerned about your data privacy, it's a good habit to periodically review your voice history from "Alexa Privacy" and delete sensitive recordings. Remember that your voice history makes Alexa smarter, so you don't want to delete everything. Always use discretion.
If you are a developer, you can visit Alexa developer homepage, register your account and build your own skills step by step. Skills can be tested with an Alexa virtual tool.
Virtual assistant systems are slowly evolving to better understand human life. Amazon Alexa and its alternatives are poised to play a major role in ushering in a connected future.
From ordering a pizza to calling a cab, the interactive Alexa handles everyday tasks with reasonable satisfaction. Still, there is plenty of room for improvement.
What shortcomings have you encountered while using Amazon's Alexa products?
