A new Echo smart speaker just arrived at your door. Maybe you bought it during one of Amazon shopping events. Perhaps it was a gift. You’re excited to use it, but now what? Your new device can do a lot of cool things—from streaming music to making your home smart.
Here are five tips for getting started with your new Echo smart speaker with Alexa, connecting Alexa to WiFi and to a phone, setting up voice ID, and activating music provider accounts with Alexa.
A new Echo smart speaker just arrived at your door. Maybe you bought it during one of Amazon shopping events. Perhaps it was a gift. You’re excited to use it, but now what? Your new device can do a lot of cool things—from streaming music to making your home smart.
Here are five tips for getting started with your new Echo smart speaker with Alexa, connecting Alexa to WiFi and to a phone, setting up voice ID, and activating music provider accounts with Alexa.
The first step is to download the Alexa app–available on both the App Store and Google Play Store–on your smartphone. The app allows you to do many things, including setting up your Echo device, managing Alexa settings, linking your compatible smart home appliances, setting up Alexa Routines, enabling Alexa Skills, and much more.
Once you’ve downloaded the Alexa app and logged into your Amazon account, you’ll be prompted to register your new device.
Once you’ve set up the Alexa app, you can use it to connect your Echo device to your phone by following these six simple steps:
If you need help connecting your Echo to WiFi, below are the steps:
After connecting your Echo to the internet, you’ll be prompted to set up voice ID as you register your Echo device. Voice ID is a great way to kick-start the benefits of using Alexa. The opt-in service allows you to get a personalised experience for a range of features by saying a few prompted phrases in the app. Voice ID can help with sending personal messages from your Echo or having reminders sent to your phone. Learn how to set up voice ID.
Register an account for a music service provider to listen to your favourite tunes. Your Echo smart speaker can play music from Amazon Music and third-party services including Spotify, JioSaavn, and Apple Music. If you’re also setting up a Fire TV device, simply download the respective music service provider’s app from the App Store.
To connect your Echo smart speaker to any of these music providers, tap More from the bottom bar of the Alexa app and click Settings. Then tap Music & Podcasts under Alexa Preferences, and then choose Link New Service. From there, simply select your music service provider and follow the on-screen instructions. Once you’re connected, you can play music using simple voice commands.
Have a song stuck in your head? Ask Alexa to play it. Someone’s at your door and you need to pause the music? Say, “Alexa, stop” or “Alexa, pause.” View the full rundown of all music-related requests you can make with Alexa. If you have multiple Echo smart speakers, you can fill your whole home with music, radio, podcasts, audio books, and more with multi-room music. Try saying, “Alexa, play music everywhere.”
If you do not own an Alexa device yet, and are planning to get one, this might be just the right time. Amazon Great Indian Festival, the biggest sale event of the year, is here with great deals on Alexa-enabled devices. You can get up to 55% off on Echo smart speakers and Fire TV stick. Click here for all the Great Indian Festival deals.
Simply say, “Alexa, pair” to the Echo device you want to connect to. Doing this will put it into pairing mode and search for nearby Bluetooth-enabled devices. Alexa will tell you once it's connected to your phone, or you can look for the Echo Device in the list of new devices at the bottom of your phone’s Bluetooth settings page.
When you connect your phone to your Echo device via Bluetooth, any audio you play from your phone will play through the device. To control playback, use your mobile device or speak commands to Alexa.
As long as your phone has Bluetooth switched on, you can connect to Alexa without a WiFi connection after you've done the initial set up.
