10 cool things you didn't know Alexa could do

Written by Amazon Staff

You're probably already playing your favorite music on your Echo, but did you know that Alexa can help you fall asleep, keep your pantry stocked, or play a game with you?

Millions of people are experiencing the magic of Alexa for the first time this holiday season.

“Customers purchased millions of Amazon’s Alexa-enabled devices this weekend, and Alexa devices were the top sellers across all of Amazon,” said Dave Limp, senior vice president, Amazon Devices & Services, following the Thanksgiving shopping weekend.

If you're new to Alexa, or looking to learn a few more skills, this list of popular things people ask of Alexa is a great start.

01

Play an album, playlist or song by name

“Alexa, play Indie for the Holidays from Amazon Music.”
“Alexa, play songs for baking holiday cookies from Amazon Music.”
“Alexa, start Holiday Song Quiz.”

Alexa can play your favorite music whenever you want to hear it.
02

Call somebody

“Alexa, call Dad’s mobile.”
"Alexa, message mom."
“Alexa, how do I make a call?"

Alexa helps you stay connected.

Amazon Echo Show
03

Set reminders

“Alexa, remind me to call Mom on Sunday at 2 p.m.”
“Alexa, remind me to water the plants every Saturday at 9 a.m.”

Ask for proactive reminders about upcoming events or tasks and Alexa will notify you.
04

Find recipes

“Alexa, find quick dinner recipes.”
“Alexa, find me a cranberry scone recipe.”
“Alexa, what should I serve at my holiday party?”

Let Alexa be your assistant chef.

The Amazon Echo
05

Help with your shopping

“Alexa, order dog food.”
“Alexa, reorder diapers.”
“Alexa, reorder toilet paper.”
"Alexa, let's shop."

Alexa finds the best match from your Amazon.com order history, and gives recommendations on some of the most popular reorder items.
06

Play whole home audio

“Alexa, play music everywhere.”
“Alexa, how do I play music in multiple rooms?”

If you have more than one Echo device, you can play music in multiple rooms at the same time.

Amazon Echo Show
07

Create and manage lists

“Alexa, add pay the mortgage to my to-do list.”
“Alexa, add eggs to my shopping list.”
"Alexa, start a packing list."

If being more productive is going to be one of your New Year’s resolutions, let Alexa help you stay on top of things in the New Year.

Echo Dot
08

Keep up with sports

“Alexa, who do the Eagles play next week?”
“Alexa, what were the hockey scores last night?”
“Alexa, help me vote for the NBA All-Star Game.”

You can ask Alexa for scores and find out when your favorite team plays next.
09

Wake you up with music

“Alexa, wake me up to Pentatonix at 7 a.m.”
"Alexa, wake me up to 102.7 KIIS FM at 6:20 a.m."

With music alarms, you can now wake up to your favorite song, artist, playlist, or radio station.

Pentatonix Deluxe Edition
10

Help you discover more skills

“Alexa, let’s play a game.”
“Alexa, teach me something.”
“Alexa, help me sleep.”
"Alexa, spin the dreidel."
"Alexa, what's my commute look like?"

There are all kinds of skills you can explore with your new Alexa-enabled device.