The Best Amazon Alexa Skills

Alexa has stolen the hearts and minds of the tech globe in a style nosotros haven't seen since the iPhone in 2007. It all started several years ago with Amazon's Echo, a smart speaker with a built-in audio-control interface named Alexa. Say that name—the "wake give-and-take"—and the speaker comes to life, follows commands, and replies to queries. It's been compared plenty to the shipboard calculator on Star Expedition's USS Enterprise that Amazon eventually immune "figurer" as a wake word (along with the existing options of maxim "Amazon" or "Echo") to get Alexa's attention. Amazon is too making follow-up commands easier.

At that place are at present more Alexa-enabled devices than ever, from the Echo itself to the Amazon Echo Dot( at Amazon), the more than portable Amazon Tap($59.99 at Amazon), and the Amazon Echo Look. There are even Amazon Echo Buttons that work with your speaker and the Amazon Echo Connect, which turns your speaker into a landline telephone.

Information technology's also supported in the Burn down TV and Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote media hubs and is moving into many others, including appliances and vehicles. It'due south all due to the power of Alexa.

Recall of Alexa equally the cloud-based brain backside the Echo, alike to Siri, Cortana, or the Google Banana. It gets smarter and more powerful every bit Amazon adds features—Echo owners get a weekly newsletter spelling out those new options.

Alexa Skills

Features are one matter. Skills are some other. Think of them as the 3rd-party apps you can add to Alexa, like you add apps to a smartphone.

Amazon's opening up of Alexa to all developers created a boom in skills. Over 30,000 entirely free skills are now available—upward from i,000 dorsum in June 2022. That's some straggering growth, which has prompted third-party ways of navigating skills (Amazon's setup is not easy), such as Alexa Skills Store. And, you lot can e'er say, "Alexa, what are your new skills?" for a rundown.

With so many to choose from, which skills are worth your fourth dimension? At that place is a lot of useless fluff to be had with any collection of that size—and the syntax of how you verbally interact with some skills is vexing at times. However, there are as well a number of aural diamonds in the digital rough. We've combed through them for this look at the best skills currently bachelor on Alexa.

To enable a skill, yous tin can ask your Alexa device to actuate it, or click through while you're signed into your Amazon account and click "Enable."

News and Information

Enabling certain news apps makes them a part of your Wink Briefing, a collection of quick news updates from favorite sources. To organize your Flash Conference, navigate in the Alexa app to Settings > Flash Briefing, where you tin remove content from a Wink Briefing or edit the order in which it'south read.

CNN Wink Briefing
Getting the latest news with the congenital-in Flash Briefing feature on Alexa is an excellent way to hear the twenty-four hours'due south news equally you beverage your coffee or bulldoze to work. This skill lets you add CNN's headlines and breaking stories to the conference.
Invocations: "Alexa, what's in the news?" or "Alexa, what's my Flash Briefing?"

BBC
Ill of "biased" news outlets in the United states of america? Get your globe news from a source I call back it'southward safe to say we all trust (because of the English accents): the BBC World Service. This skill likewise becomes role of your Flash Briefing, and is brought to you past the fine folks at TuneIn.
Invocations: "Alexa, what's in the news?" or "Alexa, what's my Flash Briefing?"

The Daily

Your favorite news podcast can now play through Alexa during your daily flash briefing. Michael Barbaro's news vignettes tin play for 15 minutes a solar day, 5 days a week bringing you the episodic journalism from The New York Times.
Invocations: "Alexa, what's my Flash Briefing?" Alexa, what's in the news?"

NPR News Now

Go five minutes of NPR News, updated hourly, as part of your wink conference. NPR's reporting brings y'all national news, local weather, and everything in between from its stable of smooth radio voices.
Invocations: "Alexa, what's my Flash Conference?" Alexa, what'due south in the news?"

This Day in History

The History Channel presents this skill to give you lot a rundown on the big events that happened on any day in the by.
Invocations:"Alexa, launch This 24-hour interval in History?" or "Alexa, ask This Day in History what happened on _____" with the twenty-four hour period of your choosing. (Follow up with "Tell me about another upshot" or "Hear more than most this event.")

Opening Bell
If you're into the stock marketplace, forget the ticker symbols. This skill lets you ask for a company, past proper noun, to get the electric current stock toll, likewise as how much information technology's changed pct-wise. (Note that the data may not be real time.)
Invocations: "Alexa, ask Opening Bell for Apple" (or Microsoft, Google, Tesla, or any publicly traded company)

Twitter Reader
Link your Twitter account to this skill in the Alexa app; it'll read your Timeline, Retweets, Likes, Mentions, and even list out trending topics. If yous desire more near a trend, ask "Alexa, tell me more than about tendency number 5," (or whatever). Play with it and y'all may never demand to "read" Twitter again.
Invocations: "Alexa, open Twitter"
"Alexa, ask Twitter for trends."
"Alexa, enquire Twitter for my Mentions."
"Alexa, ask Twitter has anyone Retweeted me?"
"Alexa, Ask Twitter for Tweets I liked."

Census Data
The United States census takes place every 10 years and collects a metric butt-load (that's totally a thing) of data about the state as well as individual states and all sorts of demographics. Ask Census Data for things like population, median incomes, poverty rates, etc. for states and you'll get some interesting stats. For some reason, the skill is tagged by the programmer every bit "may not be suitable for all ages." And then don't let the kids ask nearly income levels.
Invocations: Every query has to start with "Alexa, ask Demography Data...," such as "Alexa, ask Census Data, what is the population of Oregon?"

Today's Give-and-take of the Solar day
At that place are a slew of "word of the twenty-four hour period" skills on Alexa, many of which yous can integrate correct into your daily Flash Briefing. This one, still, is a personally curated list of words with examples—and the highest rated such app to date in the Skills store.
Invocations: "Alexa, open up Today's Discussion of the Mean solar day."

TED Talks

You can access the entire TED Talks library from the comfort of your Echo device. Y'all can play the latest TED talk, play random TED talks, or search for talks by topic or by speaker name to find talks on particular ideas. You can also play by keyword, for instance to search for talks that are funny, inspiring, persuasive, courageous, etc.
Invocations: "Alexa, ask TED Talks to play the latest talk"
"Alexa, ask TED Talks for something funny"
Alexa, inquire TED Talks to find talks about nature."

Television set Shows

This one is for those of you nevertheless at the mercy of the Goggle box schedule (accept you non heard of a DVR?). Television set Shows tin can tell y'all when any show airs and on which network (only non the channel)—even if it's streaming on Netflix or Amazon Video. It'll even throw out a Tv set Guide-esque show summary. Use it to find shows that have already aired or those coming soon.
Invocations: "Alexa, ask Television receiver Shows when is _______ on next?" or "Alexa, ask Television set Shows what fourth dimension is _________?"

Big Heaven
Large Sky does the same thing every bit the Dark Heaven app on your smartphone (by using the same information): it gives "hyper-local" weather forecasts, better than what you get with the built-in weather condition functions. To brand information technology piece of work, notwithstanding, you must create a Large Sky account, provide your home accost—or any location for which you want to know the conditions, pick Fahrenheit versus Celsius, and link it to the skill. Narrow the query down to weather in a certain time frame ("in two hours" or "tomorrow before apex") as needed.
Invocations: "Alexa, open Big Sky." Ask for "more details" if needed. Or ask whatsoever question you tin can call up of as long as yous kickoff with "Alexa, enquire Big Heaven...."

Personalized

Alexa Things to Attempt

The easiest way to personalize your Alexa experience is just to ask. This official Amazon skill lets you lot enquire Alexa for a useful daily tip on new and existing features you've non nevertheless enabled. Enable this skill and when y'all say "Alexa, what's my Wink Conference?" you'll also get suggestions on things to try. If you accept an Amazon Echo Show($85.22 at Amazon), you get the automatic suggestions on the screen periodically, merely this is an specially good skill if you have a screenless Echo.
Invocations: "Alexa, what'due south my Flash Conference?" volition add the daily tip to all the other customized info in your daily flash briefing.

Enquire My Buddy

Call up the classic "I've fallen! And I can't become up!" commercial? A hilarious retentivity for a serious subject, as medical alarm services have waxed and waned over the years. You lot see fewer of them in the historic period of smartphones, simply if a smartphone isn't an option, there's the Repeat. With Ask My Buddy, get a spoken-give-and-take lifeline to personal responders.

Link the complimentary business relationship you set upwardly at askmybuddy.net (information technology'll come upward when you lot click the Enable skill button); once the account is registered, you'll get a welcome email. Log into the account to add contacts (responders). You can then ask Alexa to alert responders one at a time past name, or all of them at once if y'all're deep in trouble.

The responder gets an SMS text and a telephone call with an automated voice telling them you lot asked for the alert to go out. It's no substitute for calling 911—and it won't call 911 for you—just it tin't hurt to accept it set up up for your loved one. Once you're a fellow member of Ask My Buddy, you'll get a monthly email newsletter with news and tips on using the service.
Invocations: "Alexa, Ask My Budddy to alert Fred" (substitute the proper noun of your responder) or "Alexa, Enquire My Buddy to warning everyone."

Accept I been pwned? For Alexa
';--have i been pwned? is a website for checking to see if your usernames or emails have been function of any major data breaches. This skill lets yous check that data by speaking your username or electronic mail when requested to receive a verbal written report.
Invocations: "Alexa, open have I been poned?" (Say it phonetically.) Then spell out an e-mail or handle. Bold she can handle your enunciation—not easy with longer email addresses—you're in business. Say "clear" to clear all text you've entered, "backspace" to go back one character, and "washed" when finished.

Find My Telephone

This skill from Trackr, maker of small Bluetooth device trackers for your keys, requires a Trackr account and the Trackr app be installed on your iPhone or Android device. Set it all upwardly and link the account to the skill—you tin can do the Alexa integration in the mobile apps (a Pivot is required for some security). Y'all tin can then ask Alexa either to discover the phone (she'll reply with the terminal known accost for the device) or to band the phone (it's not accessed via a telephone call—if you want that endeavor the CallMyLostPhone skill). Yous have to open up the app to cease the ringing.
Invocations: "Alexa, ask TrackR to find my telephone" or "Alexa, inquire TrackR to ring my telephone."

Interview Prep

Got a life-irresolute job interview coming up? Ask the Interview Prep skill to toss you a few queries of its own from a database of prep questions, for many unlike jobs. Use them to practice; your prep may make all the departure in landing the gig.
Invocations: "Alexa, Ask Interview Prep for a question."

Mastermind

Mastermind can ship and receive your texts, and will even initiate telephone calls for you and announce caller IDs equally calls come up in. Information technology connects not only your Android telephone (iPhone support is coming), just also your PC and Chromecast($35.00 at Walmart) to Alexa if you want to link them all. Some of them have special Mastermind apps. The skill will allow voice control to start Bluetooth on your phone, start media apps, read saved stores, even band your phone and tablet when lost. It's well-nigh too much to handle. This could exist the commencement of skills that volition cost you, as a Mastermind account is currently free—merely in closed beta testing. To leap the line costs $15.
Invocations: Besides many to list, scout the video.

Entertainment and Games

The Magic Door

The Magic Door takes the story-telling interactive risk upwards a notch on Alexa, providing multiple magical globe settings. Take a chance options include brewing potions, helping princesses and gnomes, saving trapped monkeys, and more. This is 1 of the well-nigh reviewed and highly rated skills on the service.
Invocations: "Alexa, open up the magic door"

Question of the Twenty-four hours

Not merely do yous become asked new trivia questions every twenty-four hours, with multiple-option answers, you lot earn points if you get information technology right. Correct or non, you'll bolster your knowledge on the topic at hand. To activate, you must provide the developer with your name, email, and Nada code.
Invocations: "Alexa, inquire question of the day."

Jeopardy!

Exercise yous wish y'all had a way to exam your knowledge of answering clues with questions? Or that Alex Trebek would stop by the firm? This is as shut as you get: the mythical extra "6th inkling" of all Jeopardy! categories are presented to you to answer in the form of a question. Get plenty right and Alexa will fifty-fifty tell you to try out for the show. It updates every weekday.
Invocations: "Alexa, play Jeopardy!" (If you don't hear or empathize the question, say "Echo" or "I don't know.")

Hunt the Yeti

The archetype days of Zork and Hitchhiker's Guide games are long backside the states—or they were until Alexa gave u.s. a bold new style to do a text-take a chance. You tell your Repeat device which style to go as the game feeds y'all details, trying to avert the pits and bats that assail. It's not as well advanced yet, but this is only a hint of what's to come up.
Invocations: "Alexa, launch Yeti Chase Game" or "brainstorm game" or "movement north."

Xx Questions

The classic game for bored riders in the car comes to Alexa. Pick something that's beast, vegetable, or mineral (or "other" if information technology's an abstruse concept, similar "love"). Continue information technology in your head as Alexa goes through all the questions that aid her narrow down what information technology is. If questions seem irrelevant, you can say "skip," but that doesn't count confronting her twenty, so at that place.
Invocations: "Alexa, play Twenty Questions."

Akinator

Pick a grapheme in fiction or a real-life famous personality, and the Akinator will enquire you a series of yes-or-no questions to narrow down who that person is in your head. Don't permit the video below deter you—she guessed my Captain Jack Sparrow thought in no time.
Invocations: "Alexa, starting time Akinator" or "Alexa, open Akinator."

Shakespeare Insult

If you must be told you lot suck, be told past the best. This is ane of many such apps for getting the Bard to make you feel bad. The options come not only from his plays, but as well some randomly generated Elizabethan-style corruption via the Shakespeare Insult Kit. Thou tickle-brained maggot-pie.
Invocations: "Alexa, ask the bard to insult me"

Insult Generator
Issue the command to Alexa and she doesn't hesitate, she just throws out a witty bon-mot suitable for excoriating your friends and relatives and especially your enemies. Some may sound clever and original, a few are classics ("Y'all've got a mind like a steel trap: ever airtight"), and a few are very to the betoken ("Penis" was an actual offer from this skill; so FYI, it's non suitable for all ages.)
Invocations: "Alexa, open insult generator."

Judge My Number

Selection any number equally long equally it's 1 to 99. Alexa volition inquire questions until she gets it right, usually by asking y'all if it's college or lower to narrow it down. (Don't misfile information technology with a whole different skill, also called Guess My Number, where instead Alexa picks the digits and gives you v tries to guess.)
Invocations: "Alexa, guess my number."

RPG Elf Proper name Generator

Getting prepare for your elf graphic symbol to storm the gates at Helm's Deep?* Then the graphic symbol probably needs a name. This Alexa Skill will ask how information technology can assistance; tell it you need a male proper name or a female proper noun (they don't become for not-binary elves, patently) and yous'll get a couple of Tolkien-sounding words to throw on a character sail. (At that place is besides a separate Elf Proper name Generator, which provides names more than in keeping with Santa's helpers, Tony Sprinkletoes.)
Invocations: "Alexa Open up Elf Proper name Generator"

*There were no elves at Captain's Deep!

Astrology Zone
For all you star divination aficionados, Susan Miller'southward Astrology Zone can accept Alexa read your daily horoscopes for today, tomorrow, or whatever sign requsted. To kickoff, try saying, "Alexa, ask Astrology Zone for the horoscope for Pisces Today."
Invocations: "Alexa, ask Astrology Zone to read star divination for today for Pisces.
"Alexa, what is tomorrow's daily horoscope for Aries from Astrology Zone?
"Alexa, ask Astrology Zone to update my location."

Tarot Reader

While we're on the spiritual, you lot can besides enable Alexa-powered tarot readings. The Tarot Reader skill lets Alexa do readings for you or describe specific cards. Alexa can practice a daily carte, a uncomplicated three-card spread, or shuffle the deck and draw as many cards as you lot need for your spread.
Invocations: "Alexa ask Tarot Reader to practice a quick reading."
"Alexa tell Tarot Reader to draw a card."
"Alexa inquire Tarot Reader to describe the Half dozen of Staffs reversed."

Vanquish the Intro

The official ten,000th skill for Alexa, this is like Name that Melody, but more than for people with bad memories. Between Alexa and the host for the mobile version, Foxy, they explicate the rules: yous list a Six Pack of hit clips with vocals, or a TriplePlay of intros before singing starts. Yous have to figure out who they are as they play. Write them down. And then enquire for the answers to see if yous were right. It'due south not perfect, in that yous don't get to name the acts or the tunes and get instant gratification, simply the developers hope more interactivity as the skill evolves.
Invocations: "Alexa, open Shell the Intro."

Local

StubHub

Y'all can apply the Stubhub site/service to become tickets to whatever is happening in your surface area. You can utilize the Stubhub skill to detect out what'southward happening so you can go those tickets. You lot don't take to limit yourself to dwelling; ask about things happening in any metropolis.
Invocations: "Alexa, ask StubHub what's happening this weekend" or "...what'south going on this night" or "... what's happening in San Francisco?"

OpenTable
Booking a table online with OpenTable is pretty easy. Connect your account with Alexa and you tin exercise it all via vocalism. When you enable the skill, OpenTable volition take your name, ZIP, email, and telephone number; then when yous invoke the skill information technology searches for bachelor reservations inside the next 2.5 hours. Or you can narrow your search to a specific restaurant (it only has to be one that's part of OpenTable, natch). However, yous can't yet search on general types of cuisine. To cancel a reservation, yous have to become through the link in the confirmation email y'all are sent.
Invocations: "Alexa, launch OpenTable."

Restaurant Explorer

If you do want to search by local cuisine, try Restaurant Explorer. You tin can spell out the Cypher code, even in other towns, to become a hint of what'south bachelor. When you hear about a good option, merely inquire the skill for more details.
Invocations:"Alexa, ask Restaurant Explorer to find Thai nutrient near 10016."

Fandango

Link your full Fandango account, then ask Alexa to open up it and pace you through finding theaters in your ZIP code, and she'll tell you what's playing. You tin can then narrow downwards the search to a specific film to get show times, or buy tickets if y'all have a Fandango VIP account (which essentially means you gave Fandango a credit menu to purchase tickets online).
Invocations: "Alexa, Open up Fandango" or "Alexa, Ask Fandango what'southward playing at a nearby theater" or "Alexa, Inquire Fandango to search for Dazzler and the Beast."

Empire State Edifice Colors
Do you live in or virtually New York City, and wonder but what hue the iconic Empire Land Building volition be splashed with that dark? This skill pulls non but the colour info from the ESB website, simply likewise tells you what the hue is in honor of.
Invocations: "Alexa, Enquire Empire State Colors 'What's the colors?'"

N.Y.C. Status

Some other one for New Yorkers, this skill provides multiple tidbits of info needed for surviving life in the big city. Things like when (if?) your garbage will be collected, what side of the street you are allowed to park on, and school closings, all pulled from NYC 311. If you live in a unlike big urban center, expect in the Skills shop to see if your municipality has something similar.
Invocations: "Alexa, ask Due north.Y.C. Status if alternate side is in effect" or "Alexa, inquire N.Y.C. Status if school's open tomorrow" or "Alexa, ask North.Y.C. Status if garbage collection is happening on Apr first."

Health

WebMD
Doctors don't like when yous get to WebMD and diagnose your own maladies. And so instead, go the diagnosis by using WebMD on Alexa. You can inquire her about drug side effects, particular diseases or conditions or symptoms, get definitions of complicated medical terms, and more than.
Invocations: "Alexa, open WebMD" or "Alexa, enquire WebMD what are the side effects of _____?" or "Alexa, inquire WebMD 'what is diabetes?'"

Fitbit
The official Alexa skill of the leading fitness tracker, it accesses the data on your tracker's account so y'all can become a exact confirmation on how well (or poorly) y'all're doing. If multiple members of the household have a Fitbit, you need to set upwardly multiple Amazon Household profiles to switch between, each with an associated Fitbit account.
Invocations: "Alexa, inquire Fitbit how I'thousand doing today" or "Alexa, ask Fitbit how I slept last nighttime."

7-Minute Workout
There are vii-minute workout apps aplenty on smartphones. You don't need whatever of them with Alexa in the room. She'll walk you through the standard regimen (including jumping jacks, wall sit down, button-ups, lunges, squats, etc.) for the total vii. The latest update to the skill tracks your workout then if you quit in the middle, yous can resume it later, plus adds images and tutorials that are attainable in the Alexa app on the telephone or tablet.
Invocations: "Alexa, outset seven-minute workout."

Animal Yoga

Animate being Yoga is a fun child-oriented yoga feel that teaches children stretching and flexibility, breathing, residuum, coordination and healthy movement while encouraging creativity. The skill current comes with 30 different animal poses including Armadillo, Butterfly, Chameleon, Dragon, Elephant, Frog, Giraffe, Kangaroo, Octupus, Seahorse, Turtle, and more. Say "Alexa, play Animal Yoga" and Alexa will greet you and enquire you what creature y'all would similar to play. To have Alexa pick a random animal for you lot, say "Play Random". To go a listing of animals, say "List Animals."
Invocations:
"Alexa, play Creature Yoga"
"Alexa, ask Animal Yoga to play random"
"Alexa, ask Creature Yoga to play Octopus"
"Alexa, ask Creature Yoga to play random"
"Alexa, ask Animal Yoga for a list"
"Alexa Side by side," "Alexa Previous"
"Alexa, Seahorse" or some other animal of choice.

Life Hacks

Life hacks are those picayune tricks that brand adulting so much easier. This skill throws out quick little tips each time you open it, from making kids' toys quieter and ironing cheats to how best to swallow pills versus capsules and beyond. Open up it enough times and y'all're spring to become a hack that changes your life.
Invocations: "Alexa, open life hacks."

Happy Days

Sadly, this has nothing to do with Fonzie, but everything to exercise with making you a little happier. Open the skill and it spews inspirational platitudes calibrated precisely to brand you lot feel a little more blithesome.
Invocations: "Alexa, open Happy Days."

one-Minute Mindfulness

Due to an early limitation in Alexa, this skill could only practise one-minute of audio at a time—only that may be all you need. Before it starts playing, Alexa will remind you lot to close your optics, focus on your breath, and not judge yourself if your mind wanders. When yous activate the skill, ask for 1 of the dissimilar kinds of mediations. The default is one infinitesimal, only you tin besides inquire for quick arbitration, peaceful arbitration, river mediation, or forest mediation. Supposedly three-, five-, 10-, fifteen-, or xxx-minute mediations are coming.
Invocations: "Alexa, enquire Mindfulness for a minute mediation."

Meditation Timer

When you're ready to lower your stress for a few minutes or even hours, open up upwardly this skill, tell it how long you desire to mediate (even for a full 24-hour interval!), then get busy with the mindfulness, soldier. At that place are three soundscapes: woods, pelting, or ocean surf, with some subtle relaxing musak backside them. (It doesn't currently piece of work with the Fire TV.)
Invocations: "Alexa, open Meditation Timer." Say "Play next" to skip to different sounds.

Guided Meditation

Keeping the meditation theme going, this skill from the same developer as Meditation Timer gives you a new 3- to 8-infinitesimal meditation of the day each solar day. Guided Meditation includes more than 60 dissimilar guided meditation, mindfulness and breathing exercises focused on anxiety and stress, low, focus, falling asleep, and more.

Invocations:

"Alexa, open Guided Meditation," "Alexa, inquire Guided Meditation to play meditation, " If y'all don't like the currently playing meditation you can say "Alexa, play next" to jump to a dissimilar meditation.

What to Wait

From the experts over at our sister site Everyday Health (owned by Ziff Davis, just like PCMag), comes this skill, a companion to the What To Expect website and mobile apps. Expectant parents can ask Alexa every 24-hour interval for an update; she will respond with info and tips. Information technology'southward all based on the due date you lot provide (or kid's birth appointment if the big mean solar day has already arrived—there is info bachelor for baby'southward start year). You can change your due date (there's a calculator) at any time past asking "Alexa, ask What to Expect to modify my due date." For now, it just works for one pregnancy/kid at a time—unless yous've got twins or triplets in the oven.

Invocations:

"Alexa, open What to Expect" or "Alexa, inquire What to Expect for my pregnancy update."

Music, Sounds, Noises

Acoustic Metronome

Need to play on the beat? You lot used to demand a fancy metronome, the kind of thing that sets y'all back $45 even today on Amazon. Dainty every bit that looks sitting on the baby grand piano, yous've already got a metronome pick in whatsoever Alexa-supporting device with this skill. Pick whatsoever rate betwixt 40 and 199 beats per minute; the beats stop afterward 90 seconds, merely y'all can always enquire it to repeat.
Invocations: "Alexa, open metronome" and she'll ask how many beats you want, or "Alexa, ask metronome to play 60." Once playing say "Alexa, 40" or some other number to change the rhythm.

Audible

Amazon also owns Audible, so accessing all your audiobooks via Alexa voice commands is both uncomplicated and customizable. First you need to enable Audible and configure your audiobook settings in the Alexa app, but after that you can invoke a multifariousness of commands to have Alexa offset reading anything in your Aural library. You can simply say "Alexa, gear up my book" to pick up your near recent audiobook, or you can say a specific book. At that place's also a cadre of vox commands to intermission, fast forward, skip chapters, set sleep timers, etc.

Invocations:

"Alexa, read my book" (plays your last books listened to)
"Alexa, read [Tom Sawyer]"
"Alexa, read [The Hobbit] from Audible"
"Alexa, pause"
"Alexa, resume"
"Alexa, play"
"Alexa, go dorsum"
"Alexa, become forward"
"Alexa, go dorsum [45 seconds]"
"Alexa, go forward [two minutes]"
"Alexa, next chapter"
"Alexa, previous chapter"
"Alexa, go to chapter number [7]"
"Alexa, go to last chapter"
"Alexa, restart"
"Alexa, cease reading in [12 minutes]"
"Alexa, set a [half dozen infinitesimal] sleep timer"
"Alexa, what are my books?"
"Alexa, what's in my Aural library?"

Ditty
Say what yous want to the Ditty skill—a message to a loved i, a clever saying, whatever yous like—and information technology'll motorcar-melody your words into a song and play the Ditty dorsum for your listening pleasure. That would normally exist information technology, but you also go the choice to share the Ditty via Twitter or save it. Then in the future, you lot tin play back your Ditty whenever you lot desire to hear yourself sing.

Invocations: "Alexa, open Ditty."

Short Bedtime Story
Think this skill using a item name—like that of your child—and Alexa volition tell a personalized bedtime tale. The stories are well-nigh as short and brief as you'd expect from a stressed out, overworked parent who just wants the kids to go to sleep and doesn't take time to make upward something elaborate, which gives them a charm all their ain. Visit bedtime.webguild.com to set up an account, link information technology to your Alexa skill, and you tin personalize things—even write your own bedtime stories for Alexa to repeat dorsum to the non-sleeping kids.
Invocations: "Alexa, tell BedTime Story to Eric."

Radio Mystery Theater
In that location is plenty of old-time radio bachelor online, and Archive.org has much of the old CBS Radio Mystery Theater. This skill will bring up a random episode of the podcast when launched. Skip repeats past saying "Alexa, side by side." The developers at Appbly.com too created skills for other radio bear witness podcasts such every bit Dragnet, Philip Marlowe, Sherlock Holmes, and many others.
Invocations: "Alexa, open up Radio Mystery Theater."

Ambient Noise: Thunderstorm Sounds

Need a specialized, natural white noise to help y'all focus? Developer Nick Schwab offers upwardly this moderate thunderstorm to help you cut through the other noise (or the silence). He too offers up Ocean Sounds, Babbling Beck, and Rain Sounds equally divide skills.
Invocations: "Alexa, open Thunderstorm Sounds" or "Alexa, inquire Thunderstorm Sounds to loop."

Earplay
This is a new type of storytelling: Earplay is like a radio evidence, but with a Choose-Your-Own-Hazard pick, where you are prompted to take the story in new directions. So far, the story choices are limited, but the popularity of this skill will probably hateful expansion in the time to come. (Not all stories are suitable for all ages. Parental discretion is brash.)
Invocations: "Alexa, offset Earplay."

Automotive/Travel

Translated
Open Translated (brought to yous past professional person translation service Translated.net) on Alexa. Say what you lot want to say, selection a linguistic communication, and the skill replies with the translation you need and then you can say it aloud. She'll even slow down or speed upward as you crave to help with understanding, or only say "Repeat" to hear it again. Translated works with 36 languages. Pirate is not i of them.
Invocations: "Alexa, open Translated" or "Alexa, ask Translated to say 'where is the bath' in Welsh."

Automatic

If you're a car fanatic, yous may use Automatic—information technology's like a fitness tracker for automobiles. It plugs into the ODB port under the dash, collecting all sorts of diagnostic data—plus tracks where the car's going using GPS. With this skill, you tin enquire Alexa for data about your car, similar whether information technology needs gas, how far it'south been driven, and especially where information technology's currently located.
Invocations: "Alexa, ask Automatic if I need gas"
"Alexa, ask Automatic where my car is."
"Alexa, ask Automatic how far I drove concluding week."

Uber
Your feelings toward Uber may exist complicated, but there is no denying it's the leading rideshare service. This skill—which supports UberX, UberBlack, UberSUV, UberXL, and UberSelect—lets you set your Alexa location as a default for calling a car. You can too tell Alexa to change the default location, abolish a ride you've called, or ask for the condition of the ride. Switching Amazon Household accounts on the Alexa lets other people apply their own Uber account.
Invocations: "Alexa, inquire Uber for a ride."

Lyft
Eschew Uber for a Lyft. This skill does what yous'd expect—gets you a auto—but also tin can provide an estimate for the cost and or length of time of a Lyft between a couple of preset locations in your Lyft account ("home" and "piece of work," specifically), and use it to rate drivers.
Invocations: "Alexa, ask Lyft for a ride."

Kayak
Our favorite mobile app/site for travel (we give it 5 stars) is a featured skill for the Amazon Alexa. Yous tin prepare or alter your dwelling drome using Alexa, and search on a number of things from flights (information technology helps to know the flight number) to rental cars to places to proceed a budget. You lot don't need a Kayak account to enable it.
Invocations: "Alexa, ask Kayak how much it is to fly from New York to Los Angeles" or "Alexa, where tin I fly for i-thousand dollars" or "Alexa, when does the next flight from Miami land in Newark?"

MyFord Mobile
This one is for a express audition of owners of Ford plug-in vehicles (the C-Max Energi, Fusion Energi, and Focus Electric as of this writing). Merely it's incredibly handy if you practice, letting you ask Alexa to do a wide variety of things: first the car, stop the car if it'due south running, lock or unlock information technology, get the odometer reading, get the range the vehicle can continue the electric current charge (or gas), even check the land of the bombardment charge or the tire pressure.
Invocations: "Alexa, open up MyFord Mobile."

My ETA

The ETA—estimated fourth dimension of arrival—is the most important estimate any traveler (or those who expect a driver's arrival) can make. This skill, which pairs with an business relationship you create at MyETAserv.com, will let you use to Alexa to pre-decide the ETA from your home to a number of pre-gear up locations. You never, ever demand to be late to work, school, the airport, or the bar ever again.
Invocations: "Alexa, open My ETA and tell me the list of my destinations" or "Alexa, ask My ETA for the time to drive to piece of work."

Kitchen

My Chef – Kitchen Assistant by Chefling

Chefling makes mobile smartphone apps to help you "monitor, organize, and select your nutrient." This skill brings those abilities to the Amazon Echo, so you tin can utilise it as more than just a glorified timer if it sits in your kitchen. You'll want to cover the apply of the apps to get the most out of information technology, but if you're diligent about entering the food you've got or demand, you lot will probable be working with much fresher ingredients in your kitchen.
Invocations: "Alexa, ask My Chef what's expiring" or "Alexa, open My Chef."

Allrecipes

Anyone who'due south always searched the net for a recipe knows nearly Allrecipes—they're all there! This Alexa skill promises easily-free admission to the 60,000+ recipes on the site. Alexa tin also send the recipe you're using to your phone (for that yous accept to link your accounts and your phone number to the skill). The number of options you can ask for with the skill are numerous; when you're ready to cook, just say "Alexa, first cooking" and and so give her a "Next," "Skip," or "Repeat" equally necessary.
Invocations: "Alexa, open Allrecipes."
"Alexa, find me a block recipe"
"Alexa, find me a chocolate flake cookie recipe"
"Alexa, notice me a recipe with eggs, coconut milk, and chocolate."
"Tell me the reviews for this recipe"
"What ingredients are needed for this recipe?"
"Add this recipe to my Favorites."
"Send recipe to my phone."
The list of prompts goes on and on and on.

Food Network

Watching the Nutrient Network and getting inspired? Just call out to Alexa, and with the right info on the chef, ingredient, or proper name of the recipe, the Nutrient Network skill will ship you lot the total recipe in your e-mail to open when needed. The skill will also tell you lot what'southward coming up side by side and when certain celeb chef shows will air.
Invocations: "Alexa, inquire Food Network for the recipes on TV right now" or "Alexa, ask Nutrient Network for soup recipes for dinner."

MySomm

Demand a wine recommendation to go with a special cuisine? MySomm lets y'all talk to "Wine Gal" (Alexa's sommelier alter ego) and get one before yous head to the store.
Invocations: "Alexa, inquire Wine Gal to recommend a wine for ______."

Domino's Pizza

Domino's was the beginning big-name food seller to make the spring to Alexa (in fourth dimension for the 2022 Super Basin). With it y'all can identify your pre-ready like shooting fish in a barrel order, place your previous order again, and become club status/tracking. You'll need a profile with Dominos.com. (If yous adopt Pizza Hut, they're likewise an option.)
Invocations: "Alexa, open Dominos and place my Easy Order" or "Alexa, ask Domino's to rail my order."

MeatButler
There are rules when it comes to meat: temperatures need to be followed for safety and utmost deliciousness. MeatButler is your Alexa helper to ensure you know the right temperature for whatsoever kind of compact goodness.
Invocations: "Alexa, ask MeatButler to help me prepare lamb" or "Alexa, ask MeatButler the temperature for coking rare steak."

Mixologist
Next fourth dimension you're at the bar ordering something complicated and feeling smug that you've probably stumped the bartender, don't be surprised if they invoke the name of Alexa. This skill gives upwardly the goods on recipes for just about any drink—information technology'll even send a "home card" list of all the ingredients to the business relationship holder's Alexa app or even Fire TV. You tin likewise get random drink recipes, or find a potable to make based on the ingredients you have on hand.
Invocations: ""Alexa, ask Mixologist 'How do I make an Old Fashioned?'" or "Alexa, ask Mixologist to surprise me." or "Alexa, ask Mixologist 'What cocktails tin I make with rum?'"

Smart Home

Hue

If y'all bought into the connected lightbulb earth, y'all likely went with the Philips Hue brand. This skill makes it possible to interact with all those smartbulbs by talking rather than tapping on your phone. It fifty-fifty has full back up for "scenes," where yous can set up a location for the utmost support of what y'all desire, such as "relax" or "slumber" or "active." Yous'll need to set upward about of the details in the apps, then employ your voice to activate or conciliate what you want.
Invocations: "Alexa, observe devices" or "Alexa, turn on living room lights" or "Alexa, dim bedroom lights to l percent."

LIFX Optimized for Smart Home

In that location are a couple of LIFX skills for Alexa; the basic 1, which you need to change light colors, and this i, which allows for more natural language command (no "ask LIFX" in the commands required). Later on you set up things up on all your LIFX bulbs using the mobile app and connect this skill to your business relationship, you can start turning lights on and off and adjusting effulgence or turning on preset "scenes."
Invocations: "Alexa, turn on the bedroom light" or "Alexa, prepare kitchen lite to 50 percent" or "Alexa, turn on mood lighting."

SmartThings
Samsung's push into smart homes, SmartThings, involves an app decision-making a hub that controls a agglomeration of smart devices—lights, sensors, locks, switches, thermostats, and more than. If you own the SmartThings Hub($49.98 at Amazon) and an Echo, connect them to command about of your house or apartment by voice. It supports "routines" (similar Scenes with the smart bulbs); for instance, create 1 like "Good Morning" that activates several items (kitchen lights and a coffee maker on a smart outlet). Yous but take to know the correct matter to say; the listing of possible invocations for this one is enormous and varied, limited only by your imagination and the number of smart devices in your domicile.
Invocations: "Alexa, turn on the bedroom light"
"Alexa, dim the hall lights"
"Alexa, plow on the bedroom fan"
"Alexa, prepare kitchen temperature to 72 degress"
"Alexa, lock the front door"
"Alexa, is the dorsum door locked?"
"Alexa, turn on Party Time"
And on and on.

Ecobee Plus
Control your Ecobee($249.00 at Walmart) smart home devices through Alexa by specifying the name of the thermostat or sensor yous desire to command. From at that place, once the skill is enabled you've got a wide array of phonation commands at your disposal.

Invocations:

"Alexa, enquire ecobee what the current temperature is."
"Alexa, enquire ecobee how cold it is in the Living Room."
"Alexa, inquire ecobee what the Living Room is set to."
"Alexa, ask ecobee if heating is enabled."
"Alexa, tell ecobee to set the temperature in my Bedroom."
"Alexa, ask ecobee to fix the Downstairs temperature to 72."
"Alexa, tell ecobee to return to my schedule."
"Alexa, tell ecobee I'chiliad common cold."
"Alexa, ask ecobee to brand information technology warmer by 3 degrees."
"Alexa, tell ecobee I'm hot."
"Alexa, ask ecobee to make it cooler by iv degrees."
"Alexa, tell ecobee to plow fan on."
"Alexa, ask ecobee to set my thermostat to home mode."
"Alexa, tell ecobee I'm going out."
"Alexa, tell ecobee expert night."
"Alexa, tell ecobee to turn on heat mode."
"Alexa, ask ecobee to activate cool fashion."
"Alexa, tell ecobee to plough off machine mode."
"Alexa, ask ecobee what equipment is running."
"Alexa, enquire ecobee if my dehumidifier is running."
"Alexa, tell ecobee I'm going on vacation."

ADT Pulse
ADT Pulse($36.99 per month at ADT) offers just nigh everything you could want in a full-service dwelling security system, and you can control all of if information technology through your Repeat device. With the ADT Pulse skill, yous can ask Alexa to tell ADT to do things similar arm or disarm your system, capture video clips and even set your modes. Alexa can also provide you with the statuses of your security system and connected ADT devices, like telling you if you left the hall light on, what the current temperature is in your home, or if the front end door is locked. And for actress security, ADT merely allows sure security features similar disarming the system, unlocking the doors and opening the garage to work past providing Alexa with a unique exact Pin.

Invocations: "Alexa, Ask ADT to disarm the system with PIN 1234."
"Inquire ADT to bank check the status of the security organization."
"Ask ADT to lock the 'Front Door' lock."
"Ask ADT to dim the 'Porch Low-cal' to l%."
"Ask ADT to close the 'Garage Door'."
"Inquire ADT to set my mode to 'Out for the Day'."
"Ask ADT to take* a video clip from my 'Back Door Photographic camera'."
"Ask ADT, is the 'Front end Door Lock' battery depression?"
"Ask ADT, what is the temperature of my thermostat?"

Vivint.SmartHome - Basic

Vivint, like SmartThings, controls enough of devices to keep your house feeling smart equally a whip. We gave it an Editors' Choice award. Decision-making that arrangement through an Amazon Echo or other Alexa device is like shooting fish in a barrel, and Vivint provides two skill options: the Basic, which lets you control lights, thermostats, and locks; or the Complete, which is for Vivint SkyControl subscribers merely adds control to security systems, garage doors, cameras, and even lets y'all set the state of an entire house (with states y'all preset like "sleeping" or "on vacation.") Basic allows more natural language; with Consummate you have to invoke "Alexa, inquire Vivint to..." for each command. Vivint suggests subscribers enable both for complete coverage.
Invocations: "Alexa, plow on my lights."
"Alexa, are my lights on? "
"Alexa, arm security system to "abroad."
"Alexa, plow heat to seventy degrees."
"Alexa, shut my garages."
"Alexa, I am leaving."
"Alexa, I am dwelling house."
And many more.

Harmony – Optimized for Smart Home

If y'all've got a Harmony Elite($319.99 at Amazon), Harmony Companion, or Harmony Hub($69.06 at Amazon) at home, you know the joys of controlling everything about your entertainment organisation from one controller. Logitech makes two skills for the Harmony; a smart habitation version with more natural language options and a version where you take to say "Alexa, enquire Harmony." In one case they're active, y'all can employ your phonation to plough on the Telly, consoles, or media streaming devices, jump to streaming services, pause a picture, suit volume, and more.
Invocations: "Alexa, turn on the Television receiver"
"Alexa, turn off the TV"
"Alexa, tell Harmony to break"
"Alexa, tell Harmony to skip forward"
"Alexa, tell Harmony to increase book"
"Alexa, tell Harmony to gear up a sleep timer for fifteen minutes."
There are more.

Wemo

If you ain the Wemo Switch, Wemo Insight Switch($39.99 at Amazon), and Wemo Light Switch($43.93 at Amazon), end using the phone to activate and conciliate them. Link the Wemo skill, permit it verify it's got the right dwelling total of Wemo equipment, Alexa tin then detect your devices and hands plow each one on/off by proper name. Grouping the devices and you tin can tell Alexa to turn them all off/on at once.
Invocations: "Alexa, detect devices" and "Alexa, turn on/off my _______."

Nest Thermostat
While in that location are a number of Nest products like cameras and smoke detectors, this skill pairs up your Alexa to provide voice control over the pop and award-winning Nest Smart Thermostat($249.00 at Walmart), currently in its third generation. You need to know the name of the location where you put the thermostat(s)—you invoke that location with each command (just proverb "thermostat" doesn't do the job). Not all commands piece of work on all the older Nest devices.
Invocations: "Alexa, set downstairs Nest to 72 degress" or "Alexa, increase master chamber temperature by 4 degrees."

Plex
Plex is server software you tin can run at home, so yous can play back all your video and music files on whatever other device you want. It's our Editors' Option for media servers—and it's totally complimentary. In one case you've set up it upwards, enable the Plex skill and yous tin start using Alexa to control playback on a number of Plex players, including Android and iOS devices, Apple tree Tv set($149.00 at Amazon), Windows, Roku, PlayStation 4, and of form Amazon Burn TV and Burn tablets. Every control has to kickoff with "Alexa, inquire [or 'tell'] Plex to..."
Invocations: "Alexa, ask Plex to switch my default server"
"Alexa, ask Plex to Play (or pause, resume, cease) ________"
"Alexa, ask Plex to shuffle music by ________"
"Alexa, ask Plex what's been recently added"
"Alexa, tell Plex I don't know what to picket."
AFTVnews has a full list of commands.

1-800-Flowers

When you don't have time to hit the local florist, an overnight from 1-800-Flowers could still save your bacon. Connect your ane-800-Flowers account to the skill, and so use your voice to brand the lodge. Narrow it downward to a specific appointment or fifty-fifty a specific type of arrangement of posies.
Invocations: "Alexa, ask 1-800-Flowers to order Chloe flowers" or "Alexa, tell one-800-Flowers I want to ship flowers to Chandra on May 28th" or "Alexa tell 1-800-Flowers I need a large Dearest and Romance organization for Evan."

Amazon Restaurants
Amazon Prime members in select major U.s. cities get access to Amazon Restaurants, a office of Prime number Now, which is all about getting fast deliveries. Activate this skill, and you'll exist given suggestions based on your previous guild history with local eateries about what to order once again, then you can place the social club entirely through the Echo device.
Invocations: "Alexa, order from Amazon Restaurants."

Bargain Buddy

Deal of the 24-hour interval sites like Woot and Meh are fantastic, but difficult to keep upwardly with. If you've got a favorite, inquire Bargain Buddy, via Alexa, to tell you what today'due south deal is, and you'll know whether y'all should get check information technology out. You can narrow it down on the Woot categories, past maxim "Open up Bargain Buddy and tell me most the Sport Woot" or the "Tools Woot," "Home Woot," Wine Woot," whatsoever y'all're into.
Invocations: "Alexa, ask Deal Buddy for the Woot" or "Alexa, ask Deal Buddy to tell me today'southward Meh deal."

Further Reading

• Smart Microgrids: The Hereafter of Sustainable Power
• Google Assistant Sensitivity Option Starts Rolling Out
• IKEA Finally Starts Selling Its Smart Blinds Online
• MIT's SprayableTech Creates Interactive Surfaces Anywhere
• More than in Smart Home

Smart Home Reviews

• Kwikset Premis Contemporary Smart Lock
• Avatar Controls Triangle Smart Power Strip
• FrontPoint Rubber Home
• Domicile Smart Security Kit
• Momentum Knok Video Doorbell

Smart Dwelling house Best Picks

• The All-time Outdoor Home Security Cameras for 2022
• The All-time Smart Speakers for 2022
• The All-time Smart Kitchen Appliances for 2022
• The Best Smart Locks for 2022
• The Best Smart Dwelling Security Systems for 2022

Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/speakers/14717/the-best-amazon-alexa-skills

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