Alexa Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Amazon Echo Device Experience

This story is part Tips for the houseCNET’s collection of handy tips for getting the most out of your home, inside and out.

That much, Alexa can feel like a member of the family. Amazon’s trusty voice assistant is always there when you need it, from streaming musicat set reminders and say funny jokes — and there are now over 300 million devices connected to it. Whether you have a echo dotthe Echo Dot with clock, the compact Echo Flex, the chunky Echo Studio, or smart displays like the Echo Show 10Display 8, Display 5 or the Show 15Alexa can make your life easier by automating your day.

But have you ever wondered if you can customize Alexa and adapt the functions to your exact needs? Customizing your Echo device is actually very simple and well worth the extra effort.

From creating your own Alexa responses to setting up voice profiles for Alexa to recognize individual voices, there are several ways to personalize your Echo. Read on for five ways to customize your Amazon Echo for the best Alexa experience possible. (You can also consult how much would it cost you to set up an amazon alexa smart home.)

1. Make Alexa more user-friendly

Sometimes it’s hard to understand everything Alexa says when it goes on and on. Luckily, if you need the voice assistant to slow down, just say “Alexa, speak slower.” Or maybe you need Alexa to talk a little faster. If so, say “Alexa, speak faster.” Alexa has seven talk speeds: four faster, two slower, and the default speed.

Read more: Alexa commands not meeting your needs? Just create your own

2. Create custom Alexa responses on your Echo

Alexa may not always respond the way you’d like — for example, she won’t swear if you ask her — but you can create your own custom Alexa responses for your Amazon Echo.

To create your personal responses, go to the Amazon Blueprints page and select Custom questions and answersthen click Create your own.

Now Alexa will say what you want – and your friends will wonder why their Amazon Echo doesn’t have the same answers.

3. Create a voice profile on your Echo

To give you and other members of your household a more personalized experience with Alexa, create a voice profile for everyone. This will help Alexa learn your voice and give you more personalized responses.

To have Alexa learn your voice, open the Alexa app on your phone and go to Settings > Account settings > Recognized voices > Create a voice profile and follow the on-screen prompts and read four sentences aloud.

To make sure your voice profile has been set up correctly, simply ask “Alexa, who am I?” and it will tell you who is speaking. If other members of your household want to set up a voice profile, they will need to repeat the same process on their phones.

4. Change the Alexa wake word

When you first unbox your Echo, the default wake word it responds to is Alexa. However, you can change the wake word at any time. Other traditional Amazon options for calling your voice assistant are Computer, Amazon, and Echo, but there are also several newer wake word additions you can use like Ziggy and Hey, Disney. Unfortunately, you can’t give it a unique name, so you have to choose from the options above.

If you want to change the name, just say “Alexa, change wake word” and choose another option. Or if you’re not near your Echo speaker, you can open the Alexa app and go to Settings. Then select Device settings and choose your device (eg Katie’s Echo Dot). Scroll down and tap wake up wordthen select what you want to call your voice assistant.

5. Create personalized routines around your day

If you already use your Echo to turn on the lights, hear the news, and start the coffee maker every morning, then why not put all those commands together? You can set up Alexa Routines to help you get through your morning or any other part of your day.

When you create a routine, you can chain multiple commands into one. For example, you can say “Alexa, start my day” to turn on the lights, start the coffee maker, and play music at the same time.

To get started, open the Alexa app menu and tap Routines. You will then click on the plus sign icon and create your routines.

Now that your Echo speaker is more personalized, here’s 50 Useful Alexa Skills You Need to Try Today, six Alexa settings you’ll want to change right away and five essential tips for your new Amazon Echo.