10 Alexa features you should use daily

If you have an Amazon Echo or any other Alexa built-in device, you may already know how indispensable Alexa has become in our lives. From allowing you to talk to the device, to giving information, news and turning your house from an ordinary house to a smart home, the possibilities with Alexa are almost endless.

You may know that Alexa can do a bunch of really cool stuff, but we bet there are things that you didn’t know Alexa is capable of? Alexa can be a helpful, clever, quirky and an entertaining round the clock assistant for you while at home!

Here are 10 fun and informative ways for you to try right away-

1 Wake up to your favourite tunes with music alarms 

Waking up to your favourite tunes can not only boost your mood in the morning but can also give a great kick start to your day with positive energy. Alexa can help you set your favourite song or genre as your alarm tone. Just say “Alexa, wake me up at 6 AM to Kishore Kumar Songs”, “Alexa, wake me up at 9:30 AM to Please don’t stop the music by Rihaana”, or “Alexa, set an alarm for 5 AM to devotional songs“. Try it out!

2 Workout with Alexa, your gym buddy

Exercising regularly is essential to maintain a healthy lifestyle while at home. And Alexa can be a great workout buddy for you by helping you stay fit. Just ask “Alexa, play Bollywood workout playlist”, “Alexa, help me do yoga”, “Alexa, open Daily Stretch” or “Alexa, start a five minute plank”. No more excuses please!

3 Family game time with Alexa

Maximize your family fun time with tons of cool games on Alexa. To have a crazy family game time, just say “Alexa, open Akinator” and let it read your mind, “Alexa, play impossible Bollywood quiz” for all the Bollywood lovers, “Alexa, open Number Guessing Game” or “Alexa, play true or false” and exercise your brain cells. So what are you waiting for? Just ask!

4 Laugh the boredom away with Easter eggs and delighters

Alexa can be a great buddy for that daily dose of laughter with a host of delighters and Easter eggs. To get started, say “Alexa, it’s the time to disco”, “Alexa, tell me a joke” or “Alexa, beatbox for me”. Have a good laugh by turning to Hindi Jokes that you can enjoy with your family. Just ask “Alexa, open Hindi Jokes”. You can also ask Alexa for specific jokes to crack up your loved ones. All the Rajni fans, say “Alexa, tell me a Rajnikant joke”

5 Alexa can help you learn something new, everyday!

Alexa can be your daily ‘gyan guru’ as well by teaching you new things every day. She can help you with facts about cricket, science, history, space, or general knowledge. To get started, ask “Alexa, tell me about the Mughal Dynasty”, “Alexa, who is the God of cricket?” or “Alexa, give me a science fact”.

6 Bring out your inner master chef by trying new recipes with Alexa

Echo devices can be super versatile in your kitchen. Simply ask Alexa for step-by-step cooking instructions by saying “Alexa, give me the recipe for Palak Paneer” or “Alexa, start recipe for Chocolate cake”, and Alexa will walk you through popular recipes curated by star chef, Sanjeev Kapoor.

To get the best experience you can also use instructions like “Alexa, pause”, “Alexa, play”, “Alexa, next step” and “Alexa, repeat step” — removing the need to manually reference recipes while your hands are busy with food. You can also set a timer or ask for nutrition information of food items. Just ask, “Alexa, what is the nutrition in banana?” or “Alexa, how many calories in a mango”.

7 Get to know your mythology with Alexa 

Remember your grandmother narrating the Ramayana to you back in the day? The mega epic saga that Indians have been holding on to for lessons, inspirations and learnings for years. Mega stars like Nasseruddin Shah, Om Puri, Anupam Kher and Ratna Pathak Shah have recreated the magic of Ramayana in the form of an audio story. Just say “Alexa, start Ramayan Katha” to listen to one of your favorite memories from childhood.

Alexa can also help you summon a spiritual experience at home. To get started just say “Alexa, start Hanuman Chalisa”, “Alexa, play devotional songs” or “Alexa, play morning bhajans”.

8 Unwind and relax with Alexa

Having a stressful time? Alexa to the rescue! With skills like Headspace, you can build a daily meditation practice, create the conditions for a better night’s sleep, or go on guided walks and runs. To get started just say “Alexa, open Headspace” and make it an everyday habit. Simply ask “Alexa, tell Headspace I’m ready to meditate”. You can also ask “Alexa, help me relax”, “Alexa, help me meditate”, “Alexa, help me sleep” or Alexa, play soothing music”.

9 Enjoy your favourite TV shows and movies on Echo devices with screens

How often do you switch off your TV but still want to catch up on that one last episode before sleeping? Or fight with your sibling for the remote? Now use your Echo device with screen to catch up on movies and shows by asking for a movie or your favourite actor films, a specific TV show, or any genre of content. To get started say “Alexa, play Kuch Kuch Hota hai from Prime Video”, “Alexa, start the movie Good Newz”, “Alexa, show Kareena Kapoor movies” or “Alexa, play Peppa Pig” or “Alexa, resume Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”. Let the show begin!

10 Make your life easier by paying bills with Alexa

With Amazon Pay integration, Alexa gets even better by being your payment buddy! You could pay your utility bills using Alexa, whether its electricity, water, post-paid mobile, cooking gas or even broadband or DTH bills. Users of Amazon Echo, Fire TV Stick and other devices with Alexa built-in can just say “Alexa, pay my mobile bill” or “Alexa, pay my electricity bill” to get started.