Creating Alexa Routine
Alexa is the virtual assistant built into Echo devices and other speakers, and it’s a tool that can help you do your chores smoothly, gives you a reminder, and as well as entertain you while doing your chores amongst other things. You just need to set up your routines, and Amazon digital butler will take care of things. Alexa helps perform one or multiple actions, from playing your favourite Spotify playlist at the same time each day to running a complicated Routine that gradually lightens your mood and the entire house.
A Routine can be triggered as well by speaking to your Echo smart speaker, or it can run at a set time of day or even when your dog barks. A Routine can be done in several ways. By setting “Alexa, Good morning” to your Echo show which is a little faster and has a better camera to trigger Good morning ” to your Echo show which is a little faster and has a better camera to trigger a Good morning Routine or have it set to go off every morning at 8 am or when you dismiss your alarm on your Echo Dot with a clock which is by far the most popular speaker in the lineup. It’s the 3rd Gen model, released in 2018, which has proven to be an excellent little smart speaker, and with Amazon’s frequent and aggressive sales, you can pick one up for a song, making it easy to put the Alexa voice assistant in every room of your home.
You can set it to start your Echo speaker when the sensor by your bed detects motion between 5 am and 6 am on weekdays whilst on weekends 7 am and 9 am. Your Routine can also run based on your location, like when you leave or arrive somewhere
BASIC STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO SETTING UP AN ALEXA ROUTINE.
- Open the Alexa app on your smartphone or tablet
- Select more from the bottom navigation panel
- Tap Routines from the menu
- Tap the plus icon in the top right corner
- Enter a name for the Routine and tap Next
- Choose what will be used to trigger the Routine (see below for some options) and tap Next
- Choose the actions you want Alexa to take (See below for more on these), and tap Next.
- Choose which Echo device the Routine will play from (if it has a sound component such as music or an announcement or if it will be triggered by voice)
- Tap save and your Routine will appear in the list of Routines.
- You can go into the Routine from this list to change it, disable it, or start it manually by tapping the play button next to it.
Pro tip: if you want to create multiple routines that do the same thing only with a different trigger or from a different device, select the Routine from the main Routines page, tap the three-dot menu button in the top right-hand corner of the Edit Routine page, and select copy Actions to New Routine.
TRIGGERS YOU CAN USE TO START AN ALEXA ROUTINE
You need to trigger, something that tells Alexa that when this happens, you want the Routine to run.
The most common triggers are voice: Ask Alexa to start the Routine. Create a snack time, bedtime etc.
Time of day Routine: Dinner time Routine: This gets everyone set at the table for dinner.
Smart home: detects open doors, movement at odd hours, etc
Location: using the Alexa app on your smartphone, Alexa can know when you arrive or leave your house.
Sound: it sends a notification when it hears a dog barking, the sound of water running, a person coughing, etc.
Alexa Routines have a lot of potential and options for customizations. If you can think of it, Alexa can do it for you.
