Alexa will get the best from Amazon’s personal voice assistant, which is built into Amazon Echo smart speakers, as well as a variety of other smart home devices. When the newly updated Alexa app is available, you can also summon Alexa hands-free on your smartphone.
Amazon has added a lot of features to Alexa, but the best Alexa skills are the secret to making the smart assistant work for you. Over 100,000 Alexa skills are currently available, allowing you to monitor the best smart home gadgets, order pizza, play quiz games, listen to the news and weather, shop online, and even start your car.
Here is a detailed list of the best Alexa skills that will help you get the most out of Amazon’s assistant, compiled after sifting through hundreds of offers from various brands and developers. Also included are some of the newest additions to the ability library, such as Daily Music Pick.
Which Alexa skills are the most useful?
Since everyone’s needs and routines are different, ranking the best Alexa skills is challenging. Those ones, however, stand out if we believe they would be useful to the majority of Alexa users. We’re big fans of Alexa Guard right now, which uses the microphones on your Echo speakers to warn you when an unsettling sound (like glass breaking) happens in your home.
Send a Hug is another of our favourite abilities. It’s a simple way to let everyone you care for know you’re thinking about them, even though you can’t see them face to face.
Alexa Donations is one of the best Alexa skills for giving back right now. You can ask Alexa to donate money to charities such as the Children’s Miracle Network, Doctors Without Borders, Feeding America, or any other charity that you care about. It’s never been easier to give back.
Any of Alexa’s best skills will also assist you in medical emergencies. Although Alexa cannot dial 911, you can use the Ask My Buddy skill to send messages to a “in case of emergency” contact when you need assistance. Similarly, you can use the MyPetDoc skill to get help for any of your pets who aren’t feeling well. Should your cat or dog need an in-person visit, Alexa will provide guidance and direct you to a local veterinarian.
1. Alexa Guard
Alexa Guard transforms your Echo smart speakers into surveillance systems that listen for signs of trouble like glass breaking or your smoke alarm going off. When your Alexa app detects something unusual, it will warn you, which could be easier when you’re not at home.
Alexa Guard Plus, which is basically a beefier version of the Alexa Guard, may also be of interest. When Alexa detects an issue, it will not only notify you, but it will also contact authorities on your behalf. It’s the cheapest skilled monitoring service available, at $50 a year.
2. Offer a hug
Are you missing your loved ones when you’re cooped up at home? Sending a hug via Alexa will let your friends and family know you’re thinking about them in seconds. To give a virtual hug to any of your Alexa contacts, simply say, “Alexa, send a hug.”
It’s important to maintain contact with those you care for. Do you know how to make a voice or video call with Alexa? Our Echo Show 8 analysis explains how heartwarming it is to perform video calls, but do you know how to make a voice or video call with Alexa? You can use your Echo, Echo Dot, or Echo Show to call someone anytime you need to catch up.
3. Take advantage of Amazon’s exclusive offers
You can ask Alexa for updates on your delivery status and place a reorder after you’ve completed a purchase. To get the sentences you’ll need to unlock one of the best Alexa skills available right now, go to Amazon’s Voice Shopping page.
4. Check the weather forecast
Big Sky is one of the best Alexa skills for getting accurate, up-to-the-minute weather information. While Alexa has built-in support for predictions, Big Sky is one of the best Alexa skills for getting accurate, up-to-the-minute weather information. This is because it gives you hyper-local predictions based on your exact location. The service makes use of Dark Sky data and can provide information such as wind speed and humidity.
5. Obtain diet advice
Are you trying to make some good dietary changes? If you’re not sure where to begin, you can ask Alexa for fast nutrition advice. While you should consult a licenced nutritionist if you have ongoing dietary issues, your voice assistant will provide some general guidance focused on healthy lifestyle topics.
6. Interact with Alexa in a variety of languages.
Not every family speaks the same dialect. If you live anywhere where members of your family speak more than one language, Alexa has a mode designed specifically for you. Multilingual Mode is one of Alexa’s best abilities since it allows you to converse in two different languages while Alexa understands both. The service is available in the United States (with English and Spanish support), India (with Indian English and Hindi support), and Canada (where Alexa will understand both English and Canadian French).
7. Make a financial contribution
Alexa allows you to donate to a charity or a business. Simply say, “Alexa, contribute $50 to the Cancer Society,” or “Alexa, make a donation,” and you’ll be prompted to choose a charity and a monetary number.
8. Seek assistance for your pet.
MyPetDoc is one of the best Alexa skills for diagnosing what’s wrong with your pet whether it’s sick or behaving strangely. Alexa will ask follow-up questions and provide suggestions after you describe Fido’s symptoms. If Alexa is unsure what’s wrong, it will send your conversation and phone number to a veterinarian, who will contact you within minutes. (Just keep in mind that while Alexa may have some advice, it’s not a replacement for a formal vet visit.)
9. Get recipe inspiration
It’s difficult to choose only one of the best Alexa cooking skills because there are so many that cater to different needs. Simple Meal Ideas, from the editors of Cook’s Illustrated, for quick-and-easy recipe suggestions, and America’s Test Kitchen Daily Cooking Q&A, which publishes new recipes, tips, and techniques in its weekly Q&A. Morton’s Salting Sous Chef will tell you how to salt anything you’re preparing, as well as provide general salting advice. Simply say “Alexa, show me recipes” and choose your choice, and Alexa will walk you through the steps.
10. Listen to audiobooks
If you enjoy reading, audiobooks can appeal to you because they allow you to’read’ a book while doing other things. Audible is the highest Alexa skill for audiobooks out of all of them. Audible, a mobile audiobook service, allows you to access your latest read with your voice and play it via your Alexa speaker. Even if you don’t have one of the best Kindles, you can listen to some Amazon Kindle books via an Alexa speaker.
11. Make a voice call to another Alexa-enabled user
You can make voice and video calls to and from other Alexa-enabled devices, such as the Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, and the Alexa app on your smartphone, using Amazon’s service. Alexa searches your phone’s address book for contacts that have the Alexa app or an Echo system, and then allows you to call them.
12. Listen to music
You can use Alexa to play music from a number of services (Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Sirius XM, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Tidal, Gimme, TuneIn, Pandora, Pandora Premium, and Vevo), and you can up- or down-vote songs and play playlists from each. You can build playlists based on unique events, eras, artists, or even your mood using Amazon’s music library. You can also combine categories, such as “80s music for running,” or ask Alexa to play hook-up music if you’re feeling saucy. Did you know that Amazon Music is also available for free on your Echo?
13. Alexa can be used as a personal trainer.
With Alexa’s 7-minute-workout ability, you can get in shape in no time. Just say, “Alexa, start a 7-minute workout now,” and you will be recommended exercises. The best thing is that you can take breaks whenever you want. The best Alexa skills for health and fitness are listed below.
Alexa is integrated into some of the best fitness trackers. Alexa can serve as your workout coach from your wrist, as we stated in our Wyze Band and Fitbit Versa 2 reviews.
14. Check the balance on your credit card
The Amex Alexa skill allows American Express cardholders to monitor their accounts. You can bind your account by saying “Alexa, open Amex.” Then, among other things, you can check your account balance, make a deposit, review costs, check your available credit, and so on. This is one of the best Alexa skills for staying on top of your finances.
15. Locate your favourite eateries
If you’re looking for a spot to eat, look no further. Alexa knows everything there is to know about the businesses in your area. “Alexa, what time does Taco Bell open?” is all you have to say. or “Alexa, what is Wendy’s address?” and you get the details
16. Keep your apartment clean.
Alexa skills that allow you to automate repetitive tasks are among the best. Alexa can be used to start and stop cleaning on a variety of the best robot vacuums, including the Shark Ion R85 and the Roomba i7+. Vacuuming has never been so easy!
17. Participate in games Promotion
Alexa may also provide amusement. There are numerous trivia-related skills available, but Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock; 20 questions; bingo; Jeopardy; and tic-tac-toe are among the most common. More are being added all the time, so go to the Alexa app’s Games, Trivia & Accessories section to find the game you want to play.
18. Schedule a meeting
You can use Alexa to arrange meetings with your friends if you have access to their calendars. Based on both of your schedules, Amazon’s assistant will suggest meeting times. If a scheduling problem occurs after you’ve arranged a meeting, you might ask Alexa to reschedule it. iCloud, Gmail, G Suite, Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Exchange are among the calendars that are supported (only through Alexa for Business).
19. Watch TV
Alexa can be used to monitor your TV in a variety of ways. If you have a Logitech Harmony remote, you can connect it to Alexa using the Harmony ability. It was recently updated so that all you have to say is “Alexa, turn on my TV” or “Alexa, pause,” and the order will be sent automatically.
20. Teach Alexa what you know
Alexa Answers is the voice assistant’s crowd-sourced skill. It encourages Amazon to users share their intel on their favourite topics with the Alexa community by responding to questions Alexa doesn’t know the answer to yet. You can win badges based on how many questions you’ve answered, how many times your response has been shared with Alexa customers, and more once you’ve submitted an answer.
21. Get pregnancy tips and advice
“What to Expect” is the best Alexa skill for the expectant parents. It provides daily and weekly tips, guides, and advice, and is customised to your due date, and also will provide information till the kid reaches one year of his age.
22. First Aid
From small cuts to CPR orders, the Mayo Clinic skill offers simple first aid answers. This skill, however, is only for educational purposes; if you’re in a life-threatening or emergency situation, call for help.
23. In the event of an emergency, seek assistance.
When you’re in an emergency and can’t find your phone, the Ask My Buddy ability will send a message (text, SMS, or phone call) to a pre-selected contact. While this feature is not a replacement for 911, it does allow you to notify loved ones that you need assistance.
24. Inquire about Alexa’s capabilities Advertisement
This ability was created to make the action of your voice assistant less mysterious. When you ask Alexa, why she did that? you’ll get an answer for why Alexa replied to your previous voice command the way it did. In the future, the feature could lead to improved contact between you and your voice assistant.
25. Get in touch with your Fitbit
Do you want to know how close you are to achieving your regular move target? You can ask Alexa how many steps you’ve taken, how well you slept, and other metrics captured by your Fitbit activity tracker using the Fitbit ability.
26. Latest news always
The NPR Hourly News Summary ability provides a 5-minute summary of the day’s top stories, which is updated every hour. Try NPR’s Wait Wait Quiz, based on the comedy show “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me,” to see how well you know the news. Fill-in-the-blank trivia questions about the week’s events will be posed to you. You’ll be entered for a chance to get your name listed in the next episode of the show if you answer five questions correctly.
27. Get your car started
Do you want to start your car and get it warmed up before you leave? A range of auto manufacturers offer features that allow you to start your vehicle remotely, lock and unlock doors, adjust the interior temperature, switch on the lights, and more. Hyundai Blue Connection, MyFord Mobile, and EV Car for Teslas are among them
28. Switch on or off your lights
Why reach for your phone or a light switch when Alexa can turn off all of your linked lights with a simple command? To use this skill, you’ll need a smart plug or a smart light, but it’s really useful. Lutron and Control4 are among the smart-home platforms for which skills are available. Here’s how to get Alexa to work with your Philips Hue lights
30. Keep up with your favourite sports teams.
Alexa wants to keep you up to date on your favourite teams and sports.go to settings on the application. Look for and save your favourite teams in Sports Update. The digital assistant will provide information on the NFL, NBA, MLS, MLB, NHL, WNBA, NCAA, and other American sports, including scores and upcoming schedules. “Alexa, send me my sports update,” you say after you’ve joined your squad.
How do you pick the right Alexa skills for your needs?
Choosing the right Alexa skills for you is a personal decision. Although almost everyone can benefit from Alexa’s weather, traffic, music, and news skills, you should consider how Alexa can support or entertain you in other ways. After all, it is your personal assistant.
If you have a lot of smart home gadgets, the Alexa skills that are associated with the IoT brands you use are the best for you. There’s an Alexa skill for Philips Hue, C by GE, and Lifx smart lights, so you can monitor them without touching them. The manufacturers of the best smart plugs, best smart locks, and other smart devices are in the same boat.
Alexa abilities are also available on some wearable devices. To see your fitness target progress and health stats, use the Fitbit skill, and the Bose skill to adjust the music on your smart speaker or headphones, respectively.
We’d also suggest allowing emergency skills in case anything goes wrong. You don’t expect to use the Ask My Buddy skill, but if trouble arises, you’ll be glad you have an ICE contact set up.
How we put the best Alexa skills to the test
We spent a lot of time testing the Alexa app and asking Alexa for recommendations in order to find the best Alexa skills for our readers. We consider what kind of queries you may have while in the space where you hold an Alexa speaker.
We consider what kind of queries you may have while in the space where you hold an Alexa speaker. We also put a number of skills to the test, including those that assist with chores, errands, scheduling, communication, and other tasks.
We test the top offerings and look at user reviews to make confident recommendations in Alexa skill categories like “Start Your Day,” “Get Exercise,” and “Music & Audio.” Since some skills aren’t as smart as they seem, we’ve double-checked the ones mentioned above to ensure they work and make Alexa the most useful personal assistant possible.
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