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To do: Change your smart speaker settings before the holidays
True story: Last year, a friend’s toddler ordered 20 pounds of dog food and a karaoke machine using only their smart speaker. Mom had no idea till the Amazon boxes arrived. Voice commands and toddlers? Not a great combo.
Funny, yes, but a massive pain — and it’s more likely to happen around the holidays when you’re busy and ordering lots of gifts and last-minute supplies. I’ll show you how to stop that and get your smart speakers in tip-top shape for guests.
Turn off voice purchasing
- Open the Alexa app, select More > Settings > Account Settings > Voice Purchasing. Turn it off entirely.
From here, you can also set up a code for voice purchasing if you prefer to keep it on but protected.
Know your mute buttons
When you have guests and it looks like overindulgence in voice commands (and/or cocktails) could be a problem, tap the mute button on your smart speaker to stop any commands. It looks like a crossed-out speaker icon. For Amazon Echo displays, an accompanying switch turns off the camera, too … just in case.
Set up parental controls
There are things you don’t want voice assistants to look up when guests are around. Parental blocks prevent certain searches, no matter how naughty or rambunctious people get. It is eggnog season, after all.
- If you use Alexa, open the app and select More > Settings > Music & Podcasts. You can then toggle the Explicit Language Filter on or off.
In the Google Home app, open Digital Wellbeing and add filters to specific devices to block unwelcome content.
Change your wake word
Let’s be real: Nobody wants just anyone talking to their voice assistant, especially if you have a bunch of personalized settings. And honestly? It’s annoying.
If Alexa is your go-to voice assistant, changing your wake word in the Alexa app is pretty easy.
- Go to Menu > Settings > Device Settings.
- Select the device > Wake Word. Your wake-word options include “Amazon,” “Computer,” “Echo” and “Ziggy.” “Santa” is in there this time of year, too!
The bad news: Siri and Google don’t have the option to change your wake word. Now, there are reports Google Assistant responds to “Hey, boobies” (really!), but I’m guessing that’s not really what you had in mind. If you use Apple or Google smart home gear, stick with the mute button.
Set up the intercom feature
This makes it way easier than going to every room to wrangle people for dinner. You’ll need a few Amazon Echo speakers linked to the same account and on the same Wi-Fi network.
- In the Alexa app, tap Devices > Echo and Alexa and tap your device’s name.
- In the slide-up that opens with your device info, tap the cog icon and scroll to Communications.
- Finally, enable both Drop In and Announcements.
Now, just say, “Alexa, drop in on [your smart speaker’s name].” Wait for a tone, then start talkin’. The Drop In feature is on until someone says, “Alexa, end Drop In” or “Alexa, hang up.”
To send a one-off message, say, “Alexa, announce [your message],” like “Alexa, announce dinner is getting cold!” Steps here for Google and Apple gear.
Itching for a smarter home? The Echo Dot is only $23 right now, and the Echo Show 8, with its 8-inch screen, is 43% off. For the best sound, though, go with the Echo Studio.
🎄 Well, wasn’t that super helpful? Share this with a friend or family member who doesn’t want to deal with guests egging on Alexa at Christmas dinner.
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Tags: Amazon, Amazon Alexa, Amazon Echo, Apple, devices, Google, Google Assistant, parental controls, podcasts, privacy, settings, smart speakers, voice assistants, voice purchasing, wake word
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