If you have an Amazon Echo device, then you’ve likely gotten pretty used to saying “Alexa” whenever you want it to do something.
While the device defaults to using ‘Alexa’ as its wake word out of the box, there are some situations (for instance, if your name is Alexa) that you might want to change things up and use something different.
[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2018/11/manage-kitchen-chaos-with-alexas-named-timers/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/kjxhppdik3jqso9gyu3d.jpg” title=”Manage Kitchen Chaos With Alexa’s Named Timers” excerpt=”Alexa and Google Home both allow you to set multiple, named timers, and they will save your holiday roasts.”]
Amazon won’t let you change your Echo’s wake word to anything you want, but it does offer a few options. Instead of “Alexa” you can also use “Echo” or “OK computer” as your wake words. It’s a feature that’s been available for a while, but not many people realise it’s there. CNBC pointed it out again this weekend.
To make the change, go to the Alexa app on your phone and then tap the hamburger icon on the top left side of the page (it looks like three lines stacked on top of each other). From there, select Settings and then Device Settings.
The wake word you choose is device specific, so if you have multiple Echo devices you’ll need to swap things out on every single device you have that you want to be changed individually.
When you tap on a device, you want to scroll down to “Wake Word.” Select the new wake word you’d like from the list, and then select “OK.”
You can also make the change directly on an Amazon Echo device with a display. On those, say “Go to Settings” and then select “Device Options” followed by “Wake Word.”
And keep in mind your device will need to be connected to the web to make this change, so if you have an Echo device unplugged for some reason, you’ll need to plug it in before you can make any adjustments.
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