How to Stop Alexa’s Annoying ‘By the Way’ Suggestions

Virtual assistants can be quite handy. In fact, Alexa has proven to be an integral part of my smart home system. The fact that I can walk into my home and say “Alexa, turn on bedroom” and the lights in my bedroom will pop on is certainly convenient. But these virtual assistants also have a dark side, and we’re not talking about them spying on you—sometimes they just don’t know when to shut up.

If you’ve ever used Alexa, then you’ve probably found yourself hearing “by the way, did you know…” at one point or another. This can be helpful if you’re asking the assistant a question or trying to figure out all the things you can do with Alexa. But usually it’s just an attempt to advertise some other service or “plugin” that Alexa offers, like playing rain sounds. I don’t want to hear commercials when I’m trying to turn off my lights and go to sleep, thank you.

These suggestions can be tricky to stop. Telling Alexa not to suggest things didn’t do the trick for me. But if you know the magic words, there’s actually an easy way to stop Alexa from suggesting things.

How to stop Alexa’s “by the way” suggestions

To stop Alexa’s “by the way” suggestions, just say “Alexa, stop by the way suggestions” or “Alexa, stop by the way.” It’s really that simple. I know because I tested it, and sure enough, Alexa responded by telling me it wouldn’t send any more suggestions. And it hasn’t. (You never know with these virtual assistants). Thanks for the tip, Reddit.

Looking to kit out your smart home with Amazon Alexa? Follow our guide on how to create the best Alexa set-up for your home. At time of writing, Amazon is also running deals on devices including the Echo Dot, Echo Pop, and Echo Show 8.