How To Use Alexa in 11 Steps

Alexa’s abilities have grown to over 10,000 in less than a decade. So if you are an Amazon user, you’re definitely in for a treat with this voice assistant. You cannot only command Alexa to perform the basic functions but also carry out some advanced features like mathematical calculations. And that’s just one thing; you can use Alexa in many ways. 

However, with so many abilities, it can be challenging to know where to start if you have just bought your first Alexa device. Of course, the first step is to set up the device, but what’s next? 

Whether you are a tech expert or not, you might need a little time to learn how to make the most out of your purchase. Fortunately, using Alexa is not something hard to learn. From asking general questions to performing advanced tasks, here is how to use Alexa in 11 steps:

Step 1: Set Up the Current Time and Ask It 

First, ask Alexa to tell you the current time in your city. Not only that, but you can also ask Alexa to inform you about the time in different cities in the world. In fact, Alexa can even tell you about the time difference between your city and the one located in the opposite corner of the globe.

You can also ask Alexa about the current day and any special occasion on different days. Here are some ways you can do so:

• Alexa, what’s the time?
• Alexa, what time is it?
• Alexa, when is Thanksgiving in New York?
• Alexa, how many days are left on New Year’s eve?
• Alexa, what time is it in Islamabad?

Step 2: Ask the Weather

The next step is to ask Alexa about the weather. Like the time and day feature, you can also ask Alexa about the weather conditions in different parts of the world. While this may not be as exciting for you, something that may impress you is that Alexa can even make weather forecasts. 

You can ask Alexa with the following commands:

• Alexa, what is today’s weather?
• Alexa, show me the weather report at 4 pm.
• Alexa, will it rain anytime in London?
• Alexa, how will the weather be on Tuesday in New York?

Step 3: Get the Traffic Report

Alexa can also give you a detailed traffic report for the route you enter into the device. This helps you plan your work route accordingly. To use Alexa for this purpose, you might have to enter your home and workplace addresses in the app. 

You can do so by tapping the “☰” icon in the app, then “Settings,” and finally “Traffic.” You can also ask Alexa for traffic updates to any different location. Here are a few ways you can do so:

• Set your work location and say, “Alexa, check traffic” or “Alexa, what’s my traffic?”
• Alexa, how long will it take to get to 13th Street?
• Alexa, what’s the traffic like at Walmart?

Step 4: Inquire About Your Flight Status

If you often travel and are habitual of missing your flights, Alexa can help you keep track of your every important trip. Just set a reminder, and Alexa will remind you at the right time. Not only that, but you can use your Alexa to know about the status of flights belonging to a range of airlines. 

Just repeat this voice command to use the flight status feature:

• Alexa, what’s the status of flight 2222 Emirates?

Step 5: Check Stock Prices

You can use Alexa to check stock prices on NASDAQ or the New York Stock Exchange. You can do so in two ways: by saying the stock’s symbol name and spelling it. For example:

• Alexa, check Amazon stock on NASDAQ
• Alexa, what’s the stock price for A-M-Z-N?

Step 6: Use Alexa As a Dictionary

Alexa can also replace your bulky dictionary or thesaurus. The voice assistant knows terms and slang in various languages. This way, you don’t have to open the browser or the dictionary to search for a word or look away when writing or reading something.

You can ask Alexa the meaning, antonym, synonym, or spelling of a word in any of the following ways:

• Alexa, what does flamboyant mean?
• Alexa, how do you spell entrepreneur?
• Alexa, what’s the opposite of tall?
• Alexa, what’s another word for small?

Step 7: Do Calculations

If you’re not good with basic mathematical calculations, don’t worry; Alexa is. The voice assistant can subtract, add, multiply, or divide and take square or cube roots. If that sounds basic, Alexa can also solve many maths questions related to prime factors, “pi” value, and “e” value. Not only that, but it can also calculate tangent, sine, or cosine. 

However, you can only make one calculation at a time. Here is how to use Alexa for this purpose:

• Alexa, what’s 50 divided by 100?
• Alexa, what’s the cubic root of 5?
• Alexa, what’s 50 factorial?

Step 8: Conversions

Alexa is also skilled in making conversions of different units of distance, volume, and temperature. It can even convert to and from many currencies. So you can use this feature when cooking or baking without repeatedly searching “what 2 mm equals to in cups” on Google.

Make sure to steer clear about the variation of the conversion you want. Just say:

• Alexa, how many milliliters are in 3 cups?
• Alexa, 5 feet is how many inches?
• Alexa, how much is 50 rupees in Indian rupees?
• Alexa, how much is 100 dollars equal to Canadian dollars?

Step 9: Increase Your General Knowledge

You can also ask Alexa general knowledge questions related to any field. From the showbiz world to historical figures and geography to nutrition facts, Alexa will give you authentic information about all your questions within a few seconds. You can also ask Alexa to read a few lines from Wikipedia.

Ask Alexa in the following ways:

• Alexa, what’s the capital of Germany?
• Alexa, what’s the population count of New York?
• Alexa, who was the first president of the United States?
• Alexa, what year was “The Karate Kid” released?
• Alexa, when will the second season of “Alice in Borderland” be released? 
• Alexa, how much protein does an egg contain?
• Alexa, how far away is the earth from the sun?
• Alexa, how heavy is an elephant?
• Alexa, Wikipedia “solar eclipse.”

Step 10: Enjoy the Audio

You can enjoy music on Alexa in many languages, belonging to artists from all over the world. You can do so in different ways. First, play a song directly from a streaming app, such as Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Amazon Prime Music, etc. 

The second way is to pair a Bluetooth-enabled device, such as your laptop or phone, with your Alexa device and play music using Bluetooth. In fact, you can even play songs on multiple devices in your home. Not only music, but you can also listen to podcasts and audiobooks on your Alexa.

To enjoy audio via a streaming platform, you can use these commands:

• Alexa, play hip-hop music on Pandora.
• Alexa, play Coldplay.
• Alexa, play Closer by Chainsmokers on Spotify.

To play music on your Alexa device, you must pair it with your phone via Bluetooth. Then, follow the below steps: 

• Say, “Alexa, enable Bluetooth” or “Alexa, connect.”.
• As it connects, you can command your Alexa device in the same way.

Step 11: Connect Your Calendar and Set Reminders

Use Alexa to stay updated about all your important events. Simply connect your calendar to your Alexa device from the app. Next, launch the Alexa app, open ☰, tap Settings, and then Calendar. The next screen will prompt an account-linking notification. 

You can use your Microsoft (Outlook, Office 365, or Exchange), Google, and Apple accounts to connect your calendar with Alexa. Once done, you can now ask Alexa about any important upcoming event on your calendar, add another event, or will delete any due to cancellation. Use these commands: 

• Alexa, add an event for 10th January to my calendar.
• Alexa, what’s on my schedule for your calendar?
• Alexa, what’s on my Thursday calendar?

Summary

You can use Alexa in many ways, considering its 10,000+ skills. Alexa is a beneficial app—from making calls, enjoying music, and solving mathematical calculations to connecting reminders, using Alexa as a dictionary, and making conversions. Hopefully, this guide made it easier for you to use Alexa.

Up Next

• How to Change Alexa Name in 4 Steps
• How to Use Alexa as an Intercom in 6 Steps
• Fun Ways to Make Alexa Mad

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Panthere Noire/Shutterstock.com.