User Reviews for Amazon Alexa

4.59 out of 5

4.7M Ratings

3 years ago, ssaurez1

Still difficult to use

Very difficult to make routines or control things around the house. It should be much easier to see any decide or gadgets around the house, light bulbs or speakers, outlets. Still a lot to work on Alex’s capabilities to make her more efficient. I’ll be happy when in 1,2,3 minutes and she would be able to see and discover every new devise found in the house or any Bluetooth gadgets she did not know. Phone calls shouldn’t be a problem if Alexa is connected to my network regardless if she's connected to my phone call should be allowed and what's going in with WhatsApp? It's worldwide as possible why not to give her access to use it to call other countries? That's really a plus ++++. . Once Akexa has access to the network it should be easy to discover anything hooked up to the same network via Bluetooth or wifi it's all password protected and in the same house why d8es she need constant permission? She should be able to discover my car Ior husband car or the house or office callif she has been there once and access was granted why can't she always has clearance? Constantly having to connect her tiny cell if leave the house then she gets totally disconnected. Akexa should be able to call my cell in her own to ask if she should turn on the lights for my dogs. That's how efficient she should be and she's capable, just have to work the perks..?

6 years ago, davey PHX

List Feature

This app no longer works properly. For the past several weeks, I’ve gone to several different stores to shop. Before I leave home, I make a shopping list, but when I get to the store the app won’t open. I get the comment “No Network Available” “Please connect and try again”. I checked my settings and cellular data and cellular roaming is turned on, but I’m unable to open or sign in to Alexa. The next day it might or might not work. I have LTE cellular service and a fully charged iPhone 7 running IOS 11.4.1. I’m now leaving the second store today without completing my shopping because I depend on this list function. I guess I have to revert back to the olden ways of paper & pencil. I’m very dissatisfied, but hey it’s free you say. Well it’s turned into a huge time waster for me because now I’ll have to go home and scour through the sales ads and either recreate my lists or make a paper list. When I get home the app may actually open, but when I get to the store....nothing. Maybe you ought to fix the issues that exist now before you keep proudly adding and advertising more and more new functions and capabilities to the app, which evidently seem to be causing problems with its former user-friendly and basic functioning.

3 years ago, RH2S

Units not in sync, cannot redesign lists order

Our sons and our bedroom are close together. He has an echo kids. When we say good morning Routine it plays on our echo in our bedroom instead of his bedroom. We constantly miss listening to our morning news and weather. Other than changing Alexa’s name we wish you could make Alexa ignore a 2,3,and 4 year old. It was cute at first but now it totally annoying to the point where we just want to get rid of Alexa and the 4 units we bought. I like being able not to have to talk to Alexa and being able to type commands or to switch buttons. I don’t like the volume control as it blasted as it jumps several volume levels at a time and help destroy my new very expensive speaker system on my stereo which also is hooked to sound our TV. This is bad having Alexa listen to your 3 year old crank up the volume. A lot would have to change for me to ever give it 5 stars. There are some nice features but are outweighed by the bad. Alexa needs more and better Setting Controls and a way to ignore small children who like to change music every 5 seconds. I want to turn on my garage lights first and after I scrolled through every other light in the house I finally arrive to where I can turn the switch on; you should be able to arrange the switches the way you want. Still haven’t figured Kids Free time out. Hard to have other main adult family members use the app too; only one master.

2 years ago, td958

Affordable Smart house for everyone

My job takes me to a lot of let’s say 1%ers homes. They are all automated. All hard wired with mega expensive systems that need a 6 month course to operate. My first experience with dot’s was with the second generation 5 years ago. It was cool and did some meet stuff, but I had to remember every lights name to control it, and for it to sound good I had to hook it up to a stereo. I purchased an Echo 4th gen smart speaker when they were on sale this summer. They have made the speakers so much better and the software works so much better. The Alexa app is easy for setting up routines new devices are found with no issues using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. I can walk into a room and say “Alexa turn on the lights” and they only turn on in the room I’m in. I don’t need to know every lights name. You still do to control the individual light. TV, smart plugs, lights, shades, motion detectors, security systems, doorbells and your heat/ac. I don’t have a smart fridge but if I did Alexa would fill it when it was empty. 4 echos, 4dots(4th), 1dot(5th), 2dots(2nd), and 3 show 5’s all cost me under $450. Music all over the house. Intercom system. Over the years they have improved the hardware and the software. I’m assuming it will just get better. Controlling the house with automations and your voice is just really cool.

3 years ago, Clamsterdam

A duplicate device every time! Frustrating for those with a lot of Smart Devices

The app would be great if there were more control over the items you have connected. Every time I open the app it’s discovered the same devices again. I have duplicates and triples of just about every device. I’m aware of why it’s happening, but there’s no way to stop it from happening. There’s no way to hide devices and getting rid of items is painfully slow and tedious. In the end it’s not even worth it because the next time you run the app it will just re-discover all of the devices that you just spent hours deleting. Also, there’s no easy way to distinguish which of the multiples are the devices you’ve actually set up for routines or rooms. Essentially you have to turn things on and off to see which ones respond before you can determine the ones that need to be removed. Not like it matters though because of the aforementioned comment about them just coming back. I love Alexa, but there needs to be a better way to manage devices and for Christ’s sake please give us a way to do away with all of these duplicates!!!! I’m tired of having to spend hours re-doing my entire smart home. Maybe stop pushing out all of these new devices and work on your app infrastructure. As of right now your devices are smart but your app is clearly the kid in class who just doesn’t get it.

4 years ago, uofmorioles

Why you need an Alexa Show

Any person in their sixties needs to have this machine. This machine is invaluable to people who want to or need to live independently. It reminds you to take your medicine....read the reminder or Alexa will tell you the reminder. It’s a great way to stay in touch with an elderly person. Is Grandma still in her pajamas at 2:00 in the afternoon, not getting out even though she assures you that she’s up and dressed and has walked the dog? This machine allows you to “drop in” and see grandpa taking all of his meds. You can actually “drop in” on a lonely person and eat “together” even while you are in Delaware and your loved one is in Florida if you both have the Alexa Show. To know that an elderly person is exercising, being social, eating regularly, and taking meds......what a relief! Buy an Alexa Show right now so you can get “you and your loved-one” acclimated to the machine before you actually need it... that’s why I picked 60”s as a great age to buy it. It becomes part of your life and believe me, it is a life-saving tool. One more thing....it is easy to install and to use. I am not kidding! You will be so grateful that someone invented this machine! It’s so helpful.

9 months ago, Myrtle1821

Device issues

I’m having to reset and readd my smart light bulbs again and again and the routines I’ve set in the past I can’t get to turn off even when I’ve deleted the routine and reset the light bulb it still comes on at the same time I had my old routine set on. I’ve put smart bulbs thought out the house and on the porch and Alexa’s in multiple rooms but when I command or question is asked in one room it answers from another Alexa device in other rooms. I have my own Alexa and account and my parents have there own so it’s connected to each of our rooms and our own devices but it’s just messed everything up when it comes to getting devices to work using Alexa commands. It’s a major hassle to set up everything they have available on the app for each person in the house hold and get the Alexa’s to respond accurately with simple commands such as “Alexa turn in the porch lights” to the point my parents stopped using their devices for anything but the weather now. I use mine a bit more but recently have had issues with Alexa no longer accepting my routine commands of lights on and lights off that I’ve been using for 2 years and now when I ask it says Alexa is not enabled, go to the app to enable yet when I got to the app everything is still connected the way it’s always been and will only let me use my phone to turn them on and off

6 months ago, jacsbrat

Too much LAG TIME w/video cam

Can be complicated at times. Too hard to find specific things. It’s stating that my RING VIDEO DOOR BELL PRO is UNSUPPORTED!!!👿👿 no point in having a camera if it’s not going to be supported on all devices! You have to make sure that yr routines don’t overlap. So unless you set a timer you’ll wonder why things aren’t working. You cannot always have a custom setting!🤷🏽‍♀️💆🏽‍♀️ instead you have to setup timers! My cam video wouldn’t pop up bc of overlapping routines! Clear instructions on the “use” of Alexa would be very helpful. I had learn more about Alexa’s idiosyncrasies by trial & error. virtually useless at times (won’t take me to where I want but gives me info fm the web…not what I wanted! A “LOT” of LAG TIME when bringing up video cam or detecting ppl. The scene has been missed and ppl are already gone or at my door! Video cam shld override all else! One command or click and I shld be able to view my camera immed. Shld have an option to add my device even if it’s not listed..but, if it can’t find it…u can’t add it…maybe in time we’ll both get better…sheesh NOT ABLE TO DELETE profiles unless you go onto Amazon…why!🤷🏽‍♀️💆🏽‍♀️Need more control over motion sensitivity. Can be a wonderful tool if the lag time were much faster! When and if it works correctly or you figure out yr issues; it’s awesome that’s if you can figure it out.

2 years ago, Bradh02

Stressful to Use

There is an endless amount of potential within the Alexa ecosystem, however, the Alexa app is extremely stressful to use. The layout is so convoluted, I forget where I am within the app because every screen looks so similar. Things are more difficult to do and find than they should be. If you can find them, many of the skills do not do what they advertise, including account linking which is really necessary to make Alexa valuable. I had not been in the app in a while and I tried to do several tasks including add photos to a screensaver, link a utility bill to Alexa’s Bill Planner, pair my remote with my echo dot, update my news sources on my Flash Briefing and simply find the skills list. In the end, I stumbled upon the skills list but couldn’t find it again when I needed it, could NOT link my utility bill, could not pair my remote and the only task I was able to accomplish was updating my flash briefing. I really didn’t belief all the 1 and 2 star skill reviews but I really should have. This is just a really difficult app to use for some reason. I just found myself getting really excited about what Alexa should be able to do but disappointed time and again when I couldn’t accomplish anything. This is a really stressful app that apparently I need to revisit years from now because it’s not close to delivering on its promise.

2 years ago, Maria_ThatBeMe

This app is 1 star Alex is 5 stars

We are in the year 2022 when you compare this app and its features to many other apps out there this application is very behind. Alexa is great when you ask her questions when you tell her to do things but she’s limited when it links to other applications such as Apple Music for instants. It is so difficult to request music albums stations shows from the Apple Music app when you’re using it through this app here. He cannot find the music or album sometimes station or radio and it just won’t play or gives you a response that it can’t be found. The creators of this app really need to improve the users ability And make it user-friendly to people to use when talking to Alexa. I find myself having to use my Bluetooth connection in order to play Apple Music the way I really use Apple for with all their features it’s just not working with this app. this app also is not very user-friendly when you’re trying to control your home you have connected devices for certain things and you tell it to turn it off or to turn it on it turns off the wrong stuff or turns everything off when that’s not what you’re telling it to do please give this app an entire upgrade make it just as equal as the things Alexa can do because this app is just not there you’re years behind!

2 years ago, Ring-a-ling Spoutin' a Sing

Not User Friendly

I would expect this app to have more options and to be much more user friendly. Reading a Kindle e-book for example, this should be much more developed than it is. If you are going to offer reading an e-book, why not make it like other audio reading apps? It’s so primitive and difficult to use. Just finding a kindle book is ridiculous, you can’t even use a search feature to find a book, you have to scroll and scroll until you find it in the library and if the library is huge that can take some time. Also the playing app has almost no features at all. If you are listening to an e-book and are distracted for some reason trying to go back and find where you left off is impossible. The 30 second skip ahead or go back buttons don’t even work properly. I could hit the 30 second skip ahead and end up going backwards 30 seconds instead and there isn’t a scrubbing bar that allows you to scrub ahead or go back quickly. Why is there not a bookmark where you can mark where you left off or an important passage to find at a later time? These are very standard options on other reading and audio platforms. I appreciate having the option for Alexa to read a book but it would be really great if it could be up to the standard of other audio apps.

1 month ago, Wombatmatty

Unresponsive and cluttered

From a usability and aesthetics point of view, it’s a pretty cluttered app and you have to click here and there and there and there just to get where you need to go and then sometimes sub menus take you back up to the original menu, Etc. And it is slow. Very slow to respond. Tapping on a menu screen might take five or six seconds to load the next screen. But the big issue that made me write a review is that the app has been unresponsive going back at least the last two or three updates. I submitted bug reports, but you typically don’t hear anything back from those. But it seems to be getting worse. And this is happening on all of my devices despite deleting the app or setting the app up on a brand new phone install. Wi-Fi or cellular, doesn’t matter. It just goes unresponsive. either the three little dots bounce around forever or you’re in the middle of editing a routine and the “finish“ button is grayed out. or something like that. And can we stop auto refreshing this thing? I might be looking at my routines, tap one, and then back out only to be suddenly at the very top of the list again. Or I could be in the settings section and back out of a setting expecting to go back to my last location. But I’m taking again to the very top of the screen and then have to scroll down to figure out where I was.

3 years ago, SmeeIsMe

Room for improvement

The Alexa app, for me, is only used in connection with my Kindle so that I can utilize the voice feature of Alexa to read my kindle book. The front face of the app doesn’t allow for ease of navigating between starting/stopping the playback of the book or rewinding to catch a missed sentence. Regardless of Alexa’s lack of inflection and intonation (after all, it’s not the audiobook recording of the story and truly is just the monotone of Alexa’s voice), the app glitches enough that she repeats multiple sentences within the same chapter causing me, the “reader” to be throughly confused. Fortunately, but rather time consuming and a bit frustrating, the kindle app holds the “print” version of the book for my own ease in referencing. I’ve had to go back to do that. While I’m not complaining that I actually need to read the book for comprehension purposes thanks to her “glory”, having Alexa read to you that “lives” (as in “he lives for sugar”) not be read as “lives” (as in “he took fifteen lives in the war”) is chuckle-inducing but again, frustrating. She is, of course, a computer. But, as a computer, I figured she should be smarter than that mispronunciation debacle. TL;DR: the app isn’t super user friendly for book readers; the voice/intelligence of the personification of Alexa could use some work

10 months ago, Friggydiggy

I love Alexa

My son actually gifted me several Alexis units a few years ago for Christmas. As an elderly person it is often difficult to remember everything they were supposed to remember so Alexa is my secretary. She helps me remember things she reminds me of things that need to be done. She creates my grocery list for me so that I don’t have to constantly be walking to the refrigerator and writing something down, she helps protect my home and my life. A lot of people that I worked with before I retired told me that I should not use Alexa because that meant I was being spied on that everybody or somebody whoever that would be was listening to my every word and recording my every move and I thought well OK. What could they possibly find wrong with me creating a riot to take something out of the oven to turn my oven on to remember to get my package off the porch, etc. etc. etc. So I have had Alexa for quite some time. I don’t think I could live without her. I think this is a huge benefit for a a lot of people, but it’s a tremendous benefit for the elderly. Thank you for asking.

5 months ago, SW33TS_NY

Annoying

We can’t get her to work as effectively as she did in the past 2 years we’ve purchased several products over the years and have incorporated Alexa around the home and in varies aspects of our lives. Especially once I was diagnosed with cancer back in 2018. She was a big help. Our family depends on her for many things including my medical treatment plans, helping with the kids stay on task, & the day to day functions. These past few months she doesn’t understand task, she doesn’t announce every requested announcement. She sounds muffled on various devices around the home on drop ins. When one person is using her in a room near by, she’s in listing mode to where it’s interfering with the other room’s listening experience. There are too many things to list on this review and I’m trying to stay the course but I don’t know why the quality has declined, but I’m always singing her praise. As we invest more and more into Alexa, it’s like we are punished for incorporating her around the house because the only way to stream music on separate devices at a time is to pay almost $20 for a service plan. That is insane! For example, if any of my 3 kids are in their individual rooms listening, only one can play music. Right now my 6 year old is listening to night time lullabies in his room, nobody else can play music.

9 months ago, CrazyYellowGurl

Kindle Assistive Reader

I use the app primarily for the Kindle Assistive Reader function which I absolutely love. It allows me to continue enjoying my stories when I am doing things that I can’t do while physically reading. I can clean, drive, walk, and work out while listening to Alexa narrate my current kindle read. However it has major bug issues. Sometimes it will skip back in the book and reread a part of the book that was just read. It happens quite often. And it’s a pain trying to fast forward back to the spot that you were originally at, just for it to do it again some time later. And using the rewind/forward button is troubling because it doesn’t work well. It will freeze, lag or just not respond altogether. The app also doesn’t respond well to you pausing and then trying to play the audio again. Most times it will close the app while on pause, making you go back and opening the app to get back to where you were reading and 9/10 It does not continue at the spot you left it off at. I hope something can be done about this because this feature has made reading much more efficient for me ! It would me amazing if it was easier to use

4 years ago, Papa johnys dad

Amazing but she needs an update

I’ve had an Alexa since late August 2020 not too long. She’s been working perfectly sometimes messed up but not everything’s perfect. Ever since December when you say “Alexa i’m leaving” she’ll say “ Okay i’ll start guarding now.” now she works normal but when you come after 30 minutes and say “Alexa turn off guard” she continues to say “ okay turning on tv okay powering off tv.” constantly until you unplug her. Now it never did this before and to be honest if they have a feature working why can’t it stay working. I’m not sure if Google has that same ability but i’m thinking about switching to Google very soon if this continues. Yes I know technology is frustrating but it’s becoming every time I tell her to stop guarding. Me having to unplug and reset an Alexa every time when it should work normally shouldn’t be the case. Also when you whisper play rain sounds or something a lot of the time she’ll say on the loudest voice okay playing raining sounds. I don’t live alone and people are trying to sleep she should whisper when I whisper and that’s rarely. Again it’s a new issue and I use her for those 2 things other than a few minor questions here and there. But at this point she’s as good as nothing.

4 years ago, BonSueB

Granny Cam

When my daughter purchased Echo Shows for me and my husband, and one for my mother, I wasn’t sure we’d have much use for them. How wrong I was! My mother lives in an assisted living facility & I began to use the drop-in feature to check on her or walk her through fixing whatever was wrong with her TV (usually she pressed the wrong button & got components out of synch.) Lately, with the pandemic, her ALF is in lockdown and the Echo Show has become a lifeline in every sense of the word. I’m able to check on her several times a day, making sure she remembers to go down to the dining hall for meals, take her medicine, and remind her to press her call button if she needs other help. My sister-in-law’s husband just died and we bought her one, too. People with memory disorders, like my mother, or tech aversions like my sister-in-law, have trouble using Facetime or Skype. I can drop in without them having to do anything & chatting face to face is much better than a phone call. It’s also helpful to set reminders, play music & books, and use as a search engine. We love it!

4 years ago, Shards9

Alexa

I LOVE my Alexa! It wakes me up to my favorite music every morning, and keeps track of my grocery lists (putting copies on my phone so I always have a current list.....which is totally awesome! It reminds me of events, or when to leave home to pick up kids from school! If I am reading a book, and don’t recognize a word, it gives me a definition. It gives me French lessons, although they are fairly easy so far. I ask Alexa to set timers a lot! If I can’t remember how to make a recipe, Alexa helps. If I have my hands busy and need a quick math calculation, I just ask Alexa! If I am reading a historical book, and want to check something that doesn’t seem right, I ask Alexa and she corroborates.....or not. Alexa also reads my kindle books to me, and turns on my prime TV, and searches for my TV shows for me! Alexa can set timers for your lights, to go on and off when I am not home, so it looks like someone is home....but you need compatible light bulbs! I really love Alexa!!!!!!! On a scale of 1 to 10, I give Alexa a “100”......honest!

4 years ago, Cadenza2

Alexa friendly; app not so much

I don’t regret having my Echo, Show and Dot; however, I don’t find the programming and navigating the app to be nearly as user-friendly as I would expect, given Amazon’s resources. Maybe it is because I live in the Apple ecosphere where most things just work. Perhaps it is growing pains with AI, since Siri is Apple’s weakest link. People shouldn’t need an app to learn how to use an app. I also find that I discard most of the skills as fairly useless. I love things like Find My Phone, but a lot of the sleep sounds, etc. are low quality compared to other apps I use. I had to get a new cheap coffee pot for her to control with the plug since she can only work with a toggle, no buttons. I understand why, but wish she could control my Cuisinart. The Show will put up a video I want to watch, but move on before I can ask for it. Asking for it after it isn’t on the screen doesn’t work. My echo used to be very sensitive, but now I have to yell at her several times to turn off an alarm. What’s with that? I like Reminders, timers, alarms, weather and my morning flash briefing, which I need to edit, since some is either an ad or just annoying. Please work on making the interface more intuitive.

3 years ago, C1349

Alexa ain’t what she used to be

I have had anEcho and Echo Dot since Dec 2016. It worked great to turn lights on/off. Way too many updates in last 2 years. the fact that you have to unplug the devices after an update—don’t remember any instructions to that effect—maybe Alexa could send a notification. I have a smart plug connected and it worked seamlessly for about a year. Then the Kasa app started sending updates and Alexa needed updates too. It’s now an unreliable mess. Got used to playing The Daily podcast or music for 30 Min at night. It sometimes works. It repeats the specific command and then goes dead. Sometimes several minutes later podcast or music will start which wakes me up. She says “sorry, I’m having trouble finding music etc.” I almost bought 5 more plugs for up lights on plants. Glad I didn’t. It would be a nightmare to keep them all working, plugging/ unplugging. It would be nice to know what’s in the updates, but they don’t want us to know because I just want Alexa 1.0. I’m seriously considering dumping the smart plug and just buying a new light timer. Alexa was wonderful but when she’s not working she’s not worth the trouble.

2 months ago, darn nickname trouble

Alarm Setting!!!

I love setting my Alarm when needed. I tell Alexa to play Fan Noise or Sound. I Sleep Great soothing. I tell it to pause, and later on state resume. It goes right back to where I left off fan. I purchase a couple Alexa gifts for my family. Christmas time now every day my granddaughters. They tell it to play Disney music. They love frozen. I am about to give my nephew Alexa gift for his birthday today. The more I learn about Alexa it’s lovely. One thing I noticed it does not go by just your voice. My grand children can tell it what to do, or anyone else for that matter. When I go over to their place, I might play around and tell it to play something. It works, I thought that it would only go by the person who owns voice recognition. I will be purchasing more for myself. I don’t know how to turn off music. When my Am Alarm sounds, soon as I turn it off. The weather is given then music immediately comes on. I like the Weather, but need help to disable the Station. I wouldn’t mine the music playing, only if it’s a Choice of Station. I cannot even find the station that pops on. 🎼🤗🎶

11 months ago, firelance80

Needs Lots of Work

I’ve invested heavily in this home automation brand. I’ve also set up several Alexa systems for other people. IT IS NOT “set it and forget it”. I am constantly having to work on my routines that go off the reservation. I recognize that the equipment has to interface with outside components but this technology has been around for a long time and I expected less fuss. The number of problems I face would be daunting for anyone who is new to this kind of thing. I often wonder if technology, which is supposed to make our lives easier, isn’t in fact just adding different tasks to have to perform for use of the same amount of time. I am also not a fan of sending support lines overseas. While well-meaning, the mangled English I encounter is too hard to understand particularly with a hearing loss. I don’t know who certifies the ability to communicate in English but that should get a second and third look. Would I recommend? Yes! Just be aware that the fancier you get with routines the more maintenance work you will have to do. Sadly, I don’t know of any better option.

3 years ago, Slow solo traveler

Two locations

I have 4 Echo devices in 2 locations, running on two disparate WiFi networks. Each site has 1 main Echo device that serves a studio apartment and one Echo dot in the bathrooms at each site. The new round devices are in the second site. It appears that there are problems with Alexa discriminating between devices in the two networks and I regularly have to go to the app to play my regularly requested from Tune In, particularly from the new large round Echo device. Also, this device often cannot discern my whispering voice or answers without whispering, even when I reactivate whisper mode over and over. I do, generally, like having Alexa at my beck and call. Since music is not my major usage, I cannot testify how the new round device operates. I definitely like the look: I have the dusty blue. But I think there is tweaking required to the new devices too get their voice responses operating at the same level I have with my second generation column Echo device. I still have much to learn and more skills to activate at my second site, which I will continue to do.

4 years ago, AshDale12345

Amazing device but is annoying

I got my Alexa not so long ago. Sense then I have only had 2 problems with it. But the problems are very frustrating and annoying. It is the same problem too. Red light and keeps saying the Alexa isn’t registered. But then I will go on the app and it will say it is registered. The first time I had this issue it lasted 2 days. Then I finally fixed it. I now have the same issue and it has been going on for a month now. The same red light whenever I say hey Alexa. I have looked up videos which have led to zero help. I honestly don’t know what to do. It is always so annoying. Last time this happened I fixed it but I forgot how I fixed it. I think I unplugged it but I did that 5 times already and nothing has changed.. if you ever want to get a Alexa always know how to deal with the problems and issues. But in all Alexa is such a good device. It plays music and will tell you lots of information. Plus it is funny. Definitely recommend. But would love some help with the red light:/

4 years ago, Zach T. O. C.

a little help for the blind people

Now I can tell this is a very capable app. I was able to set up my account and subsequently my echo dot in a short time. It's also decently organized. The app has 3 main problems for blind and low vision users. The app does not have well labeled elements for voice over to read. This is consistant throught the app. The app is unresponsive. Of course, using voice over takes up some technological resources on my iPhone, however there is no excuse for the latest iPhone and the newest version of iOS that I should have to wait 3 seconds for the next screen to load. Along with that, trying to link services is incredibly difficult and there are a fair amount of buttons, text fields, elements, functions, and even just on/off buttons that just don't work when pressed. Lastly, when putting different gesture inputs into voice over and doing things in the app, everything starts to slow down after a short amount of time. This can effectively hault or freeze the app and then crashes. The only comparison is that the google home app is completely accessable and easy to use. If you want accessability feedback, please reach out to me.

1 year ago, prometheus71

Internet

Would be nice if you could tell your alexa or echo or whatever device you are using to stop or to do something when you don't have internet. It would also be convenient if your alarm going off wasn't entirely dependent on the Internet connection being good. Another problem is that the alarm will go off but my internet connection isn't the greatest and so i cant actually turn off my alarm. Im really sick and tired of this because when i wake up and tell my echo to shut up I expect it to be quiet especially since at that point I've just woken up. Its gotten to the point I've almost just wanted to get rid of the stupid thing entirely. Make the stupid app able to change things on your echo or alexa when the alexa isn't on too. If you have linked the device and say it isn't connected to internet, if you try to change a setting it denies access when it should let you change it and update settings later but like i also said it shouldn't be so reliant on internet which is why I left a one star because your app and your product is terrible and nothing has any good quality of life value because nothing to do with any of it is straightforward or simple so fix your stuff and stop being lazy.

4 months ago, Watcher999123

Glitchy and hard to use

The user interface is a complete mess - it must have been designed by an incompetent committee. - And it gets worse with each new iteration. Once obvious functions are now completely buried many screens in - such as the Equalizer function for Echo. I have 8 version 4 and 5 Echos which regularly drop off of the network and the entire program that I am listening to needs to be restarted, and even that does not always work. The user interface often does not reflect the true states of the Echo units - for weeks at a time. re-initiating the app does not help. The Alexa app does not allow me to edit what Recently Played music sources are displayed on the screen. Radio stations that I will NEVER listen to take up much of the screen, while stations that I like get pushed of the screen if I do not listen to them frequently. There is still NO WAY to turn off Echo units using the app after YEARS of existence! I should be able to do EVERY function by voice OR graphic interface!!!!! I’ve complained about this mismatch for YEARS!! I STOPPED USING Echo Buds completely simply because the app worked so poorly with them! Repeated complaints were always ignored.

2 years ago, TxITman

Glitchy across multiple devices since update on July 22

I use Wyze, geeni and tp link (Kasa) devices (plugs, smart bulbs, and cams) It seems that if I don’t create a routine immediately after the devices discoverable they tend to fall off… And in the process of the most recent iOS update in combination with the most recent Alexa update all my routines lost their association with their respective devices. and in most cases the devices did notPopulate on the “devices” screen/section of the Alexa app.I think it’s worth mentioning that the individual manufacturer provided apps did not lose their minds or forget their devices. In the future, I will be expecting compensation from the thing that steals my entire weekend away forcing me to have to review every one of my routines and in almost all cases device name, group, location, and what way I planned on using it. due diligence people! I know we live in a time of unfinished video games, but I will find something else to be in charge of remembering my devices and routines if Ms Alexa and her Amazonian App continues to be such a colossal nuisance. Dear developer please do not respond to me, I made mention of the fact that it happened to all my devices, where is complete disregard to their use or manufacture. Please just fix it

6 months ago, Cornsky

Time based routines not working…

I have routines set to run at certain times. Whenever I choose a device for it to “respond from” it doesn’t seem to work. There should be absolutely no response required from anything, the routine should just “play” whenever the time set occurs. Why it requires a response is such a massive oversight…JUST IMPLEMENT THE ROUTINE…this process could not be more straightforward and simple, yet it’s completely ineffective because of the whole needing to let you know audibly that it can tell time, like any computer/app should be able to do. I have it set to “respond from” my “mobile device” so that it doesn’t respond from my Echo and wake us all up. I think my phone being in Do Not Disturb (which I use because I don’t want devices, including Echo, going off throughout the night) prevents it from alerting me, which prevents the routine from running. Again, JUST IMPLEMENT THE ROUTINE WITH NO NEED FOR A RESPONSE FROM ANY DEVICE. PLEASE ALLOW YOUR APP TO DO SUCH A SIMPLE REQUEST AND QUIT CONVOLUTING STUFF WITH RESPONSES. I’M ABSOLUTELY SICK OF BEING AUDIBLY ASSAULTED BY AN ALEXA DEVICE…THERE NEEDS TO BE A “NEVER RESPOND” OPTION…NO ONE WANTS TO BE RAILROADED BY A DEVICE/APP TRYING TO ADVERTISE ITSELF WHEN IT CAN’T DO IT’S BASIC FUNCTIONING TO BEGIN WITH.

3 years ago, T Behave

Oops

I met to put two stars but give Siri -2 stars. Some kind of offline directories to store functions, previous commands, questions with results in mostly a text format a img file and/or but not limited to PDFs or a simpler way or combo all to zipped but there is a way better way. An A.I assistant should be able to help when you need it. I can google stuff also so when I am in a area or structure that kills signal the A.I becomes to me an alarm clock that is triggered but a word not an automaton that can actually assist me when and where ever. Even a start is an offline “q&a” storage to help user stop relooking up already acquire knowledge and simply say you already know that is there another way you would like to learn it... I barely understand why Siri is even on my phone or devices. Alexa should have a complete offline version that communicates to cloud base Alexa as it would to us. Alexa does a great job getting to know people but that shouldn’t be a big deal I walk in to an office I don’t ask the secretary if you want to be my friend no it’s our job but Alexa could be more of a friend that way later

3 months ago, Adomcc

The problems is my necessary adjustments

I luv this app and over the past several months, between Alexa, the App, and my customary speech (and writing) habits, I finally got excellent control. My space ship home is SWEET!! Explanation and example; Words like outside, outdoor, and outdoors, are by habit, indistinguishable in a phrase as we listen to the spoken words. However to a computer, all three versions are different. Plus when we (as humans) by hand, write the same words as a reference, we don’t often distinguish which of the three we may use when pronouncing the word. This took a week for me to realize my Alexa, app, and vocal request problem! LOL My vocal request to Alexa , I requested the “outside” (action)light which failed! Then I requested the “outdoors” (action) light! Which also failed! I couldn’t figure out why either of the commands didn’t work! EVEN after I verified the device identity several times, functions manually good but vocal commands sometime worked intermittently. Frustration!!! I even used the app actions function to play back my vocal commands but didn’t notice a difference. UNTIL FINALLY, I used the specific vocal command “outdoor”(function) and all worked well. LIGHT BULB LIT UP! My slang for outside or outdoors, was the issue! My issue was - In the device label I typed its identify as the “outdoor” Advice, listen closely to the way you pronounce words, Alexa is doing the same..

5 years ago, Midlyfn

"Back" button blues

I've been using the Alexa app since it's inception. I've had very few problems with the function of the app. It runs the original echo, four echo dots, the first echo show and now the new echo show 5 and an echo input. Once I got my home wifi tweeked to give full reliable coverage for the entire house, Alexa works without issues. The app does so many things and it does them well. My wife and I now rely on the echo units for all kinds of automation to run lights, appliances, central air and heat, locks, remote control for TV, cameras and of course music. If things aren't working properly I can always trace issues to wifi. My only suggestion has to do with using the app for looking up skills. I have issue with the "back" button. After scrolling through volumes off catagories and skills I wish to return to the place I was so I could continue exploring skills but the "back" button returns to the very start of the skills list. Please consider redesigning so the back button will take me to the precious step. Good app that does a tremendous amount of things well.

5 months ago, Ash Nak

Frustrating to use

I like that I can make routines, groups etc. with the app but when it comes to troubleshooting the app is useless. Also the app is not intuitive. It seems setup for the business not the user. It’s cluttered with too many ads and buttons everywhere. As someone who worked in user experience, it’s not a good user experience. Idk who their team is on this but they really be making the design more streamlined and based on what a user requires day-to-day. The home screen is better suited for the immediate grabs like adjusting timers, checking the status of the devices etc. also, the homepage lists the devices and then there’s a tab for devices. It’s redundant. The second tab should really be for management of the devices, including routines, lists, reminders, shopping carts etc. this could also instead be a home page. My recommendation: the “more” page should be the home page. Devices should stay in second tab. Third tab should be troubleshooting or add-ons or learn more - the nice-to-haves. All that being said, I’m pretty dependent on my Alexa’s and I have two. I don’t want to get rid of the app but I do hope to see it improved. Thanks for noting my feedback and good luck!

1 year ago, Jala Peño

Great in concept, but limited and rarely works correctly

The main reasons to utilize Alexa in your life are to make life easier and the “cool factor”. Unfortunately, it makes life easier about 25% of the time and the other 75% of the time, it doesn’t work correctly and I spend this time trying to troubleshoot all of its flaws. In other words, it actually takes much more time and effort fixing all the problems than the efficiency it provides during the times it sometimes works as advertised. Side note, to provide a reference of validity: I’m an intermediate expert at smart home systems with about 60 different smart devices tested in my home and currently running and tested about 45 different routines. I have the best WiFi plan offered in my area plus a $500 WiFi booster - so the WiFi connections are solid. I point this out because I understand WiFi connectivity issues are probably the biggest problem with most people’s smart home systems. But for me, the issues and my rating/review are due to the products and the technical faults and limitations of Alexa software. Still, I’m hopeful they will get resolved eventually.

1 year ago, demorilized

Alexa app is complete garbage

I’ve been using the Alexa system for years, and love it, but have always hated, really hated, having to use the Alexa app. It’s completely unintuitive, hard to navigate, hardly ever works right and fills me with dread when I finally break down and realize I have to use it to change something. Which is what prompted me to write this review. I had to delete my NanoLeaf lights from Alexa control because Alexa would randomly turn on some horrific light pattern whenever I asked it to turn the lights on. I’d gotten in the habit of not using groups too much because if the NanoLeaf lights were in the group I referenced, bad things would happen. So I would say ‘Alexa, turn on X and turn on Y and turn on Z’ instead of ‘Alexa, turn on house’, because the NanoLeaf lights were in the ‘house’ group. Finally, I’d had enough and fired up the @#&%! Alexa app to try and remove the NanoLeaf lights from Alexa’s control and just push the light’s on/off switch myself. It took forever to figure out how to do something so simple (and I’m a software engineer). But I finally have deleted the lights from Alexa’s grasp, and had to vent my frustration by writing this review. Ahhh…I feel much better now. Thanks for reading…

6 years ago, The Little Moore Family

Annoying Audible Interface

Audible is what my Echo Dot is primarily used for. My kids listen to books to help them fall asleep. The menu to select an audiobook from Audible is very annoying. There’s no search or reorder options. For someone like me with nearly 200 titles in my collection, it’s a pain to scroll to find a book in a chaotically ordered list. Both the Audible and Kindle apps have ways of making this much easier. Why wouldn’t Alexa? And now, with the latest update, EVERY SINGLE TIME an audiobook is played, it’s followed up with an ad to start an Audible subscription and a sample of another book. We have a shared family plan so the main account logged into Alexa doesn’t have Audible but the connect account does-hence why I’m able to play the books I own. So logically if I’m already playing books, why would I need to hear about getting a subscription??? And at the very least why can’t I turn that feature off??? The last thing I want after my kids have been lulled to sleep by a relaxing audiobook is Alexa talking. Make it stop!

4 years ago, Jordan_GirlonFire

Slow & Can’t Utilize Many Features

This app takes forever to load, but I’m willing to accept this could partially be due to my older phone. However, I can’t fully utilize so many of the “features” in the app. For iHeartRadio, there’s no option to log in using Facebook through the Alexa app, so I’d have to create a brand new account to listen to podcasts and music stations through my Echo Dot. I couldn’t properly finish creating my Food Network Kitchen profile in the Alexa app, nor would it finish letting me log in successfully. I couldn’t even save my home address, work address, or the address for basically anything else through the app. I gave up trying to see what else I could do in the app for now because I got so frustrated with all these features I apparently have but cannot use. Please have your developers go thoroughly through the app to fix these bugs and others I’m sure they are to find. Other than that, I’ve discovered much I can use my Dot for using this app, and there are features that do properly work (for now), which is why I felt to rate 3 stars instead of 1 or 2.

4 years ago, ~April A.~

Suggestions to improve:

I would LOVE to make a few suggestions.... ~For the Echo Show- When the screen is showing news update/interesting topics, make it easier to use your voice ask her to read or play the video for you and possibly ask her to go back to the previous page in the slideshow without having to touch the screen to scroll back. Every time I see something I want to hear, she tells me something totally different than the news article she was just displaying. ~With the abundance of skills that are out there, I enable so many that sound cool, but by the time I close the app, I totally forgot what the names are and what I have to say to open them. Why don't you make an option allow people to print out the skills they enabled to use as a cheat sheet? I think it would be cool to make a little book/folder type of thing to keep near the echo that kids or guests can browse through the skills you have and be able to know what phrases they have to say to play the game or whatever.... ~It would be great if there was a way to have your phone connected to Alexa, WHILE using multi-room music and using Alexa normally, but have her pause the music when you're phone is ringing so you don't miss calls if you're blasting music through the whole house. As far as I know, if you want be able to hear anything from your phone, then any music or anything has to be done on your phone as well. I want to listen and control everything from Alexa, but just be alerted if my phone rings.

2 years ago, _good_for_you_

Review on the app in general

I been using my Alexa and this Alexa app for years now and I feel the need to leave a couple suggestions and some of my opinions regarding the app. The app can sometimes be very laggy and it makes it very difficult to use and control my Alexa with. Another thing is that I linked my Apple Music to the app so I can play music on that platform since I do not pay for Alexa unlimited but it is absolutely difficult to control and choose my music. I have a playlist of about 200 songs that plays and it didn’t give me the option to choose the songs I want to play immediately. I would have to keep saying skip and wait for my song to come and sometimes it doesn’t even allow me to repeat the song which really makes me mad. Those are honestly the 2 main issues I deal with while using the app. Without those two issues I think this app would be amazing. That’s all I have to say and I will be waiting for the major update if it ever happens to this app. (Also please excuse me if I have some grammar errors)

2 years ago, taedondada

Loud, Startling commercials

Hey Alexa people, I just wanted to drop in and let you guys know that sometimes I use the Alexa to put baby time sleeping relaxing music on for my son to sleep with or just relax with. Sometimes there are commercials that are very loud for example the Valleyfair commercial or any like loud upbeat commercial, the commercials are louder than the setting music that I have on and it startled my son and sometimes wakes him up. So I feel like you guys should make like a thing where if somebody’s listening to relaxing or calming music, the commercials that pop up should be also relaxing and calming to go with the vibes. Because the loud commercials kind of throw off the vibe, just some thing that I have noticed and I hope that you guys work with me because I love the Alexa and it helps me out so much when I’m laying him down for a nap or to sleep, and I’m trying to hurry up and get out of the room for his sleep training.

5 years ago, Tedspapa

Probably me

About a week ago I received my third generation echo dot and had troubles right from the start. Like I said in the title to this review it’s probably me, I am not tech savvy, but every instruction video I watched, the instructions that were included with the echo, it was different in reality than it was in any of those videos or the directions. My Echo seems to have skipped a whole step so I Kinda had to wing it. So it’s been a little frustrating to have to figure it all out myself. Like for instance the echo wasn’t controlling the volume on my TV it wasn’t turning it on or off and right now there’s a yellow ring that’s blinking and I don’t know what it is. So again I have to research that and see what it is. Like I said it’s probably me but it is frustrating and I wish the whole start up would cover everything that could possibly happen, like in my case but once I get everything resolved I’ll update this review and see how we are then.

8 months ago, Mysomerset

Mostly fantastic, sometimes, not so much.

When it works, I love, love, love it. There are times that I want to throw my units in the trash. Example: today I requested my show to play a skill I have requested every day for several years. She kept telling me that she didn’t understand me. Then the graphic for the skill appeared on the screen of the show and the skill started playing on a different unit in another room. (I have never played the requested skill on that unit previously.) I finally went to the app on my iPad and started the requested skill manually. (My cockatiels are now happy.) Last night, I was talking on the phone to my daughter. Out of the blue, the voice in my show very loudly yells something about translating to Spanish. Even if our conversation was listened to, nothing I said even vaguely had anything to do with translation or Spanish and I have no idea how the volume increased that much. Alexa can be VERY frustrating, but when she works, she’s pretty cool.

10 months ago, ice if right

It’s ok

I like how you can announce 📣 stuff to my sister and brother I announce like your a slowpoke or come upstairs 😂 anyway what I don’t like is Alexa doesn’t answer some of your questions and you can at least make it so it sounds like she cares you know 😭😭😭and I don’t like how hard it is to turn off the music 🎵 or when you say Alexa she answers which I definitely don’t like because doesn’t that means she is listening to everything you say 😲this app needs to get fixed and also make it more kid proof I really am asking you fox this!!!!! And I love how you can text Alexa and play games with her I really this app but there was a bad word in one of the songs…… I like how you can text people and invite them on Alexa this is a great app!!! Ps sorry this is so long one more thing before I actually leave I promise I will lol 😂 i don’t like how you can only text Alexa when you say her name she just says sorry piper you can’t get in that’s super annoying and weird! Bye thank you for taking the time to read this bye!!!!!

6 years ago, Bubbapotem

No way to connect

I hesitate to give this app any stars, because I don’t know what’s going wrong. I recently replaced the router, now there is a new password, but I can’t get my Echo Spot to connect to Wi-Fi. At all. It wasn’t hard at all the first time, but changing the router password seems to have thrown it for a loop. The instructions say to go to Settings, and then scroll down to Wi-Fi, but there is no Wi-Fi option in Settings. I tried to Add Device, which directed me to Manual Setup. In Manual Setup, there is no option for a Spot, specifically, so the instructions don’t correlate. There is no orange ring, there is no sign the app senses the Spot at all, or vice versa. I hold the button down on the Spot, and all it does is turn the thing off. I’ve turned everything off, and then back on, I’ve even deleted the app and reloaded it, I’ve reset the Spot. I’m out of options. Pity. I liked the little thing. Like I said, I hate to rate the app if the problem is actually me, and something I’m missing. But the app is not really what I’d call user-friendly either.

6 years ago, LisbethLoft

Too slow and old setup

I have never written an app review before but after Leningrad my alexa device for more than a year, I have simply run out of patience. The app is a big roadblock in my use of the device. It is too slow compared to other apps. And NO it is not my network or the million other excuses that is usually thrown at you. Bottom-line is that they need to make a better app. Also the setup in the app is too simple and is limiting the user experience tremendously. It is like they never consulted anyone with expertise in user-friendliness for real people. If they did - they got ripped off. Given the share of the market that Alexa devices are currently covering, to have a good app accompanying the devices should be paramount. Clearly not a priority for them - why? Why not be ahead in the game with the app side of things too? If I had known how useless and slow this app was I would have opted for google home. I never recommend anyone getting Alexa devices simply because they do not prioritize the user-side of things. This app is a testimony to that fact. Even if the app was not so incredibly slow, the interface would still be far far behind other apps.

3 years ago, bailey's review!!

To The Creators Of Alexa...

It isn’t much about the app, but the echo doc it’s self...I recently got an echo doc, and there is a few STUPID things about it! 1. You have to scream at the Alexa, you can’t just say it softly which is very dum, because if your like me, I listen to music at night I don’t feel like screaming at the thing just to hear some music... 2. When you ask it to do something or no just ask if a question.. It takes forever to answer, now I’m not stupid all these things are things to spy on you, your phones, laptops, iPads, etc...So yea, try to make yourself not so obvious. Stupids. AND LASTLY! The dumbest of them all.. WHY WHEN YOU TRY AND PLAY A SONG, for instance if I wanted to play peaches, it would say “You have to buy the premium.” Now I could just get the premium if I wanted to, but not everyone is able to pay what is it like 10 dollars a month, just to play some music.. not everyone is able to give money but they most likely wish they could. Thing about the people using the echo docs. All you guys care about is the money. So over all, the echo docs aren’t that great and don’t waste your money on them.

11 months ago, riyadth

Slow, overly complex user interface

The Alexa app has grown over the years to the point where I now dread opening it. It takes longer to open this app than any other that I use, and once open it takes a number of taps to get to whatever screen/feature I want to get to. In particular, the shopping list feature is infuriating. We use this feature regularly with our Echo devices and we have four lists for various stores we shop at. While shopping, I am forced to re-navigate to the list I want because every time my phone goes to sleep and I re-open the app it returns to the home screen. It is pretty obvious that the developers (or at least their managers) do not use this app. I would love to see this app broken up into lightweight single-purpose apps that are well-designed for performance and user experience, because I have similar issues with things like device control - turning on and off lights should be easier with the app than getting up and flicking a switch, but it is not. This customer is not delighted…

9 months ago, bonita-62

Alexa Suddenly Stops Working

Due to surgeries I really needed my Alexa to turn lights on and off, remind me of important tasks. My original Alexa worked flawlessly until a week ago. I tried everything and all I had was the spinning cyan circle. Fed up I switched to my mother’s dot and ordered new light bulbs. Finally got one connected and went to bed at 4am. The dot worked until six hours ago. Now this different dot has the same spinning cyan ring. The app talks to me but the dot does nothing. I have just about reached the point of throwing it out the front door. Two different dots. Two different generations of dot and both do nothing but spin a cyan ring around a dark blue ring. I am beyond frustrated. Seems that there are dozens of people out in the world having the save problem. How does one early model dot work for years then suddenly goes crazy and shuts down. Now a second dot worked for a few hours and now it is a nonstop spinning cyan ring. doing the same thing…and yes it is connected to the wifi/ internet. It works in the app but the actual dot is a paper weight. I have nothing good to review report on Alexa

1 year ago, Nancy-G

Mediocre at Best

I use Alexa mostly to listen to radio stations where I used to live although I also use the device to control some lights. It glitches and annoys me almost every day. I will turn a light off using the app and 5 minutes later it turns back on, or the reverse, turn a light on only to have it turn off while reading 5 minutes later. While listening to IHeart radio or TuneIn, the device shuts off at least twice a week for no reason. Then when I try to get it to play again I get “no supported devices available”. Nothing wrong with internet connectivity. Then inevitably when it comes back on I get another 3 commercials jammed down my throat before music plays again. Makes me think it’s a ploy to force more ads. My favorite is when a commercial is inserted while a song is playing. Guess what? I won’t patronize any of those businesses. I keep track. There are enough of the same 10 ads over and over during actual commercial breaks. Half of these are now in Spanish, btw. Wasted advertising dollars anyone?

Description

Use the Amazon Alexa app to manage Alexa-enabled devices, control music playback, view shopping lists on the go, keep track of upcoming reminders, check on active timers and much more. When you enable hands-free with Alexa, you can talk to Alexa by simply saying “Alexa” when the app is on your screen. The more you use Alexa, the more she adapts to your voice, vocabulary and personal preferences. DISCOVER MORE • Get more out of your Echo device through personalized feature recommendations from Alexa • Discover and enable recommended Alexa skills • Pick up where you left off directly from the home feed with lists, shopping, or recently played Music and Books MANAGE YOUR DEVICES • Set up your Alexa-enabled devices, control or check status of your compatible smart lights, locks and thermostats at home or on the go • Create routines to automate your smart home devices MUSIC & BOOKS • Connect to music services like Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio. Choose a song or playlist and listen on your Alexa-enabled devices • Create speaker groups to play music across your compatible Echo devices for multi-room music ORGANIZE YOUR DAY • View and edit shopping and to-do lists on the go, get weather and news updates, manage timers and alarms, and more STAY CONNECTED • Use Drop In from your app to connect instantly with your compatible Echo devices, like a two-way intercom • Call or message supported Alexa-enabled devices, at no additional cost. By using this app, you agree to Amazon’s Conditions of Use (www.amazon.com/conditionsofuse), Privacy Notice (www.amazon.com/privacy), and all of the terms found here (www.amazon.com/alexaterms).