# What Echo skills do you use?



## Jane917

I enabled Kayak today in the app today, thinking it might com in useful. However, there are 90 pages of skills. I would love to hear what other recommend. I don't want to scroll through 90 pages.


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## Betsy the Quilter

Hmmm.... I enabled Kayak.

And then, when I click on it, I only see a few things to ask it?  How are you getting to the 90 skills?

Ah, sorry, you mean skills other than the 90.  This would be a great question, Jane!  I'm going to split this out to a separate topic so it doesn't get lost.

Betsy


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## Betsy the Quilter

I have to say, I have several skills enabled, but I don't use many of them regularly.  I set up the Nest skill so I could control the thermostat without getting up, though we don't change the temp often.

I have a thought for the day skill--"Daily Affirmation" which I set and promptly forgot.

I have a tide guide that I set up for use in San Diego, where we care about the tides more than we do here.

I have the Fitbit skill enabled.

I have a Dr Who trivia skill enabled.

Betsy


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## Betsy the Quilter

Here are some web articles citing skills:

Ten Apps that Make the Amazon Echo Even Better

20 Best Skills in the Alexa App

Betsy


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## readingril

While I enabled several skills when perusing the list a long time ago, I only really use the Fitbit and Jeopardy skills. 

I tried the tv shows skill but it more often than not didn't recognize the show I named.


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## Patricia

I use Jeopardy every weekday.  And I've also used one called Lyrics when I have a lyric stuck in my head and don't know the song.


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## Silver

Here in the Pacific Northwest, weather is pretty important and changing.  We use the weather for different towns every day.  Is it going to rain for this car show, or that outdoor gathering?  Alexa knows.


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## Patricia

Silver said:


> Here in the Pacific Northwest, weather is pretty important and changing. We use the weather for different towns every day. Is it going to rain for this car show, or that outdoor gathering? Alexa knows.


Yes, I always ask Alexa about my son's weather in San Diego and then tell myself that I've got to schedule a trip soon!


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## cagnes

I love the new feature of,


> Alexa, where's my stuff?


I think I'll use that one a lot, since I often forget what I have ordered with Amazon.


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## Betsy the Quilter

cagnes said:


> I love the new feature of,
> I think I'll use that one a lot, since I often forget what I have ordered with Amazon.


Like I say, if that had been available a few weeks ago, I would have worn her out getting my Oasis!

Betsy


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## readingril

I wish there were a skill or an innate feature of the Echo that would allow you to wake to a specific song, or a playlist rather than the default list of alarms. I've seen work arounds about how to do this online, but I wish the Echo could do this without running through hoops. 

The thing about Skills is they are (mostly? all?) written by third party developers so their development is probably more rapid in some ways than the features that are added by the Echo development team. YMMV on the quality though, especially judging by the reviews.

Weather's a given - first thing I ask on work days, followed by "Good Morning" because every day the reply to that varies.


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## Betsy the Quilter

readingril said:


> I wish there were a skill or an innate feature of the Echo that would allow you to wake to a specific song, or a playlist rather than the default list of alarms. I've seen work arounds about how to do this online, but I wish the Echo could do this without running through hoops.


Send feedback using the app! 

One thing--we're looking for skills more than the features used in this thread. For those of you who use the skills (those that have to be enabled) which have you found useful?

Betsy


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## readingril

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Send feedback using the app!


I did - ages ago!


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## Betsy the Quilter

readingril said:


> I did - ages ago!


Probably time to do it again! I just did, too!


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## readingril

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Probably time to do it again! I just did, too!


If you insist


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## Betsy the Quilter

readingril said:


> If you insist


I believe in squeaking wheels!


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## Jane917

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Here are some web articles citing skills:
> 
> Ten Apps that Make the Amazon Echo Even Better
> 
> 20 Best Skills in the Alexa App
> 
> Betsy


This information is exactly what I need. Thanks!


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## Jane917

I have tried to enable Fitbit, Personal Drink Recipe, and TV Guide. I can't find the last two even listed. I found Fitbit, but it told me it cannot be enabled. Same with Accuweather.


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## Betsy the Quilter

Jane917 said:


> I have tried to enable Fitbit, Personal Drink Recipe, and TV Guide. I can't find the last two even listed. I found Fitbit, but it told me it cannot be enabled. Same with Accuweather.


Hmmmm.... I have Fitbit enabled. That's odd.

Betsy


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## Betsy the Quilter

I was able to enable Accuweather but got in an endless loop of setting my location.

Alexa, start Accuweather.

*Welcome to Accuweather. What is your location?*

Alexandria, VA.

*I have two locations for Alexandria, VA: Location 1 and Location 2* (that's literally what she said.

"Location 2"

*Hmmmmm interesting choice.*

Then she told me several things I could ask. I asked for Weather Alerts.

She said, *What is your location?*

"Alexandria, VA."

*I have two locations for Alexandria, VA: LOcation 1 and Location 2...*.

"Never mind, Alexa."



Betsy


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## The Hooded Claw

I use the fitbit skill occasionally. There is a Sun Tzu quote of the day skill that I enabled and used for a while but had forgotten about. I have to try it again. And I'm going to look into some of those in the articles.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked

I have only one skill in use: Insteon. It allow me to control my Insteon home automation devices.

I think I'll soon be getting a Blumoo universal remote control that has a skill available.


Mike


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## VondaZ

I really like the AnyMote skill for controlling the FireTV via voice. The only thing you need is the free AnyMote app from Google Play or iTunes and a smart phone/tablet to run it on. You don't need a hub or even an IR blaster for WiFi devices like FireTV. Because the FireTV is a WiFi device, the tablet or phone does not need to be in the same room as the FireTV to control it (it can be upstairs charging or in your purse or wherever) and the app itself does not need to be running. You just need the app installed and configured to connect to your FireTV and the phone/tablet connected to the same WiFi as the FireTV. Here is a video of me testing the AnyMote skill with the FireTV right after I got it working:


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## Betsy the Quilter

Interesting. Sounds like it will work with more than FireTV but you need either an Android phone with an IR port or an AnyMote Home device. (But as you say, with the WiFi FireTV, you don't need that.)

Here's more:


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## VondaZ

Yes - it will work with most WiFi or IR controlled devices. However, the free app only allows you to control one device. The paid app ($6.99) can control as many devices as you like. 

As you said, to control IR devices, you will need an IR blaster on the phone/tablet and the phone tablet will have to be in the room with the blaster directed at the devices. Or you can use the AnyMote hub as an IR blaster, but I have heard mixed reviews about the hub. The WiFi device control is the best because you don't even need the phone/tablet in the room, so it works really well to control the FireTV. And with the update to Fire OS 5, WiFi remote support was added to the first generation FireTV devices, so it will even work with the ones that originally came with Bluetooth remotes.


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## Betsy the Quilter

VondaZ said:


> Yes - it will work with most WiFi or IR controlled devices. However, the free app only allows you to control one device. The paid app ($6.99) can control as many devices as you like.
> 
> As you said, to control IR devices, you will need an IR blaster on the phone/tablet and the phone tablet will have to be in the room with the blaster directed at the devices. Or you can use the AnyMote hub as an IR blaster, but I have heard mixed reviews about the hub. The WiFi device control is the best because you don't even need the phone/tablet in the room, so it works really well to control the FireTV. And with the update to Fire OS 5, WiFi remote support was added to the first generation FireTV devices, so it will even work with the ones that originally came with Bluetooth remotes.


Cool, thanks! Though mostly I watch Fire TV after hubby has gone to bed, so yelling at the TV to change channels probably won't work for me. . I have a Roku remote with voice search and I don't use it much for the same reason. I do like the idea of the app, though.

Betsy


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## Jane917

What is the best way for me to have my Echo or Tap read my current Audible book from my iPhone? It would sure be nice to listen to a book while I am at my sewing table.


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## readingril

Jane917 said:


> What is the best way for me to have my Echo or Tap read my current Audible book from my iPhone? It would sure be nice to listen to a book while I am at my sewing table.


The Audible access is a built in feature that can handle the following commands:

Listen to an audiobook

"Read '[title].'"

"Play the book, '[title].'"

"Play the audiobook, '[title].'"

"Play '[title]' from Audible."

Pause the audiobook

"Pause."

Continue listening to your most recent audiobook

"Resume my book."

Go back or forward in the audiobook by 30 seconds

"Go back."

"Go forward."

Go to the next or previous chapter

"Next chapter."

"Previous chapter."

Go to a specific chapter

"Go to chapter [#]."

Restart a chapter

"Restart."

Set or cancel a sleep timer

"Set a sleep timer for [x] minutes / hours."

"Stop reading the book in [x] minutes/hours."

"Cancel sleep timer."

from
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201813190


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