Set up your smart speaker for emergencies

Smart speakers archer you the weather, play music, reply trivia questions, assistance you prank your spouse (more connected that astatine the end), and they conscionable mightiness prevention your beingness 1 day.

Make definite you cognize these commands to get assistance successful an exigency by heart. 

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Amazon’s Echo enactment of astute speakers and dependable adjunct Alexa cannot telephone 911 for you. They won't reliably study your determination and don't connection a callback number, truthful they don't meet the modular requirements. You person 2 options:

1. Set up an exigency interaction to get notified if thing is wrong. In the Alexa app connected your phone, pat More > Communicate, then pat the two-person icon (top right). This takes you to your "Contacts" screen. Here, pat the three-dot icon astatine the apical right, past pat Emergency Contact to prime one. Now, to usage this feature, conscionable say, "Alexa, telephone for help" oregon "Alexa, telephone my exigency contact."
2. Pay for it. Alexa’s Emergency Assist plan costs $5.99 a period oregon $59 for a twelvemonth if you person a Prime membership. Add up to 25 exigency contacts, and it’ll enactment you done to an cause who tin telephone exigency services for you. The bid is the same: "Alexa, telephone for help."

In this photograph illustration, an Alexa logo seen displayed connected a smartphone with an AMAZON logo successful the background.  (Photo Illustration by Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

If you’re successful the Google-verse

Google Nest speakers don't fto you specify an exigency contact, but you tin telephone anyone successful your Google Contacts list.

• From the Google Home app connected your phone, pat the cogwheel icon, past Communication > Video & Voice Apps to marque definite everything's acceptable up. You tin past conscionable say, "Hey, Google, telephone [name of the idiosyncratic you privation to talk to]."

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With Nest Aware ($8 a period oregon $80 a year), you’ll get direct 911 access, but the feature’s truly designed to service much arsenic a information strategy for erstwhile you're out.

• In your Google Home app, pat the cogwheel icon, past Subscriptions > Nest Aware > Emergency calling.
• You tin past scope 911 from immoderate talker surface successful the app. Tap the three-lined menu button (top left) > E911 > Call Emergency Services.

The Nest Audio, the newest talker with a virtual adjunct by Google, is being exhibited connected the Android Smart Home show during the Mobile World Congress 2023 connected March 2, 2023, successful Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

And if you’re an Apple idiosyncratic …

You tin archer the Apple HomePod, "Hey, Siri, telephone 911." Easy.

Here’s the caveat: The talker indispensable beryllium connected to an iPhone for this diagnostic to work. If the HomePod can't find the iPhone utilized to acceptable it up, it'll look for immoderate different iPhones connected the aforesaid Wi-Fi network to bash the job.

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Now that we person the superior worldly retired of the way, a prank

Say, "Hey, Alexa, talker slower," portion nary one’s around, past springiness it the aforesaid bid again. Enjoy watching the remainder of your household wonderment what the heck is incorrect with Alexa. Say, "Alexa, talk astatine your default rate" to instrumentality to normal.

A idiosyncratic is seen utilizing an iPhone. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

My fave Alexa prank of each time is grooming it to respond to circumstantial questions a definite way:

• When my husband, Barry, asks Alexa astir the upwind extracurricular our location successful Santa Barbara, she says, "Look retired the window. You unrecorded successful a solid house."
• I told my son, Ian, to inquire Alexa, "Who’s the champion ma successful the world?" Alexa present replies, "I would accidental Mother Theresa, but, successful looking astatine accepted mothers, determination is nary uncertainty that idiosyncratic is Kim Komando. Now, spell bare the dishwasher."

Take a infinitesimal to deliberation astir however acold we’ve come. This is an illustration of however tech tin virtually prevention your beingness — if you cognize however to set those settings. Do the radical you attraction astir a favour and walk this along.

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