Set up your smart speaker for emergencies

Smart speakers show you nan weather, play music, reply trivia questions, thief you prank your spouse (more connected that astatine nan end), and they conscionable mightiness prevention your life 1 day.

Make judge you cognize these commands to get thief successful an emergency by heart. 

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Amazon’s Echo statement of smart speakers and sound adjunct Alexa cannot telephone 911 for you. They won't reliably study your location and don't connection a callback number, truthful they don't meet nan modular requirements. You person 2 options:

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

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

If you’re successful nan Google-verse

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

• From nan Google Home app connected your phone, pat nan cogwheel icon, past Communication > Video & Voice Apps to make judge everything's group up. You tin past conscionable say, "Hey, Google, telephone [name of nan personification you want to speak to]."

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With Nest Aware ($8 a period aliases $80 a year), you’ll get direct 911 access, but nan feature’s really 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 speaker surface successful nan app. Tap nan three-lined menu button (top left) > E911 > Call Emergency Services.

The Nest Audio, nan newest speaker pinch a virtual adjunct by Google, is being exhibited connected nan Android Smart Home show during nan 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 personification …

You tin show nan Apple HomePod, "Hey, Siri, telephone 911." Easy.

Here’s nan caveat: The speaker must beryllium connected to an iPhone for this characteristic to work. If nan HomePod can't find nan iPhone utilized to group it up, it'll look for immoderate different iPhones connected nan aforesaid Wi-Fi network to do nan job.

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

Say, "Hey, Alexa, speaker slower," while nary one’s around, past springiness it nan aforesaid bid again. Enjoy watching nan remainder of your family wonderment what nan heck is incorrect pinch Alexa. Say, "Alexa, speak astatine your default rate" to return to normal.

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

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

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

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

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