Amazon introduced the ability to create Alexa routines to use with your smart devices, so you can get things done automatically without having to ask it to do the same things regularly.
Maybe you want the lights to turn on right after the sun goes down and then turn off when you normally go to bed. Or maybe you want Alexa to turn off all the lights and smart plugs and lock the doors at some point.
In the morning, you can use a routine for Alexa to wake you up, let you know about the weather forecast, and broadcast a particular radio station. If you have motion detectors or the like, you can also use them as active agents in your routines.
This way, you can get Alexa to remind your child that they have to do homework at a certain time or when they’ve been playing the console for a while and you consider that is enough for those days. job.
To manage all of this, simply use the Alexa app on your mobile device, so you can automate how your compatible Echo devices and smart home devices work together. These actions include:
- Alexa dile …
- Call someone
- Send a message
- Report traffic
- Meteorological information
- Listening to music (or radio)
- Play an audible book
- Read the headlines
- Control smart home devices
- Read a summary by email
- Controlar Fire TV or Fire TV Stick
- Play ambient sounds
- Planning IFTTT
The possibilities are endless – it depends on you and what you want to use these automations for. Setting up is easy, and we’ll show you step by step how to create an in-app Alexa routine.
Let’s take the morning routine as a first example. You’ll need at least one device with Alexa, although it doesn’t have to be an echo – you can even use your phone wherever you use the Alexa app.
How to do a personalized morning routine
First, open the Alexa app and tap the plus in the lower right corner. Next, tap on “Routines” and then tap on the “+” icon in the upper right corner.
You have to indicate a name of the routine, but what we write “Awakening” or something significant so that you can identify it. Actually, you don’t need to enter a name, but if you have multiple routines, it will be easier for you to tell them apart.
Click “Next” at the top and you will be returned to the previous screen. Now press “When this happens” to see the list of actions (what happens to activate the routine). This could be your voice command, a specific time (and day), a smart home device, an alarm, or an echo button.
Our morning routine will automatically run at 7:05 am every day, so click “Schedule” and then “On Time”. On the next screen, tap On Time: and select 7:05 or the time you want the routine to occur.
If you want it to broadcast only on working days of the week, tap the two circles marked with an “S” in the “Repeat” section so that Saturday and Sunday are gray, not black.
This will show you the full list, so tap “ Alexa says ” to add a greeting. You can choose from the predefined messages or touch “Custom” to enter your own. When you are finished writing, click Next. You will see the summary of your routine and click save.
Tap on “ Add Action ” again and this time tap on “ Music ” and enter the song, artist, podcast or radio station you want to listen to after hearing the weather forecast. Optionally, you can choose the provider to hear it.
You can also use the “Timer” option to set an additional snooze time. Click on “next” and the routine will be finished. You can change the order of actions when you have more than one by tapping and holding it.
Next, you need to choose which device Alexa should respond from, in cases where you have more than one scattered around your house. After that, the routine will appear in the “Your Routine” section.
Turn lights on and off with Alexa routines
Let’s say what you want is to be able to turn the light of a lamp on and off at a certain time. You will need a smart bulb in the lamp or a smart socket that you can connect the lamp to, in addition to the Alexa app.
We’ll be using a smart plug in this example, and the lamp will turn on 30 minutes after sunset, then turn off at 11:30 p.m. This requires two separate routines, one to turn it on and one to turn it off.
- Tap “ More ” in the Alexa app, then tap Routines to access the “ + ” symbol.
- Name the first routine “Lamp On” and press Next. Tap “When this happens” and check “Schedule” again.
- Tap sunset, then drag the slider to the right until it shows 30. It’s a bit tricky, at least in the iPhone app, and hopefully Amazon will improve it. and will make it easier and more intuitive!
As before, deselect the days of the week you don’t want the routine to run and click “Next”.
- Add an action again by scrolling down and tapping on Smart Home.
- You can use the group you set up, but assuming you want to turn on a single lamp, tap on “ All devices ” and find your smart plug in the list that appears.
- Make sure “On” is checked and the switch is in place.
- Click on next then save.
Now you will need to create the second routine to turn it off again. So use the same process as above, but call it “Lamp off” and instead of choosing Sunset, tap “On time” and set the time you want it to go off. (11:30 p.m. in our example). Remember to deselect the same days as for “Lamp in routines”.
- When you add the action, tap Smart Home and Smart Plug in the “ All devices ” list, but this time toggle the toggle switch to Off.
- Finally, click next and hit save changes to finish.
30 minutes after the next sunset, your lamp will turn on and stay on until 11:30 p.m., when it will turn off automatically.
Hope you can now see how you can apply the same process to create routines for other useful automations, and they certainly get more interesting depending on how many smart devices you have.
If you have an Alexa-enabled door contact sensor, for example, you can create a routine where Alexa tells you the door is open when someone opens it. You will know it even if you are not home at the time.
Take a look at the article where we show you how change channel with Alexa: How to control your Smart TV with Alexa.
.
