Your Echo speaker can not only play music on demand or control the smart home, but also call friends, family and acquaintances. This is how you make calls via Alexa.
Amazon’s Alexa speakers are also suitable for making phone calls. (Source: Amazon)
With an Echo speaker from Amazon, you can not only play your music via Alexa or control the smart home with Alexa, but also make phone calls and video conferences with the help of the voice assistant. Here you can find out what you need and how to proceed to start a call.
This is how you make calls with Alexa via your Echo speaker
Basically, you can use Alexa to call other Echo devices in your household or contacts who have the Alexa app installed on their cell phone. You can also connect directly with close friends using the “Drop-in” function, then the other person doesn’t even have to accept the call, Alexa establishes a connection directly.
With the “Echo Connect” accessory, it was even possible to call any landline or mobile network number via an Echo speaker via Alexa. The Echo Connect only needs to be connected to your telephone line. Amazon will no longer sell the device and will shut down the associated service on February 29, 2024.
OneNumberCalling buchen*
Advertisement
Do you have a cell phone contract with Vodafone? But then there is an alternative to Echo Connect. You can add the free “OneNumber Calling” option to your tariff and link your Vodafone account with Alexa. If you are at home, you can have all your phone calls played via the Echo speaker. The “OneNumberCalling” option is available in all GigaMobil, Red, Smart, Black or Young tariffs from 2016.
This is how you make video calls with the Echo Show
While you can only make voice calls with conventional Echo speakers, the Echo Show’s camera can also be used for video calls. You can do this via Alexa or use Skype on the Echo Show.
Amazon Echo Show: This is how you use the camera
Every Echo Show has a camera – but what can it actually do? Netzwelt explains how to use the camera, from selfies to surveillance cameras.
Amazon Echo Show: This is how you use Skype
If you connect Alexa to Skype, you can make video calls via the Echo Show outside of the Alexa bubble. This is how you link the services together.
Using Microsoft Teams on the Echo Show is officially not possible. However, there are a few workarounds that we present to you in the linked article. WhatsApp, however, is not available on the Echo Show. The service is only available on Meta’s Echo Show competitor portal.
Is calling with Alexa free?
Yes! Calls between Echo speakers or the Alexa app are free. However, you may incur costs if you call landline or mobile numbers via Echo Connect or One Number Calling.
