How to Turn on the Xbox with Alexa

The level of automation that we have reached with home automation has reached unsuspected levels, and more than one has the home domotized to such an extent that they rarely have to get up from the living room to do something. So, if you are one of those who has started with an absolute automation process, how about preparing your new Xbox Series X to be able to power up with Alexa?

Turn on your Xbox with your voice

Turn on the Xbox with Alexa

The most normal thing is that you use the gamepad to turn on the console, or if you have it close, you even press the button to make it start, but there will be times when you want to prepare the ignition while doing other things, and there, the voice command will give you it’s going to be extremely useful.

Being able to turn on your Xbox while doing other things can be quite practical, so in this article we are going to show you how to do it with the help of Alexa. But first, we are going to indicate the requirements that you will need to complete the process.

What I need?

In addition to the obvious presence of an Xbox Series X or Series S, you will need a device with built-in Alexa. For that case you can use any Amazon Echo, Sonos speakers, Smart TV or any other device with built-in Alexa. This is all you need:

  • Xbox Series X or Series S
  • Device with built-in Alexa
  • Xbox Skill
  • Set your Xbox to quick start mode

The last point is very important, since, if we do not have our console configured in quick start mode, the wizard will not be able to find it through the network, so the function will not work when we want to turn it on from scratch.

To activate the quick start you will have to select the option in the Settings menu > General> Power mode and startup> Power mode.

There you can select the quick start mode, although you must bear in mind that in this mode the console will remain idle and consume more.

Activate the assistant function on the console

Xbox Alexa

To activate the function that we are looking for in this article we will have to go back to Settings> Devices and Connections> Digital Assistants , and activate the option “Enable remote features” .

With this function activated, the console will be visible to the Alexa skill that we will activate in the next step. Thus, your console will already respond to the commands we send from our Alexa device.

Install the Xbox Skill on your Amazon profile

With the console ready to accept orders from Alexa, it’s time to tell Alexa what an Xbox is . To do this, we must install the official Skill, and in that case we will only have to open the Alexa application of our mobile phone and access the Skills and games section. To do this, do the following:

  • Access the Skills and games section in the “More” section
  • Search for the Skill “Xbox” by entering the name in the search field.
  • Install the Skill
  • Click on the Configure button
  • You will have to log in with your Microsoft user to give permission to control your Xbox (you must use the same user that you use to log in).

After completing these steps you will be able to control your Xbox with your voice, so you only have to learn the available commands.

What can I ask Alexa about my Xbox?

With the skill already configured, you have to give orders to your Xbox, and for this you will have to learn the command that will activate the process. The normal thing is that you think that with the command “Alexa, turn on the Xbox” you will turn on the console, but unfortunately this will not work correctly, since the assistant will think that you are activating the Skill, and will encourage you to launch commands with various suggestions. For this you will have to define the name of your console, such as “Alexa, turn on the Xbox Series X”.

However, there is a more precise way to always get it right the first time and that is to say the magic words “Alexa, tell Xbox that …” or “Alexa, ask Xbox …”. In this way the assistant will always hit the mark and your console will respond the first time. These are some of the commands that you can execute.

• “Alexa, tell Xbox to turn on.” (Make sure Immediate Power is on on the console.)
• “Alexa, tell Xbox to shut down.”
• “Alexa, tell Xbox to start Netflix
• “Alexa, tell Xbox to start Forza Horizon 4” (to turn on the console, log in and start the game).
• “Alexa, tell Xbox to pause” (while a video is playing on Xbox).
• “Alexa, tell Xbox to resume.”
• “Alexa, tell Xbox to turn up the volume.”
• “Alexa, tell Xbox to turn down the volume five.”
• “Alexa, tell Xbox to record.”
• “Alexa, tell Xbox to start a group.”