With your Amazon Echo you can not only listen to music and podcasts, a summary of the most important news of the day, get answers to your questions or control your home automation. You can also make and receive calls through its communication options. A feature that you should still take advantage of more. So let’s see how to squeeze calls with Alexa.
Calls from Alexa to Alexa
Alexa incorporates a call and messaging option that allows communication between Echo devices, the Amazon Alexa application for iOS and Android devices, and Fire tablets in a completely free way.
The fact that it is pleasant is because the connection is made through the WiFi network, so it is identical to any other Vo-IP call service such as Skype and the like. So, if you want to know how to start using this option, this is what you should know:
- The first thing is that, as we said, it is compatible for Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, Echo Spot, Echo Plus devices or any other with the Alexa application for iOS, Android or Amazon Fire tablets
- Second, to use this call feature you have to register your phone . This is something as simple as opening the Alexa application on your mobile and in the Communication tab add the data regarding your mobile number. Once done and given access to your contacts, you will be ready to start using the function. From now on you just have to select the contact from the Alexa app’s phonebook or use the voice command “Alexa, call name contact “. This will cause your Alexa device to communicate with the contact’s Alexa devices
- Finally, although calls can be the most interesting, you can also send voice and text messages through the Alexa calling function to Alexa. And remember that to prevent anyone from bothering you with their calls, you can enable do not disturb mode just by asking.
Using your Amazon Echo as a hands-free
The second option is to use the Amazon Echo devices as hands-free . That is, thanks to the Bluetooth connectivity they offer, they can be paired with your smartphone. Thus, once connected, you can make or receive calls in a similar way to any other hands-free on the market.
To pair your phone with an Amazon Echo , all you have to do is the following:
- Access the Alexa app or use the voice command “Alexa, pair my phone”
- If you access the app, go to devices and then select the one you want to use> Bluetooth devices> Pair a new device
- Once your Amazon Echo is in visible mode, from the Bluetooth settings of the searched smartphone and hit connect
- Ready, you can now use your speaker both to make and receive calls
This option of pairing can also be used later to listen to the music or content that you are playing from the terminal on your Amazon Echo.
Amazon Echo and calls to mobiles or landlines
Currently there is no option to call from Alexa devices to mobile or landlines in a generalized way. That is, only a few companies offer this integration. In Spain, one of them is Vodafone, so if you are a customer, both companies have integrated their services to allow calls to be made and received directly, without the need to resort to any of the previous methods and through your mobile line.
This can be interesting depending on the options or needs you may have to call landline or mobile phone numbers from any other company. And the way to activate this OneNumber service is very simple. Of course, it has a cost of 1 euro more in the monthly invoice (if there is no promotion in between that allows a free trial time, right now until December 31, 2020).
To activate the integration between Vodafone OneNumber and Amazon Echo, what you must do is go to the Alexa application on your smartphone and follow the following steps:
- Access the configuration options of the Alexa application
- Select the Communication section
- Click on the + symbol that you will see next to Vodafone
- Log in with your Vodafone OneNumber access data
- In the same way as with the skills, complete the steps that are asked of you and that’s it
From now on you will be able to enjoy calls as you did with your mobile number. Although if you are not a Vodafone customer or simply do not want to activate the service, you can continue using the previous options. Which are ideal if you are away from home and want to call or notify a family member who is in it. Especially if they are one of those who silence their phone and are not attentive to possible notifications.
