Tips and Tricks to Take Advantage of Amazon Echo Auto

The Amazon Echo Auto could be a rival to Android Auto and Apple‘s CarPlay in certain uses, but we don’t think it really claims to be. However, we do believe that with so many possibilities that you can squeeze in your day to day, what it can be is a great complement. So much so that it could make Alexa your best co-pilot. So let’s see how we can get the most out of it.

The best use of Echo Auto

Amazon Echo Auto

We have already seen what the Echo Auto is, it is not only a very economical device that adds that point of intelligence that voice assistants offer to your car with a very simple installation. So much so that basically you only need a cable or Bluetooth connection to connect to your car radio and your mobile device, from which it will use the data to connect to the internet.

From there, thanks to the various microphones that it integrates, it will be able to listen at all times to what you ask for and give you the appropriate responses through the audio system of your car, all in a very simple way compared to what the installation requires. from other options or systems like Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.

Therefore, although it rivals in certain aspects, it can coexist perfectly with both if you want. Because it is not a rival as such but a complement. One that makes Alexa a great co-pilot with which you can do things like control home automation while driving. So, if you were interested in him and you are not yet clear how to take advantage of it, write down these ideas.

1. Listen to what you want without playing the radio

Like Echo speakers, with Echo Auto you can also access different music services via streaming. All this with the comfort of doing it using voice commands. Allowing you to keep your hands on the wheel if you want to listen to your favorite playlist back home or on the way to work to get a little motivated.

In addition, to the options of premium services now we must add the possibility of being able to listen to Spotify with free accounts. You do not have as much control as with the paid version, but for many it is more than enough.

2. Play podcast and audiobooks

Another interesting function of the Echo Auto is to be able to play both podcasts and audiobooks . You just have to ask Alexa and voila. Of course, for audiobooks you will have to go to Audible and install install your skill or those you have stored in your Kindle library . In one way or another you can listen to them through the recording offered by the first service or the voice of Alexa with the second option.

3. Review the news of the day

Take advantage of the time you drive on the way to work, school or any other place to catch up on the most important news on the topics that interest you. Tell Alexa to give you the news of the day and that’s it. If you want to further customize the experience and themes, you can use skills available on the Amazon website or create your own via Blueprints , a new option that recently arrived in Spanish and that allows you to customize the experience with Alexa without the need to know a code.

4. Check tasks and calendar

With Echo Auto you can also check your tasks and calendar appointments for today. You can do it by asking exactly for each of these topics or by using a previous routine that gives you a summary of everything you have planned for today. What’s more, if you drive, they call you and meet someone you can add on the go.

5. Make the trip more enjoyable

If you travel with children, Alexa games can be the solution to long trips. Ask him to play one of the different games that exist for the voice assistant and you can make the trip more enjoyable. For example, playing to guess songs, chained words and many others.

6. Control home lights

With the Amazon Echo Auto you can control from home lights from the car or other connected devices that you have configured at home in a very simple way. Mainly due to the design of the Amazon platform that is based on the cloud. That makes it much easier to control, because every device configured with your account will be accessible from your Echo Auto as long as it has an internet connection thanks to your smartphone.

This way you could control the house lights and make sure they were off when you left. You can also activate the air conditioning or heating minutes before arriving and find a more pleasant temperature. Even if you have a surveillance system, you can find out who is calling home and send them a message if you see fit.

7. Review or add things to your shopping list

If you manage the shopping list through the Alexa options , when you go in the car you can add new things that you have realized that it is necessary to buy or consult what you wrote down and you do not remember well. Here it is up to you how to squeeze this option, but you will surely find the utility. Because it has all happened to us in a moment going in the car and not remembering what to buy.

8. Let me know you’re coming home

The Alexa drop-in function can also be used with the Echo Auto, so you will have the option to communicate with family, friends or with the Echo speakers you have at home and notify your family or partner that you are arriving as well as any other message.

Alexa as co-pilot

Alexa can become a great co-pilot thanks to the Echo Auto. If you already use the Amazon assistant at home, it is probably not necessary to tell you everything it offers and the usefulness of having it also in the car. And yes, you could do it using your smartphone, but the quality when it comes to detecting what you are talking about in the microphones of the Echo Auto is much higher. So for a fairly affordable investment you will enjoy a better experience.