So your new Echo arrived, and you‘ve enjoyed having Alexa around to answer questions, play music and maybe even turn your living room lights on and off. But when four people in your house keep saying "Alexa…" to various requests, things get a bit confusing.
You came to me asking for ways to set up your Echo so Alexa feels more tailored to you. Well my friend, you‘ve come to the right place. We‘ll start with the basics of changing that wake word, then dive deeper into customizations to truly make Alexa your digital assistant.
Steps to Change Your Echo‘s Wake Word
Many new Echo owners, understandably, just leave the wake word as the default "Alexa." But having a custom launch phrase offers some nice benefits:
- Avoid confusion if you have multiple Echos – Ensures the right device responds when you say the wake word out loud
- More personalized experience – Choose a name you actually prefer saying and hearing
- Fun for pop culture fans – Would Capt. Picard owners love saying "Computer, play ‘80s music"? Absolutely.
Luckily Amazon has made changing the wake word a quick and painless process in just a few steps:
Step 1: Download the Alexa App
The Alexa app allows you to customize your Echo and manage your Alexa experience from your mobile device. If you already installed it when you set up your Echo, you can just open up the existing app. Otherwise:
- Install the free Amazon Alexa app on your iOS or Android phone.
- Open the app then log in using your Amazon account email and password. This links app to your Echo device(s).
Fig 1. – The Amazon Alexa app with friendly blue icon
Step 2: Connect to Your Echo Device
Once logged in to the Alexa app, you‘ll manage all customizations on a per-device basis:
- Tap the Devices icon in the bottom menu bar.
- Select Echo & Alexa from top of device list
- Choose the specific Echo & Alexa device you want to update.
This ensures any changes apply only to your intended Echo and not others you may own.
Step 3: Edit the Wake Word
Now you‘re ready to actually pick a new wake word:
- On your device‘s details screen, tap Edit Wake Word next to current setting.
- Select new wake word from the provided options.
- Tap Save Changes.
It‘s super straightforward – just a few taps is all it takes. Repeat the process on any other Echos devices you have as well.
Fig 2. – The "Edit Wake Word" option allows choosing from 4 replacements
But How Many Options Do You Really Get?
When friends first asked me about changing Alexa‘s wake word, they assumed you could pick anything imaginable. "Can I make it listen for ‘Barry White‘? or ‘Computer‘ would be so cool!"
Unfortunately Alexa‘s wake word options are still fairly limited:
- Alexa
- Computer
- Echo
- Ziggy
I get asked about adding custom wake words a lot. Amazon likely restricts options make sure performance remains top-notch. More accepted words means more processing power needed on devices and more complex machine learning server-side.
Still, having just a few replacements to choose from provides enough variation for most use cases. Now let‘s look at exactly why you‘d even want to swap out that default Alexa wake word…
Key Reasons to Switch Up Your Wake Word
While a minor change, shifting your Echo‘s wake word offers some nice quality of life improvements:
Differentiate Between Echos
If you‘ve begun putting Echo devices in multiple rooms, having distinct wake words is clutch:
Living Room Echo wake word = Computer
Bedroom Echo wake word = Ziggy
"Computer, turn on the lights."
vs
"Ziggy, play rain sounds."No confusion on which Echo you‘re addressing.
And this use case is pretty common – 31% of Echo owners have at least one additional Echo in a different room. So differentiated wake words helps minimize crosstalk.
Personal Preference
Let‘s be honest – some people just don‘t love saying "Alexa" over and over. Maybe you had an ex named Alexis, or just think Ziggy sounds cooler. Either way, options let you put your own personal spin on interacting with your assistant.
Pop Culture Fun
I‘ll admit, half the reason I chose "Computer" for my upstairs Echo is being excited to say that phrase from Star Trek: Next Generation all the time. Even small things like wake words let you geek out with references only certain fans will pick up on.
So while the wake word itself seems minor, it leads to very tangible benefits during daily Echo use. Now let‘s dig into additional ways to adjust Alexa‘s presence in your home beyond that starting wake word…
Additional Ways to Make Alexa Your Own
Once you‘ve moved past basic wake word swaps, there‘s a whole world of customization thanks to…routines. These powerful automations let you invoke multi-step actions via a custom voice command.
Let‘s say I frequently come home, set down my bags and want to just immediately chill out without manually adjusting a bunch of devices. My ideal "Home Sweet Home" routine would:
- Turn on living room lights so I can see
- Play my "Cozy Night In" playlist on Spotify
- Have Alexa greet me with a quick weather update for local weekend plans
I can set this all up as a custom routine in Alexa app, then simply say:
"Alexa/Computer, Home Sweet Home."
And my ideal welcome home experience unfolds!
Some other routine ideas that create scenes suited to very specific relaxation or entertainment needs:
- Reading Nook – Dim bedroom lights, play calm music, switch Kindle to current book
- Dance Party – Turn on colored bulbs, play upbeat playlist, max volume
- Dinner Time – Soft music in kitchen, dining room lights on, living room TV off
And by using custom phrases you set, it feels like Alexa understands contexts unique to you.
Beyond routines, you can enable tons of skills that give our assistant expanded capabilities – order an Uber, add to your grocery list, play Jeopardy quizzes and much more.
While modifying a simple wake word makes each interaction feel more personalized, taking advantage of automations and skills transforms Alexa into an indispensable part of a smart home tailored to you.
So swap out that "Alexa" wake word for "Computer" or "Ziggy" if you wish, but don‘t stop there. Treat yourself to wonderfully customized routines and capabilities via Alexa skills to enjoy an Echo that provides intelligent assistance in a way no one else can match.
Hope this gives you lots of ideas on exactly how to shape your ideal Alexa experience! Let me know if any other questions come up. And most importantly…enjoy life with your new customized Echo assistant!
