Amazon Alexa’s calling and messaging feature lets you make and accept calls practicing voice control straight from your device. It’s a handy way to contact family and friends through its Echo lineup. Amazon’s Echo continues to grow and offers a new way to communicate with family moreover friends with Alexa-powered calling plus messaging services.
Drop-In works much like an intercom system that directly connects with the other Echo devices. Either in your home or another household can call anyone on your contact list with its hands-free feature. This virtual assistant AI freely depends on voice over internet protocol or VOIP.
To call someone usually needs Wi-Fi to connect with another person.
You can utilize the Amazon Alexa feature on iPhones running iOS 9.0, or later Android phones, use Android 5.0 or later. Below we have described everything you demand to comprehend of how to place a call from Your Echo.
Requirement
The service itself is free, though firstly, an Alexa app has required with the existed Amazon account. Called Alexa-to-Alexa calling and messaging require a working internet connection which comes with separate billings. It uses one-third of the data for a video call, and the conference calls seize more data than a regular video call.
Set up Amazon Echo
First and foremost, service requires setting up an Alexa app, then once the setup, utilize this service with an Echo or Echo Dot.
Download the Alexa app: The Alexa app is free, and you can download it through the play store and the existing app store on your device to set it up.
Sign Up: Open the Alexa app on your smartphone, then select the Communicate button on the home screen. Follow the prompts on-screen need to confirm your name and verify your phone number through SMS. Skipping this process will not enable the feature of Alexa calling and messaging.
Verify your number: Now, allow access to your contacts and verify your number with the verification message has sent on your phone.
Final Set up: Now, Alexa will give a sound notification that the feature has enabled. For multiple Alexa devices in your home, you can allow Drop in for your Household, otherwise tap on later. Further, let Alexa access your contacts and select OK to continue.
How to place a call from Your Echo: To call someone from your contact list, say, Alexa, call [name of contact]. Then a contact list will appear under the contact screen of the Alexa app.
Approach the name of the person to continue. If another person can receive calls through your Echo or Alexa app, it will ring up with the option to make a voice or video call to that person. When you get a call, the light ring on your Echo device changes green, and your phone will chime too. Then, your Alexa app will inform you of the caller, and if you want to accept it, Say, Alexa, answer the call. If you don’t crave to reply, then use the text feature to answer them.
Amazon Conference call
To make a conference call, the other person requires devices that support video calls. Firstly, create a video call group on the Alexa app:
- Start your Alexa app and select the communicate button on the screen.
- Then go to contacts> Add new> Add group.
- Now, choose the person name you want to add to the group, and continue.
- You can select a name for the group that you want to.
With the setting up, all you need to say now is Alexa to call this group name.
Use Drop-in feature: Use the drop-in feature to call someone on your contact list who uses an Alexa device directly. You need to ask Alexa to call [contact name] will call another person, like a simple call.
Drop-in works for the multiple devices in your home, which turns all Alexa devices into intercoms. It runs among echo devices inside and outside your home, and here are steps to set up a drop-in feature:
- Open the Alexa app, and on the bottom menu, select the devices icon.
- Select Echo & Alexa.
- From the list, chose a device to connect with your home network.
- Tap on communications>Drop-in.
- On-screen, a list of specific features will appear that you can enable or disable accordingly.
By adding drop-in, you can connect to a device ask Alexa to drop-in bedroom speaker. With this device, you can use another speaker and can engage in two-way communication between two devices.
