Amazon Alexa is great by itself, but the service gets even better once you begin loading up skills onto it. But how do you enable Alexa skills, and what's the best way to do it?
Let's explore the three main ways you can activate an Alexa skill.
1. Activating Alexa Skills Via the App
If you'd like to start browsing for skills from your phone, you can do so via the Alexa app for iOS or Android. You need this app to set up an Echo device, so the app should still be lurking on your phone since the installation. You may even have made Alexa your default Android voice assistant since then.
Open up the app and tap on More at the bottom right, then tap on Skills & Games. You'll see a bunch of skills pop up that you can browse through at your leisure.
You can refine which skills you see via the tabs at the top. Discover gives you a handpicked selection of skills, whether it's from the Alexa staff or the hottest new features for Alexa.
If you have something in mind, Categories is an excellent place to start. This section lets you search skills depending on what they're designed to do, such as games, productivity tools, and skills that will help you get into reading.
Your Skills is where you can check out all the skills you've installed. If this is your first time installing skills with Alexa, this page will be a little sparse. However, as you begin loading up Alexa with skills, it will be worth returning here in the future to manage them.
If you like the look of a skill, tap on it, then tap on Enable To Use.
2. Activating Alexa Skills Via Voice Commands
If you enabled a skill using the above method, you would have noticed a second way to get a skill onto Alexa. Every skill is listed with a voice command, which you can say to activate it.
If you want to activate a skill, you can say "Alexa, enable," followed by the name of the skill. You need to know the exact name of the skill you want to activate, which poses a problem if you're just starting with Alexa.
Alternatively, you can ask Alexa for recommendations. Just say, "Alexa, what skills do you recommend?" and it will read out a smorgasbord of skills for you to try.
3. Activating Alexa Skills Via the Amazon Site
If you don't like scrolling through the Alexa skills on your phone, why not use a computer? Just head over to the Alexa Skills page on Amazon to get started.
Using the site makes it really easy to find the skills you want. There are plenty of categories you can browse through and a search bar to find what you want quickly and easily.
When you find something you like, click on it. The site will then give you a brief explanation of what the app does, plus the voice commands to enable it. If you're logged in to Amazon, you'll also find a button to enable the skill right away.
Making Alexa Work Harder and Smarter
If you've just got an Amazon Echo, you'll want to equip it with the best skills Amazon has to offer. When you're just starting, it's best to browse the Alexa app, check out the Amazon website, or even ask Alexa for some recommendations.
If you work from home, did you know that you can turn Alexa into a personal work assistant? It may not be as efficient as a human secretary, but she has some pretty neat tricks you can use to make your home office a more organized place to be.
