Amazon’s Echo Devices can do a lot of cool things out of the box, but if you want to add extra features, you can go to the Alexa Skills library. These mini apps allow you to add new voice commands, connect to third party apps and even play games. There’s just one problem: a lot of them aren’t great. To cut through the chaff, we have a list of the best skills worth enabling on your Echo.
7 minute workout
Finding time to exercise during the day is one of those tasks that can feel more overwhelming than it really is. A 7-minute workout helps overcome this problem by starting a short, guided workout with a single voice command. Tell Alexa “Start a 7 minute workout” and it will walk you through a few simple workouts that will be done in no time.
Headspace: guided meditation
Meditation can have a major impact on your health, but it’s not easy for most people to do it alone. That’s where guided meditation apps like Headspace come in handy. Tell Alexa you are ready to meditate, and the service will start teaching you how to relax, focus, and center. You need a Headspace account in the usual app, but once everything is set up you can start a meditation session without touching your phone.
AllRecipes
Smart speakers and displays are excellent cooking companions as they can help you prepare a recipe. That makes AllRecipes one of the most useful skills you can enable. This skill guides you through recipes found online or recipes you have saved in your personal cookbook.
Our messages
The OurGroceries skill is a handy app for AllRecipes and allows you to keep track of the groceries you currently have in your pantry, add items to your shopping list, and delete things as you use them. If you’re already using Alexa to help you keep track of your recipes and cooking, it’s not too far away to keep track of your groceries too, and you’ll never have to wonder if you have milk in the fridge.
Mixologist
If you want to put together a cocktail, but you’re not sure what to make with what you have in stock, Mixologist can help. It can search cocktails by name, search for drinks that use a specific ingredient you have (like rum or tequila), or find any drink you may not have tried before. It’s a convenient way to expand your drink menu without too much effort.
Uber / Elevator
When you’re getting ready to leave the house and need to take a ride, Alexa can get you an Uber or Lyft with a single command. Both apps allow users to request different types of rides (including budget or premium rides) or check your ride status. Lyft even lets you rate your driver after they drop you off. Make sure Alexa hears that five-star review correctly.
Ask my buddy
Alexa comes with commands that let you message or call people, but they can be picky. That’s fine for day-to-day communications, but Ask My Buddy is designed to simplify things for one simple purpose: emergency messaging. You can set this skill to text or call a specific person when you say, “Alexa, ask my friend to send help.” This is useful if you have someone who has a hard time getting around the house and who may just be able to call for help but cannot call.
Hue / LIFX
One of the most useful usage scenarios for a smart speaker is that you can control your lights with your voice. With smart lighting skills like those for Philips Hue or LIFX, you can set light brightness levels, change colors and turn lights on and off with voice commands. Once you turn your bedroom lighting out under the covers, it’s hard to go back to anything else.
Sleep and relaxation sounds
If you have a Spotify or Amazon Music account, you may already have access to a library of white noise sounds that you can play in the background or while trying to sleep. However, you do not have to pay for a separate service. Sleep & Relaxation Sounds comes with a library of environmental sounds such as rain, crickets, train rides or a variety of other soundscapes that you can set up with a command.
Danger!
One of the most popular game shows in television history, Danger has its own Alexa skill that you can use to play along with the episode that is currently airing. Each weekday, the skill provides guide questions associated with the episode’s categories so you can play along.
Skyrim Very Special Edition
In a similar category of fun Alexa skills, Skyrim Very Special Edition is a version of the popular fantasy RPG game that everyone thought was a joke until it wasn’t. You can activate the skill and follow quests, battle and explore the land of Skyrim, all using voice commands and verbal descriptions. It has the feel of one of those old school text adventure games, with a modern twist.
More great WIRED stories