Useful Alexa Commands and Tips for Daily Life

Already have an Echo? These Alexa commands save time, reduce screen use, and help you get more out of your Amazon device every day.

In this guide (5 steps):

1.Set Medication and Daily Reminders
2.Make a Phone Call
3.Manage Your Shopping List
4.Control Smart Home Devices
5.Create a Morning Briefing Routine

Set Medication and Daily Reminders

~22s

Say: "Alexa, remind me every day at 8 AM to take my morning medicine." Alexa confirms the reminder and will announce it aloud at that time. To see all reminders, say "Alexa, what are my reminders?" or open the Alexa appReminders & Alarms.

Quick Tip

You can set reminders based on events too: "Alexa, remind me when I leave the house to call the pharmacy."

Make a Phone Call

~21s

Say: "Alexa, call [contact name]." For this to work, the contact must have the Alexa app installed or their own Echo device. If they do, the call goes through for free. Say "Alexa, hang up" when done.

Quick Tip

To call any phone number (mobile or landline), enable the Alexa Calling feature in the Alexa app and pay a small per-minute rate for calls to non-Alexa phones.

Manage Your Shopping List

~17s

Say: "Alexa, add bread to my shopping list" or "Alexa, add eggs to my shopping list." Items accumulate in a list. When you're at the store, open the Alexa app on your phone and tap "Lists" to see everything. Say "Alexa, what's on my shopping list?" to hear it read aloud.

Control Smart Home Devices

~16s

If you have smart bulbs, a smart thermostat, or smart plugs, you can control them by voice: "Alexa, turn off the living room lights," "Alexa, set the thermostat to 72 degrees," "Alexa, turn on the kitchen lamp." Devices must be linked through the Alexa app first.

Create a Morning Briefing Routine

~24s

In the Alexa app, go to "More" → "Routines" → "+" to create a custom routine. Name it "Good Morning." Set the trigger to a specific time. Add actions: play the news, announce the weather, read your calendar events. Every morning, a single wake word starts your full briefing.

Quick Tip

Say "Alexa, good morning" — many Echo devices have this built-in and will give you a morning summary even without setting up a custom routine.

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If you have an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, you are probably using only a fraction of what Alexa can do. Most people ask for weather and music and stop there — but Alexa has hundreds of built-in features that can genuinely make daily life more convenient, especially for hands-free situations.

This guide covers the most practical Alexa commands for everyday use: health and medication reminders, making phone calls, controlling your home, managing your shopping list, and staying informed without picking up a phone.

Reminders are one of Alexa's most underused features. You can set a reminder for any time — "Alexa, remind me at 8 AM to take my blood pressure medicine" — and Alexa will announce the reminder at that exact time from any Echo in your home. You can set recurring daily reminders as well.

Alexa can make free phone calls to anyone in your contacts who also has an Alexa device or the Alexa app installed on their phone. "Alexa, call my daughter Sarah" works if Sarah has Alexa on her phone. You can also drop in on another Echo in your home — useful for checking on a family member in another room.

For news and information, you can hear a daily briefing: "Alexa, what's in the news today?" She reads from the news sources you set up in the Alexa app. Weather, sports scores, stock prices, and general knowledge questions are always available.

Alexa also handles shopping lists. "Alexa, add milk to my shopping list" adds it to a list you can view in the Alexa app on your phone while you are at the store.

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