Alexa Routines

What a routine is

A routine bundles multiple actions under one phrase. Say "Alexa, good morning" and she turns on lights, reads the news, gives weather, and starts your coffee — all from one command.

5 routines worth setting up

• "Good morning" — turns on lights, reads weather, news brief, today's calendar.
• "Goodnight" — turns off all lights, locks doors, sets thermostat to 68°.
• "I'm leaving" — turns off lights, sets thermostat to away, arms cameras.
• "I'm home" — lights on, thermostat to 72°, plays jazz.
• "Take my pills" — sets a 5-minute reminder if you don't confirm. Texts family if you forget.

How to set up

1. Open Alexa app on phone.
2. Tap "More" (bottom-right) → "Routines".
3. Tap "+" to create new routine.
4. Name it (e.g. "Good morning").
5. Pick trigger: voice phrase OR specific time OR sunrise/sunset.
6. Add actions: lights, news, music, thermostat, etc.
7. Pick which Echo to play sound from.
8. Save. Test by saying the phrase.

Senior-friendly routines

• Daily check-in — Alexa says "Good morning, how are you?" each morning. If you don't respond by 11 AM, sends family a text.
• Medication routine — 8 AM: "Time for morning meds. Say done when finished." If no "done" in 15 min, repeats.
• Lost phone — say "Find my phone" and Alexa rings it.
• Help routine — say "Drop in on Sarah" — instantly video-calls your daughter on her Echo.
• Emergency — say "Call 911" or "Help" — Alexa calls 911 or your designated emergency contact.

Alexa Together (paid)

$20/month. Adult kids get an app showing parent activity (echo activity, no audio). Includes 24/7 emergency response button + fall detection support. Removes "I don't want to bother them" guilt while keeping family connected.