Amazon Echo

How to create an Amazon Echo Voice Code for Amazon purchases

Alexa app Voice Code on iPhone on desk

Your Amazon Echo smart speaker gives you an easy and convenient way to shop on Amazon with simple Alexa commands. But with this handy feature comes the risk of accidental purchases. Whether it’s you mistakenly asking for something, forgetting that Alexa is listening or someone else who orders something they shouldn’t, it’s a little scary and can be costly at the same time.

If you want to continue to order items from Amazon with your speaker, but want to protect yourself from accidental purchases, you can set up a Voice Code. This tool adds a layer of security in a sense so that orders cannot be placed, nor payments made, unless the code is used.

Here’s how to create an Amazon Echo Voice Code for Amazon purchases.

What the status lights on an Amazon Echo speaker mean

Amazon Echo

If you use an Amazon smart speaker like the Echo or Echo Dot, you’ll notice a variety of different status lights. But these lights aren’t very helpful if you don’t know what they mean. Does the yellow light keep coming on? Is there a purple light continuously flashing?

To help you decipher what your smart speaker is trying to tell you, here’s a quick rundown of what the status lights on an Amazon Echo speaker mean.

How to use iCloud Calendar and Alexa on your Amazon Echo speaker

Calendar on Mac

Some time ago, Amazon announced the integration of iCloud Calendar and its Amazon Echo speakers. And if you owned both an iPhone and Amazon smart speaker then, you may already use this handy feature. But if you’re new to the combination of iPhone and Alexa, this tutorial is for you.

What better way to take advantage of your Amazon Echo than to manage your events and appointments? Here’s how to use iCloud Calendar and Alexa on your Amazon Echo speaker.

Amazon working on a power-sipping Alexa chip

California-based chipmaker DSP Group today confirmed it's partnered up with Amazon on a low-power Alexa chip that's smaller than a 10-cent coin, which third-party vendors will be able to take advantage of to embed the smart assistant in their own portable accessories.

Amazon Echo secretly recorded a family conversation and sent a copy without permission

Amazon Echo

Forget the eerie laugh. For a family in Portland, Oregon, an Amazon Echo device has become no laughing matter. Not only did one of the best-selling smart speakers in their home record their conversations, but it also sent those recordings to someone without the family’s permission. The alleged episode makes you wonder whether companies like Amazon are serious about privacy when it comes to smart home devices. 

Google, not Amazon now leads smart speaker market

Google Home

There's a new leader in the growing smart speaker market. During the first quarter of 2018, Google overtook Amazon for the top spot. Meanwhile, Apple's nowhere to be found in the new Canalys survey of the top smart speaker producers in the world, suggesting it might be awhile before the HomePod maker makes a mark in the emerging product category.