Amazon has introduced a new Echo feature where owners can now ask Alexa to keep track of where they have left their belongings.
The Echo update allows Amazon's voice assistant to remember where their owner may have placed certain items. This feature is designed to help people who tend to misplace their belongings or forget where they last put them.
How To Set A Reminder To Alexa
To use the new feature, users will have to let Alexa know exactly where they left their belongings. They will have to specify what the item is and where it can be located.
When leaving a wallet on a kitchen counter, for example, users can give the command, "Alexa, remember that my wallet is on the kitchen counter." This will allow the voice assistant to save the information for their owners.
If the owner happens to forget where the wallet was left last time, they can simply ask the voice assistant by saying, "Alexa, where did I put my wallet?" It will then remind the owner that their wallet is on the kitchen counter.
This new Alexa feature can be a godsend, especially for busy people who have too many things to worry about other than to keep track of every item they have. However, it's still not clear how long Alexa can remember where their owners left their belongings.
For important items such as documents and other stuff with sentimental value, it might be better to find other ways to keep them in storage. There are several radio-frequency identification or RFID tags available that can be used to keep tabs on items around the house or the office.
Alexa Guard
Another new feature recently added to Amazon Echo is Alexa Guard. The program allows Alexa-enabled smart speakers to determine whether someone has broken into their owner's home. This is done by listening for window-breaks and alarms using far-field microphones that are built into these devices.
Alexa Guard can be programmed to automatically turn connected smart lights on and off to help to alert their owners or deter burglars from proceeding further. It can also notify any linked security services, such as ADT or Ring, about the break-in.
To activate Alexa Guard, users simply need to the following:
- Open their Alexa app and access the menu option on the upper left corner.
- Access "Settings" and scroll to the bottom of the screen.
- Access "Guard" and follow the on-screen instructions to set up the feature. Those who want to turn on the smart lighting feature will have to confirm their zip code.
Once the feature is set up, owners can turn on Alexa Guard every time they step out of the house by saying, "Alexa, I'm leaving."
If Alexa detects a break-in or alarm around the house, it can record the sound and have it sent to their owner. Users can then activate the "Drop-In" feature on the app so they can use their Echo device to listen in for other sounds in their home. This can help them know whether someone is moving around the premises or not.
Owners can also enable other security features along with Alexa Guard, such as connecting it with security services. This can be done by accessing the "Guard" settings from the app's menu.
