Alexa is Amazon’s intelligent voice assistant that allows you to use voice commands to control your Fire tablet and smart home devices, get information, play music, set reminders, and more. Using Alexa on a Fire tablet is easy and enhances the overall experience.
Table of Contents
Enabling Alexa on Your Fire Tablet
Most recent Fire tablet models come with the Alexa app pre-installed. If not, you can download it from the Amazon Appstore. Once installed:
- Open the Alexa app and enter your Amazon login credentials if prompted
- Complete any setup prompts like enabling location access or phone verification
- Alexa is now enabled and ready to use! Say “Alexa” or tap the microphone icon to get started
Using Alexa Hands-Free
Fire tablets from 2017 onwards support hands-free Alexa use without touching the screen. To enable:
- Swipe down and tap Settings > Alexa > Hands-Free Mode
- Toggle hands-free mode on
- Say “Alexa” to activate without touching the tablet
Note: An internet connection is required for Alexa functionality. For the best experience, connect your tablet to reliable Wi-Fi.
Common Alexa Commands
Here are some of the most useful commands when interacting with Alexa on your Fire tablet:
Media Controls
- “Alexa, play some music”
- “Alexa, next song”
- “Alexa, set volume to 7”
Information
- “Alexa, what’s the weather today?”
- “Alexa, how long is my commute?”
- “Alexa, what’s the news?”
Smart Home Control
- “Alexa, turn on the kitchen lights”
- “Alexa, set the thermostat to 72 degrees”
- “Alexa, lock the front door”
Timers and Alarms
- “Alexa, set a timer for 20 minutes”
- “Alexa, wake me up at 7 AM tomorrow”
- “Alexa, cancel the pasta timer”
Shopping and To-Do Lists
- “Alexa, add milk to my shopping list”
- “Alexa, what’s on my to-do list?”
Using Tap to Alexa
The Tap to Alexa feature allows you to tap buttons on screen to interact with Alexa instead of using voice commands. This is useful for accessibility.
To enable:
- Open Settings > Accessibility > Tap to Alexa
- Toggle Tap to Alexa on
- Tap microphone icon to access tap buttons
Optimizing the Alexa Experience
- Connect your tablet to power when using Alexa for an extended period to avoid battery drain
- Mount your tablet in an easily accessible spot at home to use hands-free capabilities
- Use a sturdy case or stand to keep your tablet upright
- Connect smart home devices like lights, thermostats and locks for voice control
- Enable Alexa voice purchasing to easily reorder household items by voice
Child Safety with Alexa
You can set up Alexa child profiles to filter explicit content and prevent unauthorized purchases:
- Open Parent Dashboard and create a child profile
- Manage Alexa voice purchasing, skills access and content filters
- Require voice code to make purchases or access unauthorized content
Alexa on Fire tablets opens up hands-free, eyes-free convenience and control. Follow these tips to unlock the full potential for entertainment, productivity and home automation. With robust child safety features, Alexa brings peace of mind for family use.
