30 Best Amazon Alexa Skills in 2021

30 Best Amazon Alexa Skills in 2021

Best Amazon Alexa Skills Here are the best Alexa skills to use with your Amazon Echo Smart Speaker. cool alexa skills

The best Alexa skills will help you out of Amazon’s Personal Voice Assistant, which installs in the Amazon Echo Smart Speaker and the Best Alexa Speaker, as well as many other smart home devices. Even when the recently changed Alexa app is open, you can free-summon Alexa on your smartphone.

Amazon has added a lot of features to Alexa, but the real key to tailoring the Smart Assistant to your needs is through Alexa skills. Currently, more than 100,000 Alexa skills are available, allowing you to control the best smart home devices, order pizza, play trivia games, listen to news and weather, shop online and even start your own car. Give.

• How to use Alexa: the best tips and tricks to use now
• Check out the best Alexa compatible devices
• Here are the best smart speakers you can buy

After combing through hundreds of offerings from various brands and developers, here is a comprehensive list of the best Alexa skills that will help you get the most from Amazon’s subsidiary. Plus the most recent additions to the skills library, such as the Daily Music Pick.

See our guide for more tips and tricks on using Alexa.

What are the best Alexa skills?

It is difficult to rank the best Alexa skills because everyone’s requirements and routines are unique to them. However, if we are useful to most of Alexa’s users, we think they stand out. Right now, we are big fans of Alexa Guard, which taps into your Echo speaker microphone to let you know when an alarm sounds in your home (such as glass breaking).

While many people get stuck at home, one of our favorite skills is Send a Hug. This is the easy way that you love the people you know that you are thinking about, even when you cannot see them in person.

Alexa donation is one of the best Alexa skills to give back. You can ask Alexa to donate money to non-profit organizations like Children’s Miracle Network, Doctors Without Borders, Feeding America or any other charity that matters to you. Giving back has never been easier.

Some of Alexa’s best skills can also help you in health emergencies. Although Alexa cannot call 911, you can use Ask My Buddy skills to send information in case of emergency contact when you need assistance. Likewise, you can use MyPetDoc skills to get the support of your furry friends who are not feeling well. Alexa can advise you and point to a nearby vet that your cat or dog requires a visit to a person.

1. Alexa Guard

Alexa Guard turns your Echo Smart Speaker into security devices, indicating signs of trouble such as glass breaking or your smoke alarm going off. Your Alexa app will notify you when it listens to any suspects, which can be speedy when you get out of the house.

You may also be interested in Alexa Guard Plus, which is essentially a beefier version of Alexa Guard. Not only will Alexa alert you when this problem occurs, it will also contact the authorities for you. At $ 50 / year, it is the cheapest business monitoring service.

2. Send a Hug

Remembering your loved ones stuck at home? Tell your friends and family in seconds that you are thinking about sending them a hag via Alexa. Just say, “Alexa, hug yourself” to a virtual hug with any of your Alexa contacts.

It is important to keep in touch with the people you care about. Our Echo Show 8 review shows how heartbreaking video chat is, but do you know how to make a voice or video call using Alexa? Whenever you want to catch up, you can call someone using your Echo, Echo Dot or Echo Show.

3. Get Exclusive Amazon Deals

If you ask “Alexa, what are your deals?” You’ll hear a series of Amazon Prime member-exclusive deals that require an Alexa-enabled device to take advantage of. Once you make a purchase, you can ask Alexa for updates about its delivery status, as well as keep one in place. Go to Amazon’s Voice Shopping page to get the sentences you need to say to trigger the best Alexa skills available to use now.

4. Get Weather Report

While Alexa has built-in support for forecasting, Big Sky is one of the best Alexa skills to give you accurate, up-to-the-minute weather information. This is because it provides hyper-local forecasts based on your street address. The service uses information from Dark Sky, and can provide data such as wind speed and humidity.

5. Get Nutrition Tips

Trying to make some healthy adjustments to your diet? If you need a place to start, you can ask Alexa for quick nutrition tips. Although you should seek out a certified nutritionist for ongoing concerns about your diet, your voice assistant can offer some general advice based on healthy lifestyle topics derived from the Mayo Clinic. Just say, “Alexa, give me a nutritional tip.”

6. Talk to Alexa in different languages

Not every home has the same language. If you live somewhere where family members are fluent in more than one language, Alexa has a mode built for you. Multilingual mode is the best Alexa skill, as it lets you speak in two different languages, and Alexa will understand either dialect. The service is available in the US (with support for English and Spanish), India (where it will support Indian English and Hindi) and Canada (where Alexa will understand both English and Canadian French).

7. Make a Donation

Through Alexa, you can donate to a charity or organization. Simply “Alexa, donate $ 20 to the American Cancer Society,” or even more simply, “Alexa, donate one,” and then you will be prompted to choose an organization and a dollar amount. Currently, there are more than 270 charities with which the feature works, including the American Heart Association, ASPCA, Doctors Without Borders, One Laptop Per Child, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Wikimedia Foundation. Here is the complete list of organizations that accept voice donations through Alexa.

8. Get help from your pet

If your pet is ill or is acting strangely, MyPetDoc is one of the best Alexa skills to help you misdiagnose. Describe Fido’s symptoms, and Alexa will ask follow-up questions and provide advice. If Alexa does not know what is wrong, it will forward your conversation and phone number to a veterinarian, who will call you within minutes. (Just remember that while Alexa can give you some guidance, it is not an option for a visit to an official vet).

9. Get recipe ideas

It is difficult to choose just one of the best Alexa skills for cooking, as there are many that serve different needs. Some of our favorite skills include easy food ideas for quick and easy recipe recommendations from Cook’s Illustrated editors, America’s Test Kitchen Daily Cooking Q&A, which posts new recipes, tips and techniques in its weekly Q&A is. Morton’s Salting Sous Chefs can tell you how to add salt to whatever you are cooking, as well as general salty tips. If you have Echo Show 8 or Echo Show, just say “Alexa, show me the recipe” and select your favorite, and Alexa will walk you through the steps.

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10. Audiobook for listening

If you enjoy reading, you may also like audiobooks, as they allow you to read a book while doing other things. Of all the best Alexa skills for Audiobook, Audible is the top pick. Audible, a mobile audiobook service, lets you play your current reading through your Alexa speaker and control it with your voice. Alternatively, you can listen to some Amazon Kindle books through an Alexa speaker, even if you don’t have one of the best Kindle.

11. Call another Alexa-enabled device

Amazon allows you to make voice or video calls on your smartphone from Alexa-enabled devices such as Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, and the Alexa app. Alexa looks through your phone’s address book to find contacts that have an Alexa app or an Echo device, and then gives you the option to call them. For more information on how to use Alexa’s drop-in.

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12. play music

You can stream music using Alexa from various services (Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Sirius XM, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Tidal, Gimme, TuneIn, Pandora, Pandora Premium and Vevo, and many more). Vote songs and play selected playlists. With Amazon’s music library, you can launch playlists based on specific activities, eras, artists, even your mood. You can also combine categories like “80s music for running”, or, if you’re scared, you can also ask Alexa to play hook-up music. Do you know that you can also get Amazon Music free on your Echo?

13. Use Alexa as a Personal Trainer

Alexa can whip you in shape with 7 minutes of workout skills. If you say, “Alexa, start a 7-minute workout,” the virtual assistant will suggest allegedly tested exercises that will increase your metabolism, improve your energy, and remove fat. Best thing: you can take a break when you need them. These are the best Alexa skills for health and fitness.

Alexa has also been built into some of the best fitness trackers. As mentioned in our voice band review and Fitbit Versa 2 review, Alexa can act like your workout coach from your wrist.

(Image credit: Fijek / Shutterstock)

14. Check Your Credit Card Balance

American Express-card holders can manage their accounts with AMEX Alexa skills. By saying “Alexa, open AMEX,” you will be able to connect your account. Then, you can check your account balance, make payments, review fees, check your available debt and more. This is one of the best Alexa skills to keep your finances in order.

15. Find Your Favorite Restaurant

Looking for a place to eat? Alexa can have all the information about the businesses around you. Just ask “Alexa, what time does Taco Bell open?” Or “Alexa, what is Wendy’s address?” It can tell you the hours, location, phone number, address and more of a restaurant.

Best Alexa Skills (Image Credit: Future)

16. Clean Your Apartment

Some of Alexa’s best skills are those that let you automate tedious tasks. Many of the best robot vacancies, including the Shark Ion R85 ​​and Roomba i7 +, can be commanded to start and stop cleaning using Alexa. Vacuuming has never happened with this hand!

17. play games

Alexa can also supply fun. There are a ton of skills related to various general knowledge, but the best Alexa skills for the game are those of rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock; 20 questions; Bingo; Jeopardy; Tic Tac toe. More are cropping up all the time so check out the Games, Trivia and Accessories section of the Alexa app to find the game you want to play.

18. Schedule a meeting

Provided you have access to their calendar, you can schedule a meeting with your contacts using Alexa. Amazon assistants will suggest meeting times based on both of your schedules. If a conflict occurs after you have scheduled the meeting, you can ask Alexa to move the appointment to another time. Supported calendars include iCloud, Gmail, G Suite, Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Exchange (via Alexa for Business only).

Best Amazon Alexa Skills

19. Watch TV

There are many ways to control your TV using Alexa. If you have a Logitech Harmony remote, you can use the Harmony skill to connect the remote to Alexa. It has been recently upgraded, so all you need to do is say “Alexa, turn on my TV” or “Alexa, pause,” and the command will be sent automatically. Here’s how to connect Alexa to your Harmony remote.

Owners of Tivo Bolt, Roamio, and Premiere can also control their DVRs using Alexa, as can Dish, Fios, and Frontier customers. Here’s how to pair the dish and Alexa.

20. Teach Alexa What You Know

Alexa Answer is a crowded skill assistant. It encourages users Amazon to share their knowledge with the Alexa community on their favorite topics and don’t know the answers to Alexa’s questions yet. Once answered, you can earn a badge based on how many questions you can answer based on how often your answer has been shared with Alexa customers and others.

21. Get pregnancy tips and advice

Rose Health’s What’s to Expect is the best Alexa skill for Hope’s parents. It provides daily and weekly tips, guides and advice, and is customized for your due date. Kaushal also provides advice for the first year of your newborn’s life.

22. Get First Aid

Mayo Clinic Skills provides first aid answers for everything from basic scratches to CPR instructions. However, this skill is intended for instructional purposes only; If you are in a fatal or emergency situation, call for help.

23. Seek help in emergencies

Ask My Buddy Kaushal will send a notification (text, SMS or phone call) to an unsolicited contact when an emergency occurs and cannot reach your phone. While this feature is not an option for 911, it does let you know the loved ones you need help with.

24. Ask Alexa to explain herself

This skill was designed to make your voice assistant’s behavior less cryptic. When you ask “Alex-a, why did you do this?” You will hear an explanation for why Alex-a responded to the manner in your last voice command. Presumably, this feature will lead to better communication between you and your voice assistant in future.

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25. Connect with your Fitbit

Want to find out how close you are to reaching your daily step goal? The Fitbit skill allows you to ask Alexa how many steps you have taken, how well you slept and how you have performed on other metrics entered by your Fitbit Activity Tracker. Check out our review of the best Fitbit devices to choose the right one for you.

26. Get the latest news

The NPR Hourly News Summary skill is a 5-minute briefing in the headlines of the day, which is updated every hour. If you want to test your knowledge of the news, try NPR’s Wait Waiting quiz based on the comedy show “Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me”. You will be asked general knowledge questions to be filled about the news of the week. If you give five correct answers, you will be given a chance to mention your name in the next episode of the show.

27. Start your car

Want to drive before you start your car and warm up? Many auto brands have skills that allow you to remotely start your vehicle, open and unlock doors, change internal temperatures, turn on lights, and more. These include EV cars for Hyundai Blue Link, MyFord Mobile and Tesla.

Best Amazon Alexa Skills

28. Turn your lights on or off

When you can ask Alexa to turn off your connected lights, why bother for your phone or light switch? For this skill you will need a smart plug or smart light, but it is very easy. Skills are available for many smart-home platforms, including Lutron and Control 4. Here’s how you can connect Alexa to your Philips Hue Lights.

29. Follow Your Favorite Teams

Alexa wants to help you stay on top of your favorite sports and teams. In the Alexa app, in the menu, tap Settings. In sports updates, find and save your favorite teams. Digital assistants can give you details such as scores and upcoming events for the NFL, NBA, MLS, MLB, NHL, WNBA, NCAA and other American sports. Once you enter your team, you just say “Alexa, give me your sports update.”

Best Amazon Alexa Skills

30. Control Your Thermostat

Many smart thermostats, including the Nest Learning Thermostat, Honeywell RTH8580WF, Honeywell Lyric, Honeywell Lyric T5 and Bosch BCC100, can be connected to Alexa, so you can change the temperature just by speaking. A better going one, the Ecobee 5th gen — our favorite smart thermostat — also made it to Alexa, so you don’t have to talk to Echo or Echo Dot.

How to choose the best Alexa skills for you

Choosing the best Alexa skill for you is subjective. While almost everyone can benefit from weather, traffic, music, and news skills, you want to think of other ways that Alexa can help or entertain you. This is your personal assistant, after all.

If you own any smart home device, the best Alexa skill for you involves people who are affiliates of the IoT brands you use. Whether you use Philips Hue, C by GE or Lifx Smart Lights, Alexa has the skills to set up hands-free control. The same goes for the manufacturers of the best smart plugs, the best smart locks and more.

Some wearable devices also provide Alexa skills. Try using Fitbit skills to see your fitness goal progress and health matrix, and Bose skills to change the music of your smart speakers or headphones.

We recommend enabling emergency skills just in case. You do not expect to use My Buddy skills, but you will be happy to establish an ICE contact when you get into trouble.

How do we test best alexa skills

We spend a lot of time searching for the Alexa app to find the best Alexa skills for our readers, as well as asking Alexa for suggestions herself. Wherever you can place the Alexa speaker, what kind of questions can we ask you while staying at that place. We also test a range of skills that help with work, chores, scheduling, communication, and more.

For some Alexa skill categories such as Your Start Your Day, “Exercise” and Audio Music & Audio, we test the top offerings and look at user ratings to recommend confidence. Sometimes skills are not as smart as they are advertised, so we vetoed the above to make sure they work and make Alexa the most useful personal assistant.

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