Buying a new Alexa is very exciting. You get a lot of advantages. You can purchase, order food, stream music, call friends, and even Ola or Uber without lifting your finger. But how do you manage your kids and keep them from using Alexa? Let’s find out. 

To make Alexa kid-proof, turn on the parental controls. Also, customize the responses in Alexa by using voice profiles, keeping her mute, and limiting explicit content. Furthermore, teach children to use Alexa politely and correctly for something good. 

There are several things to learn about controlling Alexa and keeping her from listening to kids’ every command. Read this article until the end to learn how you can make Alexa ignore kids and teach kids to use Alexa correctly. 

Exploring Child-Friendly Alexa Settings

Using Alexa to do most tasks with a mere command is very exciting. 

You can buy things, listen to music, call your friends and family, and do many activities without lifting your hands and looking for the same things on your mobile. 

It is even fun for the kids. 

But at times, you will need Alexa to ignore children. 

You have no idea what your kid can do with your tech and get things done using Alexa. 

Kids nowadays easily get to learn about technology. 

So, controlling them and stopping them from misusing Alexa is very important. 

That is why recent technologies have introduced several child-friendly settings in the Alexa devices and the Alexa app to control the kids.

These settings will allow your kids to know what is valuable and necessary. 

At the same time, it will control your kids and stop them from doing something explicit. 

Today’s kids can order things and even pay online if they know the pin codes and passwords. 

Turning on features like Parental Controls and Kid Mode and disabling Voice Purchases in Alexa will stop the kid from purchasing excessive products and emptying your bank account. 

You can even make Alexa ignore certain voices. 

If no voice profiles are created for your child, Alexa will ignore your kid’s voice. 

That can be frustrating for a toddler. 

Instead of that, use Amazon Freetime. Alexa will behave like a friend to your kid. 

It will tell jokes and stories and even answer kid-friendly questions. 

So, these kid-friendly settings can influence Alexa to ignore your kid and stop your kid from using Alexa roughly all the time. 

Let’s discuss all these features and how you enable them in your Alexa app and devices.

How to make Alexa ignore children?

Alexa is a voice assistant service by Amazon. 

Being a voice assistant, Alexa can reply to everyone’s voice, even kids. 

As we know how mischievous kids can be, keeping kids from using Alexa and doing something wrong is crucial. 

That is why making Alexa ignore the child’s voice is the best option. 

Once your child learns to use Alexa properly, you can allow Alexa to listen to your kid. 

Let’s learn in what ways we can make Alexa ignore children:

How to activate Kid Mode or Child Profile on Alexa devices?

In this mode, your kids won’t be able to access anything except for kid-friendly content. 

Here are the steps:

1. Install the Alexa app on your mobile phone. 
2. Click on the DEVICES icon at the screen’s bottom and then click on ALL DEVICES. 
3. Please scroll down and click AMAZON KIDS and toggle it on. 
4. Tap SETUP AMAZON KIDS. If there are other devices where your child’s name is present, it will appear in the app after you click this option. 
5. Click on ADD CHILD, type the first name in the box, select the gender, add a birth date, choose an avatar, or let your kid choose one. Tap SAVE. 
6. You can even add another child’s name if you have more than one kid. Otherwise, click on CONTINUE. 
7. The app will go through the privacy consent and adult verification process. 
8. You will learn more about kid-enabled Alexa’s available content, features, and other settings on the GETTING STARTED WITH AMAZON KIDS screen. 
9. Tap the AMAZON KIDS SETTINGS at the bottom of the page. 
10. Add content and fine-tune your child’s setting any time by going to the PARENT DASHBOARD in the Alexa app or Amazon account. Inside the app, click the DEVICE icon, then DEVICES, and select the device where you have added your kid. 
11. Tap AMAZON KIDS and AMAZON KIDS SETTING.
12. Tap your child’s name and follow up with the prompts to add content, set daily time limits, pause or resume devices, etc. 

This setting will encourage Alexa to show the kid child-friendly content and the content you have selected for them to watch. 

There is another setting similar to this: Parental Controls. 

I will share this later, so keep reading.

Limiting Explicit Content

You will only know what type of music or audio content your child stumbles over on the Internet using Alexa if you hear yourself. 

So, you can limit the explicit content for your child with the explicit filter in Alexa. 

Setting an Explicit filter will block Alexa from playing songs that contain explicit content, words, and phrases. 

The filter will also stop your kid from streaming Gimme Radio, Deezer, iHeartRadion, TuneIn, or SiriusXM. 

To turn on the filter:

1. Open SETTINGS. 
2. Select MUSIC. 
3. Toggle on the EXPLICIT FILTER. 

You can also ask Alexa to block the explicit songs.

You will also have to toggle off the VOICE DEACTIVATION to OFF so your child cannot get rid of the filter. 

Parental Control Features

You can enable the parental controls in your Alexa app for iOS, Android, or Fire Tablets. 

For the Alexa devices, you have to turn on the FreeTime or FreeTime Unlimited parental controls for each Alexa device individually. 

Here are the steps to turn on parental controls for the Alexa app:

1. Click on DEVICES and then go to ECHO & ALEXA. 
2. Now click on the device you want to enable the parental controls. 
3. For example, if you have Echo Dot, check and select the device. This applies to all the devices that use Alexa.
4. Scroll down, click on FreeTime, and tap the toggle switch to turn on the FreeTime. 
5. Now click on SET UP AMAZON FREETIME.
6. Enter your kid’s name, gender, and birth date, choose a profile icon, and click ADD CHILD. 
7. Tap ADD CHILD again if you have more kid profiles, or click on CONTINUE. 
8. Click on CONTINUE again for the required permissions. 
9. Enter a password for your Amazon account and click on SIGN IN. 
10. Tap I AGREE to grant parental consent, and again click CONTINUE. 
11. Tap START YOUR ONE MONTH FREE TRIAL to set up the FreeTime Unlimited account, or tap CANCEL.
12. Click on the X in the upper-right corner to return to Alexa settings. 

Amazon Parental Dashboard

You can block certain apps and set restrictions by logging in to the Amazon FreeTime Parent Dashboard. 

You can see a log activity for each device and the kid profile we discussed. 

Click on the GEAR icon to open the settings, change the age filter, set daily time limits, turn off the Alexa voice purchasing, and more.

Implementing Voice Match

We all know that Alexa replies to voice commands. Whenever someone calls out her wake word, she will respond to it. 

And kids are no exception.

If you have used Amazon devices and Alexa, you will know that you can create voice profiles for Alexa. 

This will allow Alexa to reply to the commands of those specific voices.

Now, if you want Alexa to ignore your kid, do not create a voice profile for your kid. Or, if you already have one, delete it. 

However, the VOICE PROFILE setting needs to stay enabled. 

Disabling it will remove all the voice profiles and make your Alexa respond to anyone’s voice again. 

Addressing the importance of setting time restrictions to manage children’s access to Alexa

Setting the time restrictions in Alexa will control your child’s behavior in using Alexa and reduce screen time addiction.

Alexa can access a wide range of content. 

Some of them are inappropriate for kids and create addiction. 

Setting time restrictions will reduce the screen timing and the addiction of children to these contents.

Alexa is interesting; therefore, she can significantly distract children. 

Children would want to chat and communicate with Alexa the whole day. 

Setting time restrictions can prevent this distraction and encourage them to get busy with activities like playing outdoor games, reading, studying, and spending time with friends and family. 

To restrict the timing, go to the Amazon Parental Dashboard, click the GEAR icon, and set the age limit and time restrictions. 

Safe Shopping Practices, especially in households with children

Once children learn to use Alexa, they will try it in all possible ways, for example, watching cartoons, searching blogs and articles, and even shopping. 

With Alexa, you have the advantage of voice purchasing, where Alexa will enter the shopping app, search for the item you ordered, and order it. 

There have been several cases of kids using voice purchases to buy their stuff from Amazon without their parent’s knowledge.

First, you must turn off voice purchasing. 

To turn off the voice purchase, click on the menu in the top left corner and select SETTINGS. 

After that, select ACCOUNT SETTINGS and turn off the VOICE PURCHASING. 

Note that turning it off means no one can purchase anything by voice commands, even adults. It can be a drawback.

To keep using the voice purchase and prevent your kids from using it, use a 4-digit code. 

Only the VOICE MATCH registered profiles can access the purchase by Alexa. That will need the code. 

After you click the VOICE PURCHASING, go to PURCHASE CONFIRMATION, select MANAGE, and then VOICE ID. 

Here you can turn on or off the profiles according to your preferences. 

To turn off the voice purchase through the website:

1. Go to the Amazon Alexa website and log in to your account. 
2. Select ACCOUNT SETTINGS from the left side tab, and tap VOICE PURCHASING. 
3. Turn off the toggle next to the option. 
4. If you want to keep it on but stop kids from using it, set a 4-digit voice code option or a passcode to confirm the Amazon purchases and payment authorization. 
5. Set the code, and it is done.

Using the Mute Button

Every Alexa device will have a mute button. When you press this, Alexa won’t be able to hear any of your conversations or commands. 

If you want Alexa to ignore your kid’s voice, you can press the mute button when they are around. 

And unmute your device when they are away or asleep. 

When you press the mute button, check that your Alexa devices are beaming a red ring light. 

Your Alexa device is muted as long as the indicator is solid red. 

Once it turns blue, Alexa will start hearing and responding to you. 

Discussing the role of parents in educating children about responsible and respectful digital interactions and making Alexa kid-friendly

Parents play a significant role in educating children about the right way to use Alexa. 

Alexa can provide lots of kid-friendly content if parents use the correct settings in the Alexa and Amazon apps. 

This will make Alexa behave like a kid and communicate with your kid as a friend. 

Alexa will only show and discuss kid-related content, jokes, stories, etc. 

Let’s see what parents can do to make Alexa kid-friendly:

Kid-friendly Skills and Content

When you turn on the KID mode in your Alexa, you can select and put content types suitable for your kid. 

You can add kid-friendly skills and content that can be helpful for your child. 

This way, Alexa will become your kid’s friend and start behaving like a kid itself. 

You can add your kid’s name, age, avatar, and voice in the KID mode. 

So, whenever Alexa hears your kid’s voice, it will start showing kid-friendly content, like jokes and stories, and also give answers to every question they ask. 

Customizing responses for kids

To choose the right content for your kids, you must first learn about the skills in the Alexa app. 

Go to the Alexa app and select More → Skills & Games → Kids. 

Another option is to use the SEARCH feature. Tap the icon in the upper-right corner and type words like KIDS/CHILDREN. 

In response, Alexa will provide you with kid-related skills. You can choose anyone you like. Some examples are:

• Animal games
• Amazon math
• Spelling games for kids by Magoosh
• Simple science
• Managing emotions: Big feelings
• Tooth time
• Monster scanner
• Amazon storytime
• Animal Workout
• Fart 

By choosing these contents, your kids will enjoy communicating with Alexa. 

Alexa will provide information about these contents whenever they hear your kid’s voice when set in KID mode. 

Teaching Proper Voice Commands

When you bring Alexa devices into your house and have a toddler, teaching your kid about Alexa becomes essential. 

You must tell your kid how Alexa works and how to use her. 

Please share the privacy risks associated with your child, and tell them not to share any personal details with her. 

Begin with basics, like teaching them how to pronounce the wake words and how to command and make Alexa perform specific tasks.

If your kid is doing good, use positive responses. Be patient with them.

Teach your kids to be clear and precise while communicating with Alexa. 

Only then will Alexa respond with a better answer.

Learning is fun. So, try to make the learning entertaining. 

Incorporating Educational Skills that can benefit children’s learning experiences

When you choose content for your kid, you can also select educational and informative content. 

For example:

• Amazon math
• Simple science 
• Spelling games 

These can encourage Alexa to provide your child with something exciting and educational whenever your kid asks her something related to it.

Except for that, there are specific Alexa skills that can help your child receive educational guidance, for instance: 

• Storytime with Amazon kids: The skill reads bedtime stories to children.
• High-five math: This is developed by a teacher with 16 years of experience. The skill helps in developing a child’s mental math. 
• 1-2-3 math: The skill helps children improve 
• Word of the day: The skill helps build your child’s vocabulary. Let your child’s day begin with a new word.
• Kids quiz: Quizzes allow children to learn and discover new things. 
• Kids jokes, knock-knock, and riddles: As the name suggests, the skill provides your kid with lots of jokes and riddles for fun and laughter.
• Time table battle: It is a fun multiplication game for 6-12 years children. 
• My phonics: The app teaches spelling. 
• Magic door: This fantastic storytelling skill provides stories with sound effects and numerous characters.
• Animal game: It increases a kid’s knowledge about animals. 

Establishing Bedtime Routines to establish and reinforce bedtime routines for children

You can use Alexa to create your bedtime routines with a timer. 

Alexa can play calming music, stories, and white noises to help your child sleep peacefully. 

Alexa will dim the lights in your child’s room at bedtime. 

She can even remind the child to do specific daily chores before going to bed, for example, going to the washroom, praying, drinking milk, having water or medicine, etc.

All you need to do is set a routine and a timer. 

Alexa will perform the tasks according to your set routine and timer. 

Encouraging Politeness and Respect to use polite language and be respectful when interacting with Alexa

Children will not know how to communicate with Alexa. 

So, parents must teach them properly. 

There has been an ongoing debate about whether or not to be polite with Alexa. 

It is seen that 65% of women and 45% of men have been polite with Alexa. 

Some agree to be polite because being respectful encourages Alexa to provide you with polite answers. 

On the contrary, some argue that there is no point as it is just a machine. 

Users need to be respectful and polite while talking to Alexa. 

Being polite with virtual assistants is an excellent way to learn politeness. 

Teaching your children to be polite with Alexa is a perfect way to teach the children to be polite and respectful to real people too. 

Children will learn from adults. So, when you speak with politeness, children will follow you and speak respectfully with Alexa too. 

Being polite with Alexa and interacting with her constantly is fun and exciting. 

Final words

Having Alexa at home is convenient. But if you have kids, you must teach them how to use them properly. Mischievous kids can misuse Alexa by buying lots of stuff through voice purchasing.

They can come across explicit content while interacting with Alexa. So, it is vital to either make Alexa ignore kids or customize Alexa’s responses and content. 

You can create voice profiles where Alexa replies to only the registered voice profiles, keep Alexa mute when not needed, turn off voice purchasing, block explicit content, and pick content through the parental dashboard.

If you do not want to stop your kids from using Alexa completely, you can turn on the KID MODE and PARENTAL CONTROLS. These features will make Alexa behave like a kid, and she can become a friend to your child. 

Alexa will share stories and jokes and answer your kid’s questions in a friendly manner. With parental controls, you can control Alexa with screen timing and things Alexa will share with your kids.

Ultimately, the parents must teach their children how to use Alexa correctly and ask her politely and respectfully. This article can help parents and caregivers create a safer, more age-appropriate experience for young users.

Reference: Amazon Alexa Wikipedia

Alexa devices waking you up at midnight due to alert calls or notifications can be frustrating. Still, it’s understandable in the case of emergencies like robbery or fire. So, a frequently asked question among users is whether Alexa should be kept plugged in or unplugged.

Keeping Alexa unplugged at night saves energy, increases device lifespan, and prevents data collection and sleep disturbances. On the contrary, with Alexa plugged in, you can use smart home features, like alarms, turning on lights, and getting notifications about suspicious activities.

There is no single answer, as both have pros and cons. Please read this article till the end to learn about Alexa’s Always-on nature, whether you should keep Alexa plugged in at night, and the dangers and benefits of keeping them plugged in.

Understanding Alexa’s Always-On Nature

Alexa is a voice service by Amazon.

As a voice assistant, Alexa will respond to your voice and perform tasks for you whenever you command her. 

I have smart lights connected to Alexa, so when I need them to turn off or dim, I say, “Echo, dim the lights.” 

She will send the command to the smart lights and dim them according to your preferred level.

Since Alexa is a voice assistant, she must stay active, listen to your voice commands, and perform them as needed. 

Alexa will need to hear the wake word you have set for her to wake up and do the tasks. 

ALEXA is the default wake word, but there are several other options, like:

• Echo 
• Computer
• Disney
• Amazon

I use all of them alternatively. 

I keep changing the names to prevent others from guessing the wake word, hacking, and spying.  

You can even use two similar words, like Echo, and Echo, to keep the wake word unique. 

I do not keep Alexa devices unplugged because once they are not used, Alexa will automatically go to standby mode, where she will sleep and be inactive unless I call her wake word. 

Also, I love Alexa’s features, especially the smart home features. 

So, I personally prefer keeping the device plugged in at night. 

A lot of people unplug Alexa. 

According to them, it keeps Alexa from listening whenever she hears a word that sounds nearly like her wake word.  

Since Alexa works by voice, she needs to be in listening mode so that she can wake up whenever she hears her wake word and perform tasks.  

I agree with this point, but several exist that can help Alexa ignore the wake word. 

So, keep reading to learn about those modes and settings.

Addressing potential privacy and security risks associated with leaving Alexa plugged in overnight

Several devices work with Alexa. 

She is accessible on Amazon’s Smart home devices called Echo devices. 

You need an Echo device, for example, Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, etc.

These devices need to stay plugged into a power source. 

After that, you can turn on the device and start using Alexa. 

But what to do if you do not need to use Alexa for a few hours, for example, at night when you are sleeping? 

Will it be fine to keep it on, or should you turn it off?

There has been a lot of debate about this, but it is better to be left in the hands of the users. 

Whatever they prefer the best, they will do. 

If you plug in the Alexa devices at night, there will be a few liabilities.

Below are some common drawbacks of keeping Alexa plugged in throughout the night:

1. Data Collection and Usage by Alexa 

Though there are a lot of words to use as a wake word for Alexa, Alexa is the most common default wake word used. 

Remember these things:

• Despite several words, the default wake word, ALEXA, is used by numerous users. 
• You can have conversations at night if needed. 
• Several words sound nearly like the wake word, which can wake your Alexa.
• Since Alexa is a voice assistant, she will reply to the voice commands of anyone who uses her wake word. 

Whenever Alexa hears her wake word, be it intentional or unintentional, she will wake up and listen to whatever you are saying. 

These will be further sent to the Amazon servers so that a reply is sent through Alexa to you. This is how Amazon gets to collect your data. 

Amazon collects data to improve Alexa’s performance. 

They do not mean to eavesdrop and use this data to spy on you. 

But many users do not prefer this as they become concerned about privacy.  

If Alexa is unplugged, no one can collect any data. 

That is why users prefer unplugging Alexa at night.  

I have a lot of smart devices, like lights and thermostats. 

Alexa collects data about how often and when I need these devices to stay on or off. 

This is done to understand my preference and not to spy. 

For example, you turn on the lights at night to drink water or go to the washroom. 

So, Alexa can collect the data and interfere with your sleep at night during days when you do not need to get up. 

It is understandable if some users are uncomfortable with this. 

So, for them, this can be a privacy concern. So, they prefer keeping Alexa unplugged.

2. Impact on Energy Consumption

Since Alexa will need to be connected to a power source, keeping her plugged in the whole night can lead to energy consumption. 

One of the primary reasons behind keeping Alexa off is to save money on energy bills. 

Amazon’s Echo documentation shows that Echo devices can draw around 2W in networked standby mode. 

In this mode, the microphone of the devices and the Wi-Fi will stay on. 

Based on the US’s electricity cost, keeping the Echo off in your house for 8 hours can save around $21. 

But you won’t be able to save this money if you keep the device on.

The more you keep your Amazon device on, the more energy it consumes. 

This is a rough estimation. You need to calculate according to the number of hours you keep the device on or off. 

However, you can worry less because no one entirely depends on Alexa and uses her all day. 

Most times, Alexa stays on standby mode, where the device does not use much electricity. 

In that case, you may receive a consumption bill of around $5 to $12 per year, which is relatively low. 

It is up to you whether to keep the device unplugged or not. 

3. Potential Disturbances due to Alexa

With Alexa turned on at night, your sleep gets disturbed. 

If the sound for alert calls and notifications is on, Alexa will ring whenever these alert messages and notifications arrive.

For example, you have set the setting where Alexa will tell you the weather conditions at 5 amp. 

In that case, your sleep could be disrupted by the notification. 

Though some adults get up early in the morning, it can be disturbing if you have kids at home.

Being a voice assistant, Alexa can wake up suddenly at anyone’s voice. 

For example, you have kept Alexa near a window, and it is open. 

Your neighbors go for a morning walk with their pets and keep talking loudly; Alexa can misinterpret one of their words as a wake word and wake up. 

Let me give another example. Suppose your room’s door is open. 

You are asleep, but a few house members woke up early and are working. 

If Alexa is plugged in, she may hear those people’s conversations, misinterpret them as a wake word or commands, and start responding.

This can disrupt your sleep. 

If you have set up a wake word with lots of background noises, Alexa can wake up whenever she hears those background noises and disturb your sound sleep. 

Since these sounds can interfere with your sound sleep, keeping Alexa off or unplugged at night is better. 

I keep my room’s doors and windows closed. 

But many people prefer keeping them open, especially during hot weather. So, these are the people who can face issues.

4. Effect on Device Lifespan due to unplugging at night

Finally, keeping Alexa off at night for 8 hours can increase the Alexa device lifespan. 

When you keep the device plugged in, the device is in use, even if you are not using her for your tasks. 

When plugged in, the power supply in the device will generate heat, further accelerating wear and tear and reducing the device’s lifespan. 

Keeping the device off at night would be a good choice. 

It will allow the devices to rest after staying active the whole day. 

Personal Comfort and Peace of Mind

From the previous section, it must be clear that keeping Alexa turned on can create issues for some people.  

Keeping Alexa unplugged will prevent these issues and provide comfort and peace of mind. 

With an Alexa device unplugged, there are lower chances of Amazon or hackers collecting your data, low energy consumption, and sound sleep, as no sound from Alexa will be there to disturb you. 

All these factors bring personal comfort and peace of mind.

I do not think that these issues are any serious problems. With the correct settings, you can keep these issues from happening without worrying about privacy concerns. 

Recently, technology has been improving a lot. 

The new updates provide you with improved security patches and fixed bugs. 

With these features, you can use Alexa at your comfort level without worrying about data information, disturbances, or spying.

Considering the preferences and needs of other household members regarding leaving Alexa plugged in overnight

Remember that Alexa will genuinely turn on when she hears her wake word. 

Otherwise, the default mode is the standby or sleep mode. 

So, Alexa won’t disturb you if you don’t look for her. 

That is why it is safe to keep the Alexa device plugged in. 

Some people would like to utilize Alexa’s smart home features to control specific devices like speakers, thermostats, TVs, and lights. 

Besides this, there are other benefits of keeping the device plugged in:

1. Using Alexa as an Alarm

Many people put alarms on their phones or clocks to get up early and reach their destinations on time. 

Alexa can help you wake up early by setting the alarm. 

Just command your Alexa to set the alarm for your preferred time; she will ring the alarm and wake you up early. 

This brings peace of mind and a sound sleep. 

You do not have to worry about waking up late the next day, even if your phone has no alarm set. 

You can set an alarm for every day. 

For this reason, many people prefer keeping Alexa plugged in overnight. 

2. Fire and Electrical Safety

Another reason why family members want to keep Alexa plugged in overnight is because of safety. 

For example, if a burglary or any accident like a fire occurs, you will know by keeping Alexa devices plugged in.

You can sleep peacefully knowing that Alexa can help you wake up if something goes wrong. 

For this, you need to use the Alexa Guards feature. 

Once this feature is turned on, Alexa will listen for suspicious sounds like breaking of glass, footsteps, door opening or closing, smoke or CO detectors going on and off, etc. 

Alexa Guard is a helpline or a home security feature, whatever you may call it. 

It is designed for Alexa-enabled smart speakers and is compatible with various smart houses and security devices. 

Once Alexa listens to suspicious sounds, she will trigger alarms to wake you up at night to check the problem. 

Though you can try the Free version, the Plus version provides extra security to your house. 

3. Alexa’s Boot-Up Time

When you unplug your Alexa, users get concerned about how much time Alexa will take to start working. 

But Alexa takes only a few minutes to turn on and start taking your commands to perform tasks. 

So, it won’t be a problem if you have unplugged your Alexa at night. 

Most Alexa devices take around 30 seconds to 1 minute to start after rebooting. 

But it depends on the type of device you have and its condition. 

It can take longer if the device is old and has faced wear and tear. 

On the contrary, a new device will take a few seconds to turn on. 

At times, a hacked device will also take time. 

Such a device will not only take time to start but also take your commands slowly to perform tasks. 

If your device is in good shape but still slow, suspect a hacking. 

Turn off devices, change passwords, and get help from the Amazon support team.

4. Alexa’s Updates and Maintenance

Regular updates of the Alexa and Amazon apps provide many advantages. 

With the regular updates, you stay modernized, receive the new features and security patches, and get your app free from bugs that create many issues. 

But a network connection is vital to use these features and stay updated. 

If you keep your Alexa unplugged, you will not be able to receive it immediately. 

You must wait to plug in the device again and then return. 

If you still do not receive the updates, you must check manually and update your devices. 

By staying plugged in, your Alexa will receive regular updates, and you will have unlimited connection to the Wi-Fi network. 

So, your devices get automatically updated, allowing you to enjoy all the features securely.

5. Features that help a soundless sleep at night

At night, some features of Alexa are helpful for sound sleep. 

For example, you can activate the Sleep Sound Alexa skill.

With this skill, Alexa will help you with sound sleep by playing some sounds to clear your mind and ease you. 

Some sounds are:

• Rains
• Babbling brook
• CricketsOcean
• Bird sound
• Clock
• FanCat 
• Frogs   

Alexa can also offer guided meditation to put you in a calm state of mind and help you with a deep relaxing sleep. 

6. Smart lights and other devices

If your Alexa is connected to the smart lights, dimming and lighting up the lights will be easier. 

If you need something at night, struggling to find the light switches becomes frustrating. 

If you keep Alexa plugged in, you can command her to light up the lights without fidgeting with the light switches in the darkness. 

You can also control other smart devices connected to Alexa besides the light. 

For example, if your thermostat is connected to Alexa, you can command her to increase or decrease the heating or cooling unit’s temperature for a comfortable sleep.

Considering Alternative Actions

Instead of unplugging the Alexa devices, you can choose alternatives to keep Alexa from spying on or disturbing you.

Here are some of them:

1. Mute button

Instead of unplugging your Alexa device, you can mute the device. 

This will stop the device from waking up, recording your voice, or listening to you. 

If Alexa cannot listen to you, she won’t be able to wake up or create any fuss in the middle of the night. 

Press the icon showing the microphone with a slash to mute your Alexa. 

2. Do not disturb 

Instead of unplugging, turn on the DO NOT DISTURB MODE in your Alexa. 

Turning this mode on will keep your Alexa devices from getting alerts and notifications about various things. 

Some of them can be important. But if most of them are unimportant and they bother you all the time, even at night, turn the feature on. 

To enable this feature:

• Tap on the menu bar on the right corner, upside. 
• Click on Settings and then Device Settings.
• Tap the device you want to set to the DO NOT DISTURB mode. 
• Then, turn on the toggle button. 

You have successfully set the DO NOT DISTURB mode on your device.

If you need Alexa to stay quiet at a particular time, you can set that, too, with the Alexa app. 

After you tap the DO NOT DISTURB button, you will get an option called SCHEDULED. 

Turn this on, set the start and end times, and you are done.  

3. Away mode or Alexa Guard

The AWAY MODE or ALEXA GUARD mode will allow Alexa to remind or alert you about suspicious activities. 

In this mode, Alexa will listen to activities like glass breaks, footsteps, door closing or opening, and smoke and CO detectors. 

If turned on, Alexa won’t be able to alert you during these times. 

So, turn the feature on and keep the device plugged in to receive these reminders.

Also read:

• Why Is My Alexa Doing Random Things?
• How Do I Know If My Alexa Has Been Hacked?
• How Do I Stop Alexa From Spying On Me?

Final thoughts

Ultimately, whether to unplug Alexa at night depends on the user. Unplugging Alexa at night can be beneficial in several ways. For example, it saves energy bills, you don’t feel disturbed by unimportant notifications at night, no one can collect personal data or conversations, and it increases your device’s lifespan. 

However, keeping Alexa on allows you to use smart house features, like bedtime stories and calm music for sound sleep, receive alert signals about suspicious activities, use it as an alarm, and other things. So, it depends on how the user wants Alexa to use it. 

If you want to stay safe and undisturbed by Alexa and still want her to stay plugged in, use features like DO NOT DISTURB, ALEXA GUARD, and press the Mute button so that Alexa does not hear your commands and wake up to disturb you. 

Reference: Amazon Alexa Wikipedia

Devices that use Alexa as a voice assistant, especially Amazon devices, help users do several things without effort, like connecting with friends and family, shopping, ordering food and cabs, and whatnot. But some people worry that Alexa is always listening. So, is it true? 

While Alexa works by voice commands, she doesn’t eavesdrop or spy. However, it concerns when Alexa records your voice after hearing the wake word and keeps a record of your voice commands. To stop this, keep Alexa on mute, delete the recordings, limit data collection, and update your software.

You won’t understand when and how Alexa spies on you. There are several situations where Alexa can spy on you. But we also have ways to keep her from spying. Please read this article till the end as we explore how you can stop Alexa from spying.

Understanding Alexa’s Listening Behavior

Alexa is a voice assistant by Amazon. 

Besides Amazon devices, Alexa can interact with others like Ecobee, Fibaro, Belkin, Wink, IFTTT, SNAS, and others.

Before learning how to stop Alexa from spying, it is crucial to learn Alexa’s listening behavior. 

Since Alexa is a voice service by Amazon, it will listen to the voice commands said by the users to perform tasks. 

Alexa is built on NLP or Natural Language Processing, which can convert speech into work, sound, and ideas. 

Alexa will record whatever you ask her, break them into individual sounds, determine the vital work to make sense and perform functions. 

Alexa will need a wake word to wake up and perform her commanded tasks. 

Generally, a default wake word for most Amazon devices is ALEXA. 

But you can change and keep something else, like Echo, Amazon, Computer, or Disney. 

I used to use ALEXA most of the time. But one day, I saw Alexa replying to words and names that sounded nearly ALEXA, for example, Alex, Lexi, Elka, algaes, etc.

After some time, I switched it to DISNEY. 

Sometimes, I also change it to ECHO or COMPUTER. 

Changing the wake words sometimes is an excellent way to keep outsiders from accessing Alexa.

Since Alexa is a voice service, it will always listen to you whenever you call out its wake word. 

The devices have multiple microphones to pick up different sound waves on each mic. 

Each microphone will record the sound events at different times with a different wave, but these differences will be slight. 

However, some people feel concerned about this. Whenever we call out for Alexa, she responds. 

Does it mean Alexa always listens, records, and spies on us?

That may not be the case. 

In most cases, we know that Alexa will only record you whenever you ask her to perform a specific task so that she can reply. 

It means that Alexa will not listen to you the other times. 

She will become active and listen to you only when you call the wake word. 

Once she has completed the task you requested, she will again turn it off and won’t record anything. 

How to stop Alexa from spying?

Since Alexa is a voice assistant, it will respond to you whenever you ask her to perform tasks. 

As a voice assistant, her work is to record whatever you say to send it to the Amazon server and then receive a reply for you. 

At the same time, Alexa has access to specific skills containing your personal information. 

So, Alexa can spy on you through these voice recordings and device access. But how do you stop Alexa from spying on you?

After some research, I got hold of some instances where Alexa can spy on you and ways to stop her from doing it. 

So, keep reading till the end to stay safe from spying:

Alexa’s Wake Word and Privacy

You’ll need to use a wake word to activate Alexa and start giving it commands.

A wake word is a phrase that will help Alexa wake up, communicate with the user, and perform specific tasks. 

Once you call the wake word and ask Alexa to perform a task, the signal is sent to the speech recognition software in the cloud to be processed.

Alexa will then convert the response into audio and return it to your device. 

Alexa will record only when she hears the wake word. 

But what if she hears words close to her wake word? 

Smart speakers can be triggered unintentionally up to 19 times a day by similar-sounding words to their wake word.

So this indicates that your smart speaker listens to you around the clock. 

Several words sound like Alexa. 

Whenever Alexa hears it, she misinterprets it as a wake word and gets triggered. 

She will start recording your conversations if you are talking to someone near her. 

To prevent your Alexa from misinterpreting words, keep Alexa off when you don’t need her, set specific voice profiles so she doesn’t respond to everyone’s voice, and choose a unique wake word. 

How to Turn off the Follow-Up Mode?

Another wake word-related issue is the FOLLOW UP MODE feature. 

When you turn on this feature in your Alexa-enabled devices, the devices will be able to make a follow-up required without the need to say the wake word. 

With this feature, anyone can access your Alexa and spy on you through your voice assistant. 

To prevent this, turn it off. Go to Alexa app → Menu → Alexa Devices → Select your device → Turn off Follow-up Mode. 

Managing Voice Recordings

Alexa does not save everything you say, but it can collect enough data to understand your voice and preferences.  

According to Amazon, information can be used to make the devices better and more accurate. 

But some people do not find this safe as they are highly concerned about their privacy and security. 

Back in 2016, it came to light that Arkansas cops had once requested data from an Amazon Echo device to aid them in prosecuting a suspect.

This may sound helpful, but it also declares that Amazon Echo devices and every other speaker gather unsettling amounts of data. 

Another similar incident happened in 2018, Kiro 7. 

Amazon Echo has recorded a few conversations and sent them to a person’s employee. 

Amazon has acknowledged that these recent events were uncommon and assured to take measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

Despite being uncommon, such things can worry us about how much data these devices can store without our knowledge. 

To prevent this from happening, you can delete all the voice recordings from your Alexa devices. 

There are three commands to do it:

• Alexa, delete what I just said.
• Alexa, delete everything I said today.
• Alexa, delete everything I have ever said. 

If you think that Alexa cannot delete properly through the commands, do it manually. 

For that:

Settings → Alexa Privacy → Review Voice History → All History → Delete all my recordings.

You have successfully deleted all the voice recordings.

If you forget to delete the recordings or need some for now, you can select how long to save the recordings. 

Alexa can keep a temporary recording of what you say. 

If you do not want to delete the recordings in the cloud, you can delete them once they are sent to the Alexa app on your smartphone. 

To set up this feature:

Settings → Alexa privacy → Manage your Alexa Data → Choose how long to save the voice recordings 

If you do not want to save any recordings, select DON’T SAVE RECORDINGS. 

Limiting Data Collection

Since Alexa works by voice commands, there are chances that Alexa can collect data without the user’s knowledge. 

As I said earlier, several words are similar to Alexa’s wake words. 

These words can make Alexa misinterpret as a wake word, and she will activate and listen to whatever you say. 

There are ways where you get to decide and control how much data Alexa is allowed to collect and how much should be deleted. 

Please turn off the voice recordings, manually delete all the recordings permanently from Alexa history, or automatically delete all of them after a certain period. 

To enable this, open your Alexa app and click MORE. 

Go to Settings → Alexa Privacy → Manage your Alexa Data → Choose how long to save recordings → Don’t save recordings → Confirm. 

I have already stated this in the previous point. 

Instead of DON’T SAVE RECORDINGS, there will be other options after you click on HOW LONG TO SAVE RECORDINGS, and you can choose anyone of them:

• Save recordings until I delete them.
• Save recordings for 18 months.
• Save recordings for 3 months.

This will allow Alexa to use the saved recording for a certain period. Once they get deleted, Alexa cannot use them. 

However, by that time, more recordings will be gathered. 

I personally prefer DON’T SAVE RECORDINGS.

For extra safety, scroll down to HELP IMPROVE ALEXA, and switch the USE OF VOICE RECORDINGS toggle to Off. 

Then tap TURN OFF. 

If you use Alexa to send messages, switch the toggle/s in the USE MESSAGES TO IMPROVE TRANSCRIPTION part off. 

Disconnect the contacts and calendar from the smart devices if you do not want Alexa to use the calling and scheduling functions set in the device. 

This can also stop Alexa from knowing your plans and spying on you.

Implementing Voice Profiles

You can set up voice recognition profiles for Alexa. 

Enabling this feature will allow Alexa to wake up and reply to the voices registered in the profiles. 

Alexa is a voice assistant and replies to commands. 

If you do not have any specific voice profiles, Alexa can wake up at anyone’s commands. 

When someone calls out Alexa’s wake word by mistake or something similar while talking to you, Alexa can wake up and start listening to your conversations. 

But with set-up voice profiles, Alexa will not reply to any outsider’s voice except those whose profiles are set. 

So this can keep Alexa from spying on you all the time and also prevent attackers from hacking Alexa and spying on you.

How to disable Voice Purchasing?

Disabling voice purchases will stop Alexa from spying on you and hackers from knowing about your personal information. 

When you do a voice purchase, Alexa can record your voice command and send it to the Amazon server, where they will track your shopping habits with voice recordings and target you with advertising. 

At the same time, Alexa will access your Amazon account information to see the purchase details and track your shopping habits. 

If you have an online payment method through credit cards or payment apps, Alexa can see all the details and track your spending habits.

Turning the feature off can stop Alexa and Amazon from learning about your shopping habits and protect your privacy. 

There are two ways to turn off voice purchases:

From app

• Open the Amazon Alexa app from your phone. 
• Tap on the More tab from the navigation bar at the bottom. 
• Now, click and go to Settings. 
• Under Settings, go to Account settings, tap Voice purchasing, and turn it off. 

There will be several safety measures that will help you to stop voice purchasing completely. 

You can disable voice purchasing completely on your Alexa. With this, no one, including the user, can purchase by voice.

Click on the payment method set on your account, tap the EDIT PAYMENT METHOD button, and follow the prompts. 

You can also enable the purchase confirmation in Alexa, but only the users registered in the VOICE MATCH will make the purchase. 

That will need a 4-digit passcode to confirm the purchase. 

Disabling the purchase confirmation can remove all the restrictions and allow anyone to purchase using Alexa. 

Disabling the feature on the web

You will turn off voice purchases from your laptop or computer via the Amazon website. 

For this:

• Go to the Amazon Alexa website on the browser and log in to your Amazon account. 
• Go to the Account settings from the left tab. 
• Under the Account settings, tap on Voice Purchasing. 
• Turn off the toggle next to the Purchase by Voice. This will stop all Alexa voice purchases. 
• To control the voice purchases further, enable the 4-digit voice code option to confirm the Amazon purchases and payment authorization. 
• After that, set a 4-digit pin, and you are done. 

Using the Mute Button

Every device will have microphones to record your voice commands so that Alexa can respond to them. 

At the same time, you will also have a mute button. 

This button will allow Alexa to stop listening to your conversations. 

Alexa can wake up and start recording your conversations if she hears any word similar to her wake word. 

If you do not want this, find the “microphone button with a slash” icon on your smart device and press it. 

The icon can look different based on the type of device you have. 

But typically, this is the standard icon style. 

After you press the button, verify it by checking for a short tone and the indicator turning red. 

As long as the device’s indicator light stays solid red, your microphone is off, and Alexa won’t be able to listen or record anything you say. 

To use Alexa, press the same icon again. 

Alexa is ready to use as before if the indicator is no longer red. 

How to review the permissions granted to Alexa and third-party apps and maintain privacy?

Whenever you install any apps or skills, for example, the Alexa app or any other third-party skills, be it from renowned developers or third-party apps, they will want permission to access some features of your devices. 

Alexa permissions are the settings that determine what information Alexa can access from your smart devices. 

If you grant all the permissions Alexa asks, Alexa can receive most of your personal information and spy on you. 

For example, letting Alexa access your contacts will let her to know all the contacts and your calling preferences. 

Echo devices can send audio messages to another person without your consent. To stop this, don’t give access to Alexa. 

Connecting third-party app to Alexa

When you connect any third-party skill to connect it to Alexa for a smarter house, it will need specific permissions, like accessing voice records or location information. 

When a third party gets access to use Alexa, the skills can receive all the information about you from Alexa. 

Since Alexa listens to and records all your commands, the third-party skills that have permission to access Alexa will get this information. 

Several Amazon third-party skills can make your house smarter once you connect them to Alexa. 

Amazon claims these skills are approved, but many hackers can duplicate them and disguise them as from renowned companies. 

Once these skills get Alexa’s access, they can gather information about your whereabouts from all the devices using Alexa. 

So, when you download skills, you must be careful about the permissions you grant them. 

To review and manage these permissions, go to the Alexa app → Settings → Alexa Privacy → Skill permissions. 

Here you can change the individual skill permissions to on and off according to your preference and choose the requested data type.

Network Security Measures

A secured house network can protect your devices from malware, and strong passwords prevent hackers from hacking the devices. 

Here, Alexa does not directly spy on you. 

It is the hackers that will first hack Alexa or the device. 

Then through Alexa, they will spy on you to collect your personal information and conversations. 

Malware is software that most hackers use to spy on you and steal your information. 

With a secured network, there are lower chances of such things. 

With strong passwords, hackers will find it difficult to get access to your accounts or house networks. 

As a result, they won’t be able to hack Alexa and make her spy on you. 

Regular Software Updates

Amazon keeps updating its apps to improve its security patches, fix bugs, and add extra features.

When you keep the apps updated, the improved security patches can protect Alexa from being hacked by malware. 

Therefore, it will stop Alexa and the hackers from spying on you. 

With updated apps, you get new features that can improve security and prevent anyone, including Alexa, from spying on you. 

New updates also eliminate the bugs and prevent Alexa from recording old histories and conversations. 

With every update, you receive features that will stop Alexa from spying. 

While auto-updates work, sometimes, they don’t. 

In that case, you have to check the accounts, apps, and devices to check for updates and update them.

To update the apps, go to your Amazon profile and check for updates. If you find any, update it immediately. 

Do the same for the Alexa app on your smartphones. 

For the devices:

• Make sure that Alexa is connected to the Wi-Fi network. 
• Whenever the indicator light glimmers, it means an update is processed. 
• Command “Alexa, check for updates,” she will start looking for updates and update it if any. 
• If you have an Echo Show, go to the SETTINGS, then DEVICE OPTIONS, and CHECK FOR UPDATES. 

Geofencing and Location-Based Privacy

In geofencing, GPS is used to define a virtual boundary around a location. 

You can control Alexa through geofencing whenever it enters or goes beyond the boundary. 

When you are away from home, you can see and control Alexa’s behavior through geofencing. 

Alexa won’t be able to spy on you if you are beyond the boundary of your house. 

It can also access your personal information when you are in the house or have left the boundary of your house. 

This limits the amount of information Alexa can access. 

As a result, Alexa won’t be able to spy on you. 

Remember that these settings are not guaranteed. 

Giving Alexa permission to listen to commands and execute tasks outside your home means it can listen to your commands and access your personal information.

Privacy-Friendly Alternatives

If you are concerned about privacy, you can have several other voice assistants instead of Alexa. 

But note that no voice assistants are foolproof. 

No voice services will give you the 100% privacy you want. 

If you have voice assistants and are concerned about privacy, you must adjust the privacy settings. 

The methods I have shared for Alexa to stop her from spying are also available in the other smart speakers and voice assistants. 

I have researched and shortlisted some voice assistants that focus on privacy concerns and do not collect too much data. 

Below are some of the ideal ones according to me:

• Sonos One
• Mycroft
• Google Home 
• Apple HomePod 

However, as I said, no voice assistant services are entirely safe. 

To prevent them from spying:

• Use strong passwords. 
• Delete voice recordings.
• Turn off voice purchases.
• Use safe and secure home networks. 
• Be mindful before you install any skills and grant them permission related to Alexa.
• Use the Mute button if you do not want Alexa to listen to you. 

Final thoughts

Alexa can make our lives easier, but at the same time, it can spy on you and collect your personal data, which hackers can further misuse once they access your Alexa devices. To prevent your Alexa from spying on you, take proper precautions, like choosing a unique wake word, muting her when not needed, managing the voice recordings, limiting data collection, disabling voice purchasing, securing the house network, choosing strong passwords, and keeping the apps updated. 

You must also manage the third-party skills and be careful before granting permission to these apps and Alexa. You can geofence and use location-based privacy settings to track Alexa’s behavior and stop her from spying. Keep the house network safe to avoid hackers hacking Alexa and making her spy on you. 

There are several alternatives to Alexa, but no voice services can provide you with the 100% security you want. Adjust the privacy settings to prevent Alexa from collecting data as much as possible. 

Reference: Alexa Wikipedia

With devices that work with Alexa, you can find anything without lifting your finger. Amazon Alexa makes the daily lives of millions easy and fast. But it can sometimes bring trouble to the users; Alexa getting hacked is one of them. 

It can be a panicking situation for anyone who learns that their Alexa has been hacked. Unusual behavior, unexpected purchases, unknown apps, increased data use, unknown voice profiles, changes in settings, and strange communications are some ways to identify that Alexa is hacked. 

There is more to learn and understand about whether Alexa is hacked. In this article, we will share the ways to know how Alexa is hacked, the common reasons behind the hacking, and ways to prevent it. 

Account Access Anomalies

There are several ways where unauthorized people can access Alexa accounts and create suspicious activities.

Below are some instances where there are higher chances of Alexa getting hacked:

Hackers build Amazon skills under false names

Users do many things with Alexa because third-party apps run on its platform, such as Spotify, Allrecipes, Headspace, etc. 

Amazon calls these apps Amazon skills. By 2021, Alexa has gained around 100,00 skills. 

Recently, Amazon has had particular needs while making a custom skill, but researchers found loopholes in it. 

They have found skills under some company names, and there is no guarantee that these are genuine. 

Researchers have even sent papers to Amazon, but Amazon insists they are secured and safe. 

Hackers can create Amazon skills under false names and hack your Alexa through this. 

User information can be collected through voice phishing

Some hackers send phishing attacks through voice squatting or skill squatting. 

It is a developing systematic error that can lead users to enter false sites. 

In 2018, hackers crafted phony Amazon skills that imitated widely used third-party applications.

This can lead the users to phishing sites that later ask for specific permissions and sensitive information. 

Once you do that, hackers can access your Alexa and Alexa devices. 

Alexa relies on voice, and to ensure that Alexa replies to known voices, users make voice profiles for Alexa to respond to those voices. 

But since Alexa is a voice assistant, it sometimes begins to reply to anyone’s voice and even picks up incorrect words.

Attackers will use the wrong spelling on the evocative phrases of the other apps, for example, using Citybank (phishing app) instead of Citibank. 

When the user says, “Alexa, open the Citibank app,” Alexa will open the phishing app instead of the actual banking app. 

Hackers will ask for personal information when a user unknowingly enters the false site. 

Since users will be unknown to this, they will give the hackers all the information they need about you.

Skill developers will alter backend codes

Amazon reviews and validates the certificates of the custom skills to prevent attackers from hacking your voice assistant or the devices using it.

However, developers can alter their backend codes after approval. 

Attackers will take advantage of this situation, disguise themselves as reputed companies’ developers, and alter the backend codes to hack your Alexa or Alexa devices. 

Most Amazon skills have undisclosed privacy policies

Most apps disclose the privacy policies where it shares how the developers collect and use data. But Amazon is an exception here. 

A lot of Amazon skills do not disclose or publish privacy policies. 

This can make the user’s privacy at risk. 

Amazon is known to collect the voice recordings of Alexa users through specific skills. 

Once the hackers learn these skills, targeting and hacking your Alexa devices becomes easier.

Amazon employees do the manual transcriptions

Though Alexa is a voice assistant, at the end of the day, it is humans who manage Alexa and make her a voice assistant for Amazon devices.

So, hundreds and thousands of employees listen to and review the audio clips daily. 

Each person parses around 1,000 clips per shift.

The employees pick up and add phrases to the Amazon system to improve Amazon’s algorithm and ad tactics.

These employees will further send these recordings to other reviewers to help with the parsing. 

They also do this if they find anything interesting or disturbing. 

Though Amazon says reviewers cannot access the user’s personal information, investigations revealed that reviewers could see the user’s personal info, like first name, account number, and device’s serial number. 

This does not mean the employees are hackers, as they work with strict contracts, but you never know. 

Amazon Sidewalk can share your network with neighbors

Amazon Sidewalk is a program that can easily connect smart devices outside your house to a Wi-Fi network. 

This works by making Amazon devices like Echo, Ring, and Echo dot to act as middlemen between Sidewalk and the network. 

Other users, especially neighbors, can connect to this bridge. 

Devices that need strong Internet connection get easily hacked via Wi-Fi connections. 

So, sharing your network with your neighbors can be risky. 

If any hacker stays in your area, you will never know unless the hacker hacks your Alexa or the devices by connecting to the bridge.

Laser lights can wake up Alexa

Laser-powered lights can activate the smart speakers of your home, even Amazon devices, and wake Alexa. 

When hackers use laser-powered lights, they change the light to sound to hijack. 

If this happens, the attackers can easily access your other smart devices. 

Alexa lacks voice-recognition authentication. 

So, hackers can easily access your smart assistant and hack the devices.

That is why voice-recognition profiles are essential, as they will help Alexa personalize the responses. 

Hackers can set commands with frequencies

This is called Dolphin Attack. 

Unlike laser-powered lights, you won’t be able to see or hear the Ultrasound frequencies. 

So it is challenging to detect. 

Alexa is a voice-activated assistant, and Alexa devices use voices. 

But they also hear, interpret, identify, and understand frequencies. 

So, this is another easy way for hackers to get access to your Alexa and Alexa devices. 

Hackers can send frequencies through videos and broadcasts. 

How to know if Alexa has been hacked?

“Alexa, play some relaxing music.” It sounds too convenient to have everything done for you without any effort. 

You only need to command Alexa; she will do everything for you. 

But what if you notice some weird behavior in Alexa? For example: 

• Alexa responding to something it should not 
• Your device has some unknown skills installed
• The data usage is unexpectedly higher than normal

These situations can be panicking and worrisome. 

Maybe your Alexa is hacked, and someone else is spying on you. 

Alexa can be hacked in various ways, especially by hijacking Wi-Fi routers, making false Amazon skills, voice squatting, or code alterations. 

Hackers can hack the device in extreme conditions using laser lights and frequencies. 

So, what will you do? 

How will you find out if Alexa is hacked or not? 

However, I never experienced such things. But one of my friends faced it. 

She suddenly saw high data usage in her devices but never used that much. 

Additionally, her Alexa device’s light used to turn on without any wake calls. 

This happened with her for a few weeks. One day, she discovered some unknown skills in her devices and sudden ad pop-ups. 

So, I took my friend to a tech expert. He said that maybe Alexa got hacked. 

He changed the passwords and did other technical stuff to prevent the hacking. 

The expert also suggested some ways to identify whether Alexa is hacked. Below, I have shared them. 

If you ever suspect that your Alexa is hacked, take a look at these points and try to investigate:

Unusual Behavior

If you notice that Alexa is doing some unusual behavior, it could be a sign that your Alexa is hacked. 

However, do not declare that your Alexa is hacked just because it behaves weirdly 1-2 times. 

At times, Alexa can misinterpret the wake words when there are too many background noises or people mention Alexa’s wake word while talking about something else. 

When Alexa behaves weirdly for a long time, even after you have found the reasons behind the weirdness and fixed them, you can claim that Alexa is hacked. 

For example, your Amazon Echo’s blue light will start beaming even if you never used the wake word for Alexa. 

When you find these abnormalities, expect your Alexa to be hacked. 

To prevent this, try to change the passwords of all the devices or consult a tech expert. 

Also read: Why Is My Alexa Doing Random Things?

Changes in Settings

One day, you are going through the settings of Alexa devices and find sudden changes you do not remember doing. 

I also sometimes forget about the changed settings I make. 

But, if you are sure that you have not made specific settings in the devices or Alexa app, there are chances that your Alexa is hacked. 

Try changing the settings as per your preference and keep checking them regularly. 

If you again find the settings have changed, Alexa is likely to be hacked. 

For example, maybe Alexa got permission to access some apps, which you have never confirmed. 

Or, your Amazon app has some unknown apps linked to your profile account without your knowledge. 

Change your Amazon password and go through the settings very carefully. 

Remember the settings and preferences you have set. 

If next time, anything happens, you will be able to know that your Alexa is hacked. 

Contact the Amazon support team and consult a tech expert to discover the actual cause. 

Unexpected Purchases

You go through your online shopping apps and discover unknown purchases you don’t recall. 

Begin with investigating your house members, especially kids. 

Today’s kids quickly learn handling technology. 

So, it is common for them to buy anything at random. 

One day, I, too, saw this and panicked, thinking that maybe my Alexa or any Amazon devices got hacked. 

But thankfully, those were some toys. My brother’s toddlers bought them.

So, I keep the devices away from them, as sometimes kids can turn on the voice purchase feature. 

It can lead to unauthorized purchases only by the command “Alexa, buy (item name).” 

But the situation may be unsafe for you. Hackers can easily access your Amazon profiles and make random purchases without your knowledge. 

Hackers can mimic the user’s voice and buy unexpected stuff. 

If you find any unexpected purchases in your cart, unplug your devices, change passwords, and contact Amazon support for help. 

Unknown Skills or Apps

One common sign indicating that Alexa is hacked is finding some apps you do not recall installing. 

Especially third-party skills are to be blamed. 

Apps or skills from reputed developers are safe to use. 

But third-party apps have a lot of bugs and glitches. 

Providing them permission can allow hackers to know about the details.

This can make it easier for them to hack Alexa and their devices. 

If your Alexa is hacked, you will find unknown skills and notifications from these unauthorized apps. 

You will also notice strange behaviors that Alexa never does. 

Change the passwords and contact your Amazon support for help if you find this. 

Avoid clicking and installing on any random skills or sites you get from unknown people. 

Check the list of skills you have in your devices that use Alexa. 

If you find any, uninstall them immediately. 

Unrecognized Voice Profiles

The Alexa devices are designed to respond to voices registered with the specific device. 

You can do this by making a voice profile. 

The voice profile is an identifier that matches the user’s voice to the device. 

Hackers can bypass this security and make a voice profile of their own, gaining control of your device. 

The hacker will then be able to use Alexa for all the works and services you use it for, for example, turning on/off lights, TV, or even opening your door (if it is an electronic deadbolt). 

The hacker would also be able to hear all your crucial conversations. 

If you suspect Alexa is hacked, go to the voice profiles and find out if any unknown profiles have been created. 

If you do not identify them, delete them immediately. 

Change the passwords of all the accounts linked with Alexa and Alexa devices and reset your voice profile. 

Enable two-factor authentication for extra safety. 

I will discuss this later, so keep reading.

Device Access Logs

Device access logs help track the connections made in the devices where you use Alexa, like the IP address, the date and time, and the connection type. 

When an unauthorized user gains access to any Alexa device, they can use it to make actions unknown to the actual user.  

When you regularly monitor the device access logs, you can learn about these unauthorized connections and unusual actions and inspect them further. 

You can also keep track of the unauthorized user’s activity and gather evidence during a security breach. 

If you suspect Alexa is hacked, check the device access logging to find any unauthorized connections. 

If you find any unauthorized connections, disconnect them, change Amazon passwords, and seek help from the Amazon support team or tech experts. 

Increased Data Usage

You suddenly realize that the data usage of the Alexa devices is hugely higher than you usually use. 

This can indicate that someone else is using your Alexa devices when you are inactive. 

The hacker can use the device by hacking Alexa to send or receive data, listen to your conversations, and even collect your personal and vital information to misuse them. 

All these activities will lead to a sudden increase in data usage, which indicates that your Alexa is hacked. 

The device running slower than usual is also a sign.

You need to check the data usage regularly to see if there is any increase in it. 

Additionally, change your passwords, reset the voice profiles, and seek help from the Amazon support team. 

Email or Account Notifications

Nowadays, when anyone tries to log in to your account, you will receive an account notification or an email about the login. 

This happens when you use your information to login into your account on a different device. 

You will receive a notification every time you log in from a device. 

To receive notifications, you must go to the security login option, where you will get another option for receiving alerts about unrecognized logins. 

Sometimes, house members can be blamed. 

But if they did nothing, some hacker is trying to use your account. 

Whenever you receive these notifications, change your Amazon password. 

For extra safety, use the 2-factor authentication in your Amazon account. This provides an extra layer of security. 

Device Tampering

Since Alexa runs with software, tampering with the Alexa devices to hack your Alexa may not be possible. 

However, using hardware products like smart bugging or introducing malware into the Amazon Echo and Echo Dot devices can make hacking possible. 

With these, the hacker will learn about your Amazon passwords and every other detail when you talk about them to someone. 

In 2017, a British hacker managed to install malware in a person’s Amazon Echo, which turns the device into a remote listening device.

Mark Barnes has discussed a technique where hackers can stream audio from all Amazon devices with a soldering SD card. 

However, the process is not easy and cannot be done remotely. 

Additionally, Amazon has declared that hackers can’t do such processes in the Amazon Echo devices produced after 2017. 

However, if you feel that someone is spying on you for which you are receiving weird behavior from Alexa, along with the above points, also check for any physical tampering with the devices. 

Strange Communication

Alexa can interact with outside servers with the help of APIs. 

When you ask Alexa to perform a task, it will request the server hosting the API for the requested task. 

The server will respond and send it back to Alexa to provide you with the task’s reply. 

There have been incidents of Alexa trying to contact unknown external servers. 

If hackers can access Alexa devices, they will send data from your device by communicating with Alexa to servers of different locations. 

And this will happen without your knowledge. 

One day, I was talking to my friend who had brought a new Amazon Echo. 

He told me that his Alexa suddenly started calling an unknown number one day. 

So, he immediately changed the passwords and sought professional help.

If you suspect such things, check the device log to determine whether Alexa communicates with external or unknown servers. 

Change your Amazon account passwords immediately, report to the Amazon support team, and turn on the two-step authentication for extra security. 

Check your Alexa devices and accounts regularly for weird behaviors, unknown sources, extra data usage, etc., to understand whether anyone is hacking your Alexa or Alexa devices. 

Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication is a security feature that protects an extra security layer for your Amazon accounts and devices. 

Along with putting in the account password, your phone number should receive a code the user needs to enter before the final login. 

Only then can the user access the account. 

In a summit held in 2017, it was said that since Alexa does not need two-factor authentication, accessing Amazon accounts is easier, especially for people who can get an individual’s Amazon credentials and Alexa devices.

So, since Amazon accounts have the two-factor authorization feature, using it can reduce the risk of getting hacked.

How to enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for Amazon accounts?

To turn on the 2FA feature in your Amazon account, first, you need to stay logged in to your account. Next, follow the following steps:

1. Go to your Account → Login and Security → Edit button next to Advanced Security settings. 
2. On the top side of the page, next to Advanced Security Settings, click on GET STARTED.
3. You will receive options about how to receive the 2FA codes. There will be an AUTHENTICATOR APP and PHONE NUMBER. 
4. By choosing the PHONE NUMBER, you will put your phone number; with every log in, your number will receive an OTP. You have to enter the OTP and then log in. 
5. As for the AUTHENTICATOR APP, first, install the app, and open it to add an account.
6. If you use the Amazon website, scan the QR code shown by Amazon and follow the instructions in the app. 
7. If you use the Amazon app, copy the extended code and add it manually to the AUTHENTICATOR APP. Type the code by the app into the ENTER OTP textbox on the page and click VERIFY CODE AND CONTINUE. 
8. If you use the Amazon website, the next stage will be information about how to use the 2FA feature for a device that cannot display the second screen. 

Now, on the website, there is no information about what devices are used, but images suggest the old Kindle versions. 

On the page, inform Amazon that your current browser does not need a 2FA check by clicking the DON’T REQUIRE CODES ON THIS BROWSER checkbox. 

You should do it if you are using your own computer or laptop. 

Once the browser you use is set to DELETE COOKIES WHEN YOU CLOSE THE BROWSER DOWN, it won’t work unless you tell the browser to make an exception for Amazon cookies. 

Next, click on GOT IT. 

Now, turn on the TWO-STEP VERIFICATION, and you have completed it. 

Next, you will reach the ADVANCED SECURITY SETTINGS page. 

Amazon will not give you backup codes if you have a problem with the 2FA. 

It will send you an SMS if your AUTHENTICATOR APP is not working.

On the ADVANCED SECURITY SETTINGS, you will see a BACKUP METHODS section, with the option ADD NEW PHONE.

Use this as a recovery phone to receive the SMS if you lose your primary number. 

If you don’t have any, use the phone number of a trusted person. 

Otherwise, you must contact the Amazon support team if your account is hacked and you cannot access it anymore. 

Security Best Practices

Getting fooled by hackers in today’s world is easy. 

Along with improved technology, the methods of hacking have also improved. 

At the same time, several practices can help prevent hacking. 

Ultimately, being careful and not responding to all types of apps and skills is the most important thing a user should do. 

In this section, I will share some best security practices and tips every user should follow to protect Alexa and the devices from getting hacked:

• Keep your devices, Amazon, and Alexa apps up to date. The developers keep improving the security with every update. So, with updated apps and devices, the chances of hacking will be reduced. 
• Use two-factor authentication to add an extra security layer to your apps and devices. This feature will ask you to enter a code from your smartphone besides putting in the account password. And without this code, no one can access your account.
• Keep checking your apps regularly for unknown activities, like unknown purchases, high data usage, strange communications, unknown voice registration, etc. Change your account password and reset or restart your devices whenever you see such things. 
• Do not use the same password all the time. Set a particular time and change the password regularly. It will keep the hackers from knowing the password and hacking Alexa or the devices.
• Use a strong and personal password so hackers cannot easily guess and use them.
• Keep your Alexa devices in a secure location where no one can tamper with them.
• Turn on the feature that allows you to receive notifications and emails whenever anyone tries logging into your account through a different service. 
• Use the Do not send voice recording option to keep your Amazon store your voice. With this, hackers cannot mimic your voice and misuse Alexa.
• Instead of using the default wake word, try something else. 

Reporting and Response

If you ever suspect that your Alexa or the Alexa devices have been hacked, do the following things for the time being:

• Check your device for unusual behaviors, like Alexa doing random things not commanded, sudden purchases, battery draining faster, a device running slowly, high data usage, etc. 
• Also, check for unknown external servers, strange communications, and unknown authorizations.
• Change the passwords of your Amazon accounts and Wi-Fi immediately. 
• Delete all the voice profiles you have created, and reset them again.
• Restrict remote access.
• Disconnect or reset your device. 
• Scan for malware. 
• Contact and report it to the Amazon support team.
• If you have any tech friends, consult them for expert suggestions. 

Final thoughts

In today’s tech world, along with the increased usage of technologies and the introduction of new ones, the hacking method has also improved. Alexa no doubt makes our lives easier, but you need to be careful while using it. Remember that both Alexa (the assistant) and Alexa devices can be hacked. 

Besides the several instances that indicate how Alexa can be hacked, there are ways to identify and even fix it. Use the methods I have shared to identify whether your Alexa is hacked. To keep Alexa and Alexa devices safe, avoid entering any random sites, keep changing the passwords of your accounts and Wi-Fi regularly, reboot your devices every 2-4 weeks, use two-factor authentication, and use the voice-recognition profile. 

If you suspect that Alexa is already hacked, check the privacy concerns, unplug and reset your device, change all the passwords and use strong passwords, reset the voice profiles, and contact Amazon support for help. 

Reference: Amazon Alexa Wikipedia

An intelligent voice assistant like Alexa has made our lives a lot easier in this world of technology. This AI-based assistant will do anything you tell it to do with a single command. But what if the device starts behaving abnormally and doing random things that it is not supposed to?

If your Alexa is doing random things like making weird noises, chiming, or doing things you have not commanded, the possible reasons could be a misinterpretation of wake words, third-party interference, software updates, network issues, background noises, or hardware malfunctioning. 

Dealing with Alexa can be easy once you learn the right tricks. Read this article till the end to learn what random things Alexa does and how you can stop it from doing so further. 

Understanding Alexa’s Response Algorithms

We are all aware of the term Alexa. 

It is a voice-controlled virtual assistant technology by Amazon. 

It is used in various devices like smartphones, laptops, Amazon Echo, Echo Dots, etc. 

Alexa can manage your smart house smartly, play audio, answer questions, shop, and order cabs. 

Alexa improves your entertainment experience and connectivity to friends with easy access to favorite services.

She can keep your data secure, organized, and efficient if you train her properly. 

When I bought my Amazon Echo and used Alexa as a voice assistant, I was first curious about how Alexa works. 

The service, called Alexa Voice Service, or AVS, finds out what you ask for, quickly sends the correct information back to your device, and plays it in the speaker.

Alexa is built on natural language processing, or NLP, that converts speech into works, sounds, and ideas. 

It will record the words you ask, break down your orders into individual sounds, identify the essential works to make sense of the task, and perform the functions.

Since Alexa is Amazon’s voice service, the Amazon servers will send the information back to your device, and Alexa will speak it. 

Let me explain in a bit more detail. 

It begins with signal processing, which gives Alexa numerous chances to make sense of the audio by cleaning the signal. 

The next thing is the Wake Word Detection. 

Alexa needs the user to say one of the words your device is programmed with to turn on, for example, ALEXA in Amazon Echo or Echo Dot. 

My Echo speaker’s wake word is ALEXA. 

I recorded that inside a silent room with no other background noises. 

An accurate and clean wake word reduces the false positives and negatives.

Alexa devices have multiple microphones. 

They can pick up different sound waves on each mic. 

As the microphones are positioned in an array around the devices, each microphone will record a sound event at a slightly different time with a slightly different wave.

Once Alexa detects the wake word, the signal is sent to the speech recognition software in the cloud, which accepts the audio and converts it to text format. 

The output space is large because it searches for English words; only cloud technology can scale it adequately.

Alexa analyzes the user’s speech characteristics, such as frequency and pitch, to convert audio to text, providing feature values.

A decoder determines the likely word sequence, given the input features and the model divided into 2 pieces. 

The first piece will be prior. 

It provides the most likely sequence based on a large amount of existing text without looking at the features. 

Another model is the acoustic model, which was trained using deep learning technology by analyzing audio and transcripts.

For example, you ask Alexa, “Alexa, ask a daily horoscope about Scorpio.”

In this command, the device’s wake word is ALEXA, which will wake Alexa from sleep. 

The invocation word is DAILY HOROSCOPE. 

This keyword will trigger a specific skill. Users will combine the invocation name with an action, command, or question. 

SCORPIO is an utterance. 

It is a phrase that users use to request Alexa. 

Alexa will determine the user’s intention from the utterance and respond accordingly. 

The Impact of Environmental Factors on Alexa

Since Alexa responds to voices, you need to keep Alexa and train its wake word in a quiet room where it can understand your commands correctly. 

Otherwise, the background noises will make Alexa do random things. 

Background noises can make Alexa misinterpret wake words. 

If you make the wake word for Alexa in a room with a noisy background, Alexa can catch up with the noise along with the wake word. 

So, whenever Alexa hears those noises in the background, it will respond and start doing things it is not asked to. 

As I said earlier, devices working with Alexa have several microphones to catch different sound wave structures. 

That is why it can catch up to the noises and do weird things. 

To prevent it, keep Alexa where such disturbances do not disturb her. 

If you suspect background noises are the issue, take Alexa to a quiet location and change the wake word again by speaking clearly and distinctly. 

Use the DO NOT DISTURB feature if you do not want Alexa to respond to such random stuff. 

Machine Learning Glitches

Machine learning algorithms are challenging, and the slightest error can make Alexa behave abnormally and do random things. 

There have been several reports that Alexa does weird things like doing stuff without any wake word or commands, screaming and startling people, laughing suddenly, and so on. 

Alexa uses machine learning to improve its performance. 

But machine learning algorithms are tricky and prone to mistakes. 

Some potential errors are:

• Introducing malicious data into the training dataset will make Alexa do random things. Tampering with the training data affects the device’s ability to produce correct predictions, making the assistant do random things.
• When the algorithms do learn the training too well and overfit, they won’t be able to generalize new data. So, Alexa will behave unpredictably to unknown commands. 
• When the algorithms fail to learn the training properly, Alexa will behave randomly or abnormally even to the known commands. It is called underfitting. 

To avoid machine glitches, keep your Alexa in a quiet place while training. 

Speak with it clearly and precisely and ensure no background noises are present. 

Regularly update the firmware and software to help Alexa generalize new data and improve its performance. 

Use simple commands, and avoid vulgar or violent language. 

If Alexa misunderstands you, try speaking again. 

Increase the size of the training dataset, regularly train your Alexa, and stop the training before the algorithm gets the chance to overfit.

Misinterpretation of Wake Words

Sometimes, Alexa will misinterpret words from conversations as a wake word.

A wake word is a phrase that helps Alexa to wake up. 

Alexa responds to the wake word of ALEXA, ECHO, or AMAZON. 

It depends on which one you have chosen for her. 

It is like we use HEY SIRI in Apple phones and OK GOOGLE in Androids.

Besides the background noises and disturbances, Alexa will also misinterpret to be a wake word when you are conversing with someone close to the device, and she hears words similar to the wake word.

As a result, she will start behaving weirdly and do random things which you did not even command or ask for. 

I saw this situation once in my cousin’s house. We were talking about what kind of music Alexa plays as an alarm. 

And her Amazon Echo Dot started playing alarm music. 

Similar sounds make Alexa misunderstand a wake word, and she will wake up and start doing random things. 

Another incident happened during one of my friend’s house parties. 

One of our friends’ names was Alex, and another friend’s name was Elka. 

Every time we called them aloud, Alexa took it as a wake word, “ALEXA,” and started doing random stuff. 

At last, my friend had to turn off the device. 

Technical issues in the device can also make Alexa misinterpret as a wake word, for example, a glitch in the software. 

To fix these issues, keep your Alexa in a quiet room, train and speak with it clearly and distinctly, and turn on the DO NOT DISTURB feature if you do not want it to respond at a particular time. 

Third-Party Skill Interference

You can use Alexa with some third-party applications, which are mini-apps. 

These apps can add new features to your devices. 

But these are filled with bugs that can hinder Alexa’s smooth performance and make Alexa do things that she is not supposed to or asked for. 

For example, if you ask Alexa to play music, the bug in the skill will make Alexa play the wrong song. 

At times, these bugs can crash Alexa.

Third parties will require particular permission. 

When a skill uses these permissions unauthorized, it can cause unintended consequences. 

Another way where third parties can disturb Alexa is by creating conflicts if you have 2-3 apps with the same functionality. 

Suppose you have two applications to control your lights, and you command Alexa to close the lights. 

In that case, both the 3rd party apps will control the lights simultaneously, leading to light fluctuation. 

The best way to stop Alexa from doing random things because of these third-party skills is to stop using them and always install apps from reputed developers. 

Whenever you grant permission, read and understand what permission you are granted the skills to use. 

Keep the software up to date. 

Firmware and Software Updates

Updated firmware and software can provide you with improved performance. 

If you use the outdated version, Alexa will behave weirdly by not responding to your commands or responding to commands you do not ask for.

Updated software and firmware help improve Alexa’s efficiency and eliminate bugs. 

Without the updates, these bugs and glitches will interfere with Alexa’s smooth functioning, thus making it behave abnormally. 

When we talk about Alexa, there are two different things:

• One is the Alexa app on your phone, laptop, or computer. 
• The other is physical devices like the Echo, compatible watches, bars, and speakers. 

The app on your smartphones and laptops help you manage the settings, connect devices, check for skills and contents, ensure you have the correct music account, and ways to control the voice assistant works behind the scene. 

The second one requires separate software updates for the device. 

Both the apps and devices tend to update automatically, but sometimes auto-update does not work, and you have to do it manually.

When Alexa does not update automatically, the auto-update is not set correctly. 

To manually update the app through smartphones and laptops:

• For iOS, App Store → Account Profile (top right) → Available updates. Check if Alexa is there, or choose Update All to get the update.
• For Android, Google play store → Profile (at top) → Manage apps and devices. Find the app and update it. 

If you use the Alexa app on your phone, computer, or watch, you do not have to worry about the updates except those to the OS. 

For devices with Alexa built-in, updating gets complicated. 

Let’s learn how to update for devices like Echo, Sonos smart speaker, Ecobee thermostat, and so on: 

• Make sure that Alexa is connected to the Wi-Fi network. Most devices will have a smooth update with a good network. On Echo devices, the indicator light or ring glimmers blue when an update is processed. 
• Say, “Alexa check for software/firmware update.” Alexa will start checking to find an unapplied update for that device and update if available. 
• If you have an Echo Show with a touchscreen, go to Settings → Device options → Check for software updates. If there is any, update it. 

Network Connectivity Issues

As I mentioned in the previous point, Alexa works better when connected to a network. 

Alexa cannot perform up to the mark if you have a weak Wi-Fi signal strength or low network connections. 

Even if it receives a weak signal, Alexa won’t be able to catch up with your command properly and keep asking you to repeat your command. 

Sometimes, it will catch incomplete commands, assume it to be something else, and start doing things you have never commanded. 

Low or weak signals will also make Alexa slow, causing delayed responses. 

Alexa’s speech recognition and NLP algorithms depend on fast networks. 

Without proper network or Wi-Fi signals, Alexa can misinterpret your commands and respond to random things which you have never said. 

To fix these issues, ensure you have a strong Wi-Fi connection in your house and the device with Alexa is appropriately connected. 

If there are any obstructions between your router and the device, remove the obstruction and keep them close for a better connection. 

If you still get a weak signal, restart your router or the device. 

Some glitches or errors can create problems, and restarting can solve them. 

Device Hardware Malfunctions

Hardware issues also make your Alexa do random stuff, which she is not supposed to do. 

Malfunctioning microphones and speakers can create issues. 

These are the devices through which Alexa will hear and reply to your commands. 

If these are not in good condition, Alexa won’t be able to catch your full command properly. 

So, Alexa will not respond at all. Even if it does, it will catch a different response and start replying to it. 

A bad speaker or microphone won’t let Alexa speak properly, or it will react to something which you never intended it to do. 

If the processor is bad, Alexa won’t be able to process correctly, leading to delayed or no response. 

Restart or reset your device and see if it works. 

If not, try to check for the software issues. 

If it still doesn’t work, call an expert to check for these hardware issues. 

User Behavior and Patterns

When everything is fine, the user’s usage patterns and behavior make Alexa do random stuff. 

Repeating the same thing in the same way or the same thing in different ways can confuse Alexa. 

Another issue is with the background noises. 

It can confuse Alexa. Either Alexa won’t respond to your words, the response will be weird, or something you never intend to ask for. 

You must also have a clear and understandable accent while communicating with Alexa. 

Alexa may not understand what you need if your accent is unclear or strong. 

It will keep asking you to repeat it or provide results for something weird or random that you do not ask for. 

So, speak clearly, slowly, and distinctly with Alexa. 

If you want to ask the same thing, be consistent in your command. 

Keep and train Alexa in a quiet place where no background noises are present to disturb it. 

Contextual Awareness and the Lack Thereof

Alexa’s contextual limitations can create issues and make her do random stuff. 

Alexa cannot remember what you said or asked for 5-10 minutes. 

You need it to do the same thing; you must repeat your command clearly and distinctly. 

For example, one day, I asked Alexa to set a timer and then commanded them to play music. 

Alexa got confused and started playing music. 

She forgot about the timer I had asked to set.  

Alexa always does not understand the context of a conversation. 

One day, I was talking to my sister about going to a store. 

And after some time, I asked Alexa to play music when I was at the store.  

And the next thing Alexa did was start playing a song about staying home. 

When I asked one of my friends about it, he told me that Alexa did not understand the context of the conversation. 

Alexa’s understanding of what you command relies on individual voice commands. 

So it may fail to connect the dots between different parts of a conversation to provide a nuanced and context-aware response. 

You must speak clearly with Alexa and use straightforward language to avoid such things. 

If you give multiple commands together, ensure she understands each after you provide the next one. 

Learning from User Corrections

User feedback is one of the best things that help Alexa to improve its performance. 

User feedback can help Alexa identify errors, improve accuracy, and expand the capabilities of Alexa. 

Whenever a user reports about Alexa, for example, her incorrect responses, or Alexa not understanding specific commands, Amazon will look into the matter and try to fix these things.

Along with the report, you can even suggest commands to introduce into Alexa. 

Amazon will look into the matter and add it in the next update. 

It would be best if multiple people suggested the same things. 

While providing feedback, be clear about your report or suggestion, give examples, and take your time to explain the main problem in the report. 

Amazon will sincerely investigate the matter and try to improve Alexa’s accuracy, efficiency, and performance. 

Troubleshooting and Prevention

To troubleshoot and prevent your Alexa from behaving unpredictably and doing random things that were not commanded, follow the following tips:

• If you ever find out that Alexa is doing some random things that it is not supposed to, ask Alexa, “Alexa, why did you do this?”. She will respond to your answer. Though it is the simplest method, Alexa always does not answer. 
• Keep checking on Alexa regularly, especially the indicator color of the speaker. If it beams blue, the device is in command mode and ready to listen to any nearby noses. You can turn off the mic when you do not need Alexa’s services. It will keep them from misinterpreting any command.
• Alexa can mistake non-verbal responses as commands and start behaving weirdly. It happens when the brief mode is on. Make sure whether it is this mode that is creating issues. 
• Paired BlueTooth can disturb Alexa’s everyday activities. To prevent this, request your Alexa to disconnect from all the BlueTooth items. 
• Every command of yours to Alexa gets saved. If your Alexa is doing random things, check the history. It could be following up on one of the commands in history. Delete the history and try commanding again. 
• Check the default settings in the menu. At times, people keep multiple options enabled that should not be on. It can affect the power of Alexa and encourage it to do random stuff for those options. Check them, and turn the options off. 
• Avoid downloading any 3rd party skills. Even if you need them, pay attention to the permissions they ask for and then grant them. 
• At times, rebooting or restarting the device can solve the problem. Use it as a last resort. 
• If it still creates an issue, contact Amazon Support for help. 

Final words 

Having Alexa at home makes your home smarter and easier. But specific issues can make Alexa do random things. Background noises, machine learning glitches, misinterpreting wake words, using third parties or more than one app with the same features, outdated software, network issues, and hardware malfunctioning are some common reasons behind Alexa doing random things. 

Besides these, repeating the same thing, commanding inconsistently, and lack of understanding of the context of a conversation can also make Alexa do stuff that you have never asked for. 

The performance of Alexa can be improved by regular training and providing feedback. Feedback will encourage Amazon to investigate the matter and improve Alexa in areas where needed. Follow the troubleshooting tips I have shared to improve Alexa’s performance and efficiency. 

Reference: Amazon Alexa Wikipedia