Next, scroll down to Help Improve Alexa, and switch the Use of Voice Recordings to off. From here, select Choose How Long to Save Recordings > Don't Save Recordings > Confirm. In the Alexa app, go to Settings > Alexa Privacy > Manage Your Alexa Data. Whether, like me, you're uncomfortable with the data-gathering potential of such a feature, or you don't like the idea of a real person listening in on your daily interactions with ( or potentially just in proximity to) your Echo device, turning this feature off is probably the best move. Prevent Amazon from listening to your voice recordingsįrustratingly, Amazon still seems by default to opt users into its program using voice recordings for research purposes. You can turn off Hunches using this method in the Alexa app, or by voice.

To switch off Hunches, open the Alexa app and tap More, then Settings, then Hunches. Sometimes these suggestions are helpful, for instance offering to lock your door at night or suggesting a new way to use timers, but they can also be annoying and disruptive when you're in the middle of a phone call and don't want to have to tell your voice assistant to stop talking. Over the past two years, Amazon has very slowly been ramping up the use of Hunches, those follow-up questions Alexa asks you after you interact. Not so nice to have that friend 'drop in' on you unexpectedly when you're still in your pajamas. It's nice to virtually share a cup of coffee with a friend.

From here, you can turn off Drop In or limit it to specific devices. Now, select which device you want, then tap Communications > Drop In. Here's how.įrom the Alexa app, tap Devices > Echo & Alexa. Unless you want to risk friends or family members using the feature at inopportune times, you should switch off Drop In until you want to use it. Sounds cool when you first use it, but it's easy to forget that virtual visitors once permitted will then have access to drop in anytime - unannounced. Unlike a phone call, drop-ins don't require you to 'answer' the call: Your friend just speaks out of your device's speaker.

Turn off Drop In on your Amazon EchoĪlexa's Drop In feature is a cool way for friends or family to connect when unable to get together in person, for example, over the holidays with ongoing travel restrictions. Read more: The Real Cost of Setting Up an Amazon Alexa Smart Home 1. Whether you're concerned about privacy, don't want friends ' dropping in' uninvited or just want Alexa to stop parroting your questions and commands back to you, here are six features you should disable in the Alexa app right now. Yes, turning off certain features can actually make using your Amazon Echo speakers and displays safer and better than before. It's no wonder Alexa has become a fixture in many homes with all of the useful commands and skills it offers.īut for all the cool new games, hidden Easter eggs and smart home integrations, there are also features that make Alexa. The addition of hidden perks, Alexa's third-party skills and routines can improve your experience with your device even more. And over the years, Amazon's trusty voice assistant has only gotten more useful, and frankly, smarter. This story is part of Home Tips, CNET's collection of practical advice for getting the most out of your home, inside and out.Īlexa has helped us automate our days and problem-solve since it was first released in 2014.

Amazon photos down