Having been around for quite some time now, Amazon's Alexa functionality continues to break boundaries.
What can Alexa do? There are many popular ways to use Alexa: to control your smart home devices, add to your shopping list, schedule calendar events and stream your favorite music - tasks that make up only a tiny fraction of Alexa's ever-expanding skillset.
We've certainly come a long way from the curious hockey puck speaker that could only perform a handful of mundane tasks. How things have changed.
With a rapidly growing list of new features and skills - coupled with a burgeoning army of Alexa and Alexa-enabled devices - new possibilities and use-cases are continuing to poke through the surface.
Enter Alexa Routines.
Alexa routines allow you to bundle together and automate several tasks using a single trigger or voice command.
In other words, you can create a list of actions that will play in succession after initiating one of five triggers: voice, schedule, device, location, alarm and the echo button.
Let's explain what each trigger does:
VOICE: Summoning Alexa using a specific trigger phrase.
Example: "Alexa, good morning."
SCHEDULE: Assigning a specific time to your routine.
Example: When you go to bed every night at 9 pm.
DEVICE: Setting a smart device-based trigger.
Example: When you activate a smart home device such as a motion sensor or lock.
LOCATION: Setting a location-based trigger using GPS
Example: Every time you walk into the office.
ALARM: Setting an alarm-based trigger.
Example: When your morning alarm goes off on your phone.
ECHO BUTTON: Setting a button-based trigger.
Example: Pressing an assigned button on your Echo device.
When thinking about Alexa routines, it's important to understand the scenarios in which they are most effective.
Routines can be especially powerful in automating a series of tasks that you do every day. When you wake up, for example, you might ask your Alexa device to turn on the lights, read out your calendar, and then play that one song you love getting dressed to.
By creating an Alexa morning routine, your Alexa device can rattle-off a series of events - like the one mentioned above - to get you ready for your day.
Remember those five triggers we mentioned earlier? We can set the phrase, "Alexa, good morning" as our chosen voice trigger to activate this routine. It's that simple.
Now you can sit back, relax and let Alexa take control.
HOT TIP: How to set up a routine on Alexa
Installing an Alexa skill is just as easy as setting up a routine. Below, I'll show you how to create a custom routine on your Alexa app in a few simple steps:
If you're having trouble coming up with your own custom routine - not to worry. Check out Amazon's pre-build featured routines. You can access them after selecting [Routines] from the top left menu.
Outside of popular routines such as Alexa goodnight and good morning, there are many scenarios where routines can come in handy - especially when it comes to productivity, communication and security. Here are some of the best Amazon Alexa routines examples you need to try.
*Note: Alexa and Alexa-enabled devices such as Fire TV, and smart accessories such as plugs, light bulbs, doorbells, and motion-sensors - are required for many of these routines.
Now that you know how to use Alexa routines, it's time to give it a try! Learn how to create an Alexa skill and incorporate it into your own Alexa good morning or good night routines. Stay up to date with our newest product updates and insights by subscribing to our blog below.