What Is The Wake Word For Alexa?
Randall Mullins
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Amazon Echo users utter the wake word when they want to activate and engage with the device. ‘Alexa’ is Echo’s default wake word, but users can change the default to ‘Amazon,’ ‘Echo,’ or ‘Computer’ if desired.
What is the new Alexa wake word?
Back 09 August 2022 Amazon Amazon have added a new wake word for their devices in tribute to David Bowie – “Ziggy”. “Ziggy” is the fifth wake word option for Echo devices in addition to “Alexa”, “Amazon”, “Computer” and “Echo”. Customers can change the wake word of their Echo device via the Alexa app or the Settings screen on Echo Show devices, and all wake words options can be used with either the male or female voice options for Alexa.
To change Alexa’s voice, customers need to say “Alexa, change your voice.” “We are constantly looking for ways to offer our customers more choices so they can personalise their Alexa experience” said Dennis Stansbury, Alexa UK Country Manager. “The wake word is very important as Alexa devices are specially designed to only detect the users chosen wake word.
Our devices detect wake words by identifying acoustic patterns that match the wake word, so a lot of consideration goes into the selection. We chose ‘Ziggy’ not only because it performed well in testing but it’s fun and reflects Alexa’s wealth of knowledge on everything from A to Z.
As an aside, I am a self- confessed David Bowie fan so I am enjoying saying ‘Ziggy, play Ziggy’ and ‘Ziggy, play guitar’ to my Echo device!” In other Bowie-related news, the National History Museum has reported that a new group of spiders containing over 100 species has been named after the late singer.
The tropical arachnids have been named after the musician to draw attention to the threats they face. “When examining species from a predominantly Asian lineage in this family, I soon realised that they could not be assigned to any pre-existing genus,” Dr Peter Jäger said.
How do I add wake word to Alexa?
Tap on Settings, and then on Device Settings. Select the device that you want to change the wake word for. Select the new wake word that you’d like to use. You can select from ‘Alexa,’ ‘Amazon,’ ‘Echo,’ and ‘Computer.’
Can you name Alexa Ziggy?
Quick steps –
- Open the Alexa smartphone app
- Go to the devices menu and select the Echo device you want to change the wake word of
- Open the device’s settings and look for Wake Word under the General settings
- Pick Ziggy from the list and hit OK
While Amazon’s smart speakers are officially called Echo devices, most of us likely know them by their most commonly used wake word: Alexa. But did you know that whichever of the best Alexa speakers you own (be it an Amazon Echo Studio, an Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen), or an Amazon Echo Show 10 ) you can actually change the word you use to ask it for help? There’s Alexa as well as Amazon, Computer, Echo, and now Ziggy to choose between.
- An Amazon Echo device
- A smartphone with the Alexa app downloaded
Can Alexa responds without wake word?
Alexa can only respond after the user engages the device by saying a wake word. Don’t make comparative claims. For example, don’t say that Alexa is compatible with more smart home devices than competitors. Don’t let non-device owners interact with the device.
Can you make Alexa male?
How to enable a celebrity voice on your Echo(s): – Once you have purchased the celebrity voice, you can activate it on any additional Echo speakers you own.
Open the Alexa app.Tap on the Devices tab at the bottom.Tap on the Echo & Alexa button in the top left.Tap on the device you want to enable the celebrity voice on.Tap the Settings cog wheel button in the upper right.Scroll down to the option for Wake Word and tap on it.Choose from any celebrity voice you have enabled.
If you want a new wake word but don’t want to pay for a celebrity voice, Alexa has several options to choose from for free (they use the standard Alexa voices). See this guide for how to change your Alexa wake word. Update July 21st, 2022, 1:30PM ET: This article was originally published on July 22nd, 2021, and has been updated to account for changes in Alexa.
Is there a male version of Alexa?
2. Change your Alexa app settings – If you want to use the new masculine-sounding voice across all your Alexa devices, dive into Settings in the Amazon Alexa app and change it that way.
- Open the latest version of the Alexa mobile app.
- Go to Devices.
- Select All Devices and then select the device you want.
- Select Settings, and under General, select Alexa’s Voice.
- Select the voice you want from the list.
- Original – The feminine-sounding voice.
- New – The masculine-sounding voice.
There are two ways you can change the wake word for your Alexa devices, including Echo devices.
Can I change Alexa wake word to anything?
Voice command (20 seconds) – Follow the steps below to change the Alexa wake word for the Alexa device you are speaking to:
Say “Alexa, change the wake word” Alexa will prompt you to choose 1 of 3 other wake word options (Amazon, Computer or Echo)Say your new wake word selectionAlexa will confirm she understood and let you know that you can start calling her by the newly selected name in a few seconds
Pro Tip : If you have multiple Alexa devices, you’ll have to repeat steps 1 – 4 speaking to each device. I recommend using the same Alexa wake word across all of your devices.