Amazon Alexa is a powerful voice assistant. Along with dishing out commands to your smart home devices or updating you on the latest news, Alexa can function as a pretty robust alarm clock. From setting reminders for later in the day to waking you up with music, there’s a lot of functionality packed into the assistant.
Before you can start using all these Alexa alarm clock features, you’ll need to know how to activate them. And unless you know exactly how to trigger the actions, it can be tricky to figure out how it all works. Here’s a comprehensive look at how to use all Amazon Alexa alarm clock features, including setting a one-time alarm, setting alarms on connected devices, and triggering a recurring alarm that activates with music.
We’ll examine the best commands in detail later on, but here’s a look at every Alexa voice command that triggers an alarm (remember to say “Hey, Alexa” before giving each line):
This is one of the simplest Alexa commands, and you can set an alarm whenever you want, for any specific time. Just say, “Alexa, set an alarm for [time].”
Remember to be specific about whether you want the alarm for a.m. or p.m., or Alexa will choose the closest time by default.
If you aren’t as concerned about setting an alarm for a specific time on the clock but want one for a certain duration, you can instead say, “Alexa, set a timer for [number] [minutes/hours/etc.].”
If you have smart devices connected to Alexa, you can also say, “Alexa, set a light alarm for [time] with my [name of smart light].”
This works with a variety of devices that Alexa can recognize around the house. You can also set up more complex, recurring smart alarms, but this may be easier to do with a routine, which we will go over below.
For an alarm that plays music, you’ll want to say, “Alexa, set an alarm for [time] to [music, genre, or song].”
You can say a wide variety of songs, artists, etc., as long as Alexa is able to recognize them.
Currently, it’s easier to program a music alarm with your voice than with the Alexa app, so we suggest going this route if a music alarm is important to you. By default, your Alexa will link with your Amazon music account. If you don’t have any Amazon music services active, it’s a good idea to switch your default account to a service you do use. Here’s our guide on how to switch over to Apple Music, but the basic steps will work with any major music service.
Setting a single alarm or timer is useful in many circumstances. But if you want to use Alexa as your daily alarm clock for waking up or similar situations, you’ll need to create a recurring alarm instead. This is one task that’s a bit easier to do with the Alexa app, so let’s take a look at how to create one.
Step 1: Open your Alexa app. On the home screen, select the More button down on the bottom-right.
Step 2: Select Alarms & Timers from the menu. Now select Add Alarm.
Step 3: You can now select a specific time for your alarm, then choose a device (such as your Echo) for the alarm to sound on.
Pay close attention to the Repeat section, which you will need to select to find new options for recurring alarms. You can choose to set the alarm for every day, just for weekdays, for select days (such as days you have morning classes), and so on.
Step 4: You can also choose from a variety of sounds based on the device that you are using. Once you have found a sound you like, select Save on the top-right, and your new recurring alarm will be created.
Would you prefer to wake up to the morning news or a similar report? You can do this with Alexa, but you will have to create a routine instead of an alarm. Here’s exactly how to do it.
Step 1: Open the Alexa app, select the More button in the bottom-right, and then select Routines from the new menu that opens.
Step 2: In Routines, select the Plus Sign in the upper-right to start creating a new routine. To begin, select When This Happens. In the next menu, select Schedule (we know it makes more sense to select Alarms, but it doesn’t work that way).
Step 3: In Schedule, choose At Time to set a specific time. You can also choose Sunrise if you always wake up with the sun, but for most people, choosing a specific time is best.
Step 4: Now, you can pick what days the week the action is the schedule (all days are highlighted at first) and what specific time you want the alarm to go off. When finished, select Next.
Step 5: Now review your alarm and select Add Action to tell Alexa what to do. You’ll note a lot of different actions here. We encourage you to look through, as you can add any of these actions as your alarm, including smart devices around the home (like turning lights on) or weather, calendar, and traffic reports — you can even set up a music alarm here, too, if you prefer. But if you’re only interested in getting the news report, scroll down and select News.
Step 6: If you’ve already set up a Flash Briefing with Alexa, that Briefing will now play as your alarm. If not, you can set up a Flash Briefing to include reports from your favorite news sources, which Alexa will summarize while reviewing the top headlines of the day. Select Next one more time, then select Choose Device to pick the Alexa device the alarm will sound from. Select Save, and you’re done!
Has thinking about smart alarms make you want a better alarm clock? Check out our guide to some of the most unique — and intelligent — smart alarms available!
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.
With AI progressing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we start getting AI companions like the ones we used to see in movies like R2-D2, Wall-E, or Baymax. Now, Singapore-based OKA Technology has unveiled Mori, a cute little AI companion that looks less like a conventional home robot and more like someone turned the Pokémon Foongus into a table lamp.
Mori isn't meant to clean your house or control your smart home, but to serve as what OKA calls a "Nature Companion." It uses subtle movements, warm lighting, nature-inspired sounds, and small reactions to make its presence around the house feel calming rather than distracting. Mori can sit quietly while you read, sway along to music, welcome you when you enter a room, or encourage you to slow down for a moment without requiring a screen or a conversation.