We all know Alexa is a super helpful virtual butler that can answer all manner of questions, do calculations, and manage queries, plus control smart home functions and play videos. Did you know Alexa devices, like the new Echo Show 15 can also help you find lost stuff, like your phone, keys, wallet, and headphones? Here’s how to do it.
Depending on where you live and whether you have an iPhone or Android phone, you may have access to a few different cell phone finding skills. There’s an Alexa skill called Find My Phone that can assist in you locating your lost phone and another one called Phone Finder. You may also see Cell Phone Finder, too.
Here's how to add one of these features and get it to work with your phone. Please note that you'll need your Echo Show 15 fully set up and your Amazon login info handy.
Step 1: Open the Alexa app, select More, and go to Skills & Games.
Step 2: Select the magnifying glass in the upper right corner. Search for one of the Skills: Find My Phone, Phone finder, etc.
Step 4: Link your Amazon account and then touch Allow to give the skill access to your account.
Step 5: When you say "Alexa, find my phone,” Alexa may ask for your phone number. Some skills/apps may also send you a verification code, which you'll need to read aloud before Alexa will dial your phone. If all goes well, your phone should begin ringing.
Step 1: If you don't want your phone to ring (or if you have it on vibrate, etc.), there is a way to create more customized responses, but you will need to log into IFTTT to do it.
Step 2: Search for "Alexa" on this smart platform, and you'll find a number of options for giving Alexa phone instructions. You can enable the skills we mentioned above this way, but notice that IFTTT has some additional options, too, like: "Alexa, play music on my phone." This is an alternative if ringing your phone isn't a viable choice.
Tile trackers are the original tech tracking devices for lost stuff. Tile now works with Amazon Sidewalk, meaning supported Echo devices that are opted into Sidewalk are now able to securely locate Tiles using Sidewalk’s spectrum, improving the overall Tile finding experience. That also means if you use Tile tracking tags, you can enlist Alexa to help locate them. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Search for the Tile skill inside the Alexa app.
Step 3: Sign in to your Tile account.
Step 4: Next, go to Devices, then Trackers, and enable Find My with Alexa.
Step 5: Select and save the Tiles you want to find using Alexa.
Step 6: Once finished, you can say things like “Alexa, find my keys” or “Alexa, ring my backpack”.
You can now find your misplaced Echo Buds headphones by saying “Alexa, find my buds” using the Alexa app or another Alexa-enabled device, like the Echo Show 15. Alexa will help you get this set up, since you’ll need to enable permission for this in Find My inside the Alexa app.
This assumes you’re signed in or registered with the same account you used to buy the buds on Amazon. With permission granted, just say, “Alexa, find my buds”.
That’s how to use Amazon’s smart devices like the Echo Show 15 to help you locate lost items easily. You can also learn more about what the new Echo Show 15 can do.
Few things ruin a quiet evening faster than a robot vacuum roaring through the living room. Most of us end up pausing the cleaning run, which defeats the whole purpose of owning one. Matic thinks it has the answer with its new Serene robot vacuum, and the big selling point is how little noise it makes.
The Matic Serene runs at 52 decibels even when cleaning at full power. To put that in perspective, Matic compares it to the hum of your refrigerator. It is available now for $1,695, which is $200 more than the original Matic’s current price.
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.
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