How Long Does Alexa Alarm Ring? Best 173 Answer

Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa, is capable of doing all sorts of things for you, but it really is most helpful when tackling the tasks you might lose sight of without the extra help. One of the simplest but most useful things Alexa can do is set a timer — in fact, according to Amazon, it’s one of Alexa’s most used functions. All you have to do is say to your Amazon Echo smart speaker or smart display, “Alexa, set a timer for [up to 24 hours].” At the end, an alarm will notify you that the set time has expired . Alternatively, you can set alarms for specific times, whether you want them to wake you up or you just want to be reminded when the kids are almost ready to be picked up from school.

But with Alexa’s timers and alarms, you can do a lot more than just set a simple reminder. These are some of the best tips and tricks to use when setting a timer with Alexa so you can get the most out of the voice assistant features.

Name and organize your timers

Once you figure out you can set up timers with Alexa, it can become easy to rely on the voice assistant to keep track of almost everything for you. This causes a small problem: setting too many timers. If you have multiple projects running – let’s say a meal with several different dishes you are cooking – you can have multiple timers running in parallel.

No problem. Just say, “Alexa, tell me my timers.” Alexa will list any timers you’ve set, including the minutes remaining and the run time you originally set. This will help you keep track of what’s happening and what to do. You can further simplify this by naming your timers as you set them. Just say, “Alexa, set a timer for [time] [name],” and when the set time is up, you’ll get both a tone and a voice reminder of which timer has expired.

Molly Price/CNET

Set an alarm for connected smart devices

One of the great things about Amazon Echo devices is the ability to connect smart home devices and control them with your voice through your smart speaker. This extends to the ability to set alarms for specific devices throughout the home. If you want your lights to turn off or on at a specific time of day, you can do that. Just say, “Alexa, set an alarm for [specified time] using [your smart device of choice].”

Alexa sets up an alarm with this device, so the smart speaker not only alerts you to the time you set, but you also get a prompt from the connected smart device.

Set recurring Alexa alarms

Some alarms are needed more than once. If you want to wake up at the same time every day, you don’t need an alarm clock, just an Amazon Echo device. Alexa can be your wake-up call with a recurring alarm.

To set up a recurring alarm, just say, “Alexa, set an alarm for [specific time] every day.” Once set, Alexa will sound that alarm for you every day unless you cancel it.

Chris Monroe/CNET

Set an alarm to specific music

Sometimes a standard alarm just isn’t enough. Whether you choose what to wake up to or you just want a little variety, you can achieve that by setting up a custom alarm sound. The whole world of music is at your fingertips.

To set an alarm with a specific song or style of music, simply set an alarm as you normally would, but specify what you want to hear. Say, “Alexa, set an alarm for [time] on [title, artist, or genre].” Alexa will play exactly what you specify when the time comes.

Find out how much time is left on a timer

Here’s a common problem you run into when setting a timer with Alexa: Somewhere between setting the timer and waiting for it to go off, you completely lose track of time. If you have an Amazon Echo Show or an Echo Dot with a clock, you can do a quick visual check. But if you’re using a smart speaker without a display, Alexa has your back.

Just say, “Alexa, how much time is left on the timer?” If you have multiple timers running, you can specify which timer you’re asking about, and Alexa will tell you how long you have until the buzzer sounds.

Integrating Alexa into your everyday life is easy, and you’ll be surprised how handy the smart assistant can be with seemingly simple tasks like setting a timer or alarm. Being able to stay on top of your tasks and making sure you are on time can really change your days for the better. Play around with Alexa and learn all the ways your Amazon Echo can fit into your day.

For more information on Alexa, see these stories:

Enable named timers and reminders

Note: Watch the Alexa Live ’22 on demand replay. Find out about Ambient Intelligence, Smart Home and AI.

Named timers and reminders are part of the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) Alerts feature. The Named Timers feature allows Alexa users to set and manage multiple timers at once by giving each timer an identifying name. Reminders are notifications that Alexa plays at a time set by a user. For more information about notifications, see About Alexa Voice Service (AVS) Notifications.

The following utterances show how a user might set a named timer or reminder:

“Alexa, set a cooking timer for 10 minutes.”

“Alexa, set a reminder to call mom at 2 p.m. on Saturday.”

“Alexa, remind me to take out the trash at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.”

Best practices for named timers and reminders

Although enabling named timers or reminders doesn’t affect the AVS interaction model for a device, make sure you understand how and when you need to deliver assets to the user.

The device should send all lifecycle events to AVS, if applicable, e.g. For example, a SetAlertSucceeded event when a user sets a reminder locally, or an AlertStopped event when a user stops an actively playing reminder. See the Alerts Reference for details.

Event when a user sets a reminder locally, or an event when a user stops an actively playing reminder. See the Alerts Reference for details. Let the device download all assets and store them locally. The device is then able to play the locally downloaded asset at the scheduled time.

. If the dialog channel is active and you receive a SetAlert statement containing the Assets object, the device must play the locally stored audio file in short alert mode as long as the dialog channel remains active.

Directive containing the object, the device must play the locally stored audio file in brief alert mode as long as the dialogue channel remains active. If the dialog channel is idle and you receive a SetAlert statement that contains the Assets object, the device must play the assets in the assetPlayOrder.

Implement support for named timers and reminders

The SetAlert directive supports the Alerts feature for named timers and reminders, which allows AVS to send parameters to the device with instructions for sequential playback of audio files and text-to-speech (TTS).

AVS delivers assets to a device in the directive payload as an unordered set. Each asset contains an AssetId and a URL . The device should download and cache alert resources for delivery to the user at the scheduled time. The payload contains instructions for the playback order ( assetPlayOrder ), the number of times the sequence of assets will be played ( loopCount ), and the duration between the start of each loop ( loopPauseInMilliSeconds ).

Implementing support for named timers and reminders

Update your code to support the following payload parameters: Assets AssetId URL

AssetPlayOrder

backgroundAlertAsset

loopCount

loopPauseInMilliSeconds Update your code to support the REMINDER value for type. Make sure the device is able to download and cache the assets sent by AVS and deliver those assets to the user at the scheduled time. Make sure your implementation on the device follows the best practices outlined in the alert overview.

Activate reminders

Before your device can receive reminders, enable the Named Timers and Reminders feature in the AVS developer console.

To enable Named Timers and Reminders feature in AVS Developer Console

Sign in to the AVS Developer Console with your Amazon developer credentials: AVS Developer Console. Navigate to Products and create a new product or edit an existing product and follow the prompts to enter or update the appropriate information for your device. Under Product Details, in the Features section, select Named Timers and Reminders to enable these features.

example memory

The following example extends the SetAlert directive to support reminders:

Look at the example.+

{ “directive”: { “header”: { “namespace”: “Alerts”, “name”: “SetAlert”, “messageId”: “alpha-num3ric-str1ng-h3r3”, “dialogRequestId”: “str1n6-h3r3” }, “payload”: { “token”: “375ffbb1-d746-36ed-83d6-da71b17c4355”, // Provides the alert type, for example a REMINDER. “type”: “REMINDER”, “scheduledTime”: “2017-04-18T20:00:00.000-07:00”, // An unordered set of assets that you want the device to play // at the scheduled time. “assets”: [ { // text-to-speech “assetId”: “d4bc19e8-7e26-3f33-b921-57bed8c77478”, “url”: “https://example.com/resource_1.mp3” }, { / /audio alert “assetId”: “c4bc19e8-7e26-3f33-b921-57bed8c77891”, “url”: “https://example.com/resource_2.mp3” }, { // backgroundAlertAsset “assetId”: “ffcc7012-dec2 – 312d-b02c-a8c39b2cdc2a”, “url”: “https://example.com/resource_3.mp3″ }, ], // The order in which the assets contained // in the Assets object must be played that in this example the second object // which is the audio cue is played first followed by // TTS.”assetPlayOrder”: [“c4bc19e8-7e26-3f33-b921-57bed8c77891”, “d4bc19e8-7e26- 3f33-b921-57bed8c77478”], // The asset the device must use when the alarm channel is // running in the background. “backgroundAlertAsset”: “ffcc7012-dec2-312d-b02c-a8c39b2cdc2a”, // Tells the device to loop through the AssetPlayOrder 2 times.”loopCount”:2, //tells the device that the time between the start of each asset loop should be 6000 ms. “loopPauseInMilliSeconds”: 6000 } } }

SetAlert directive

The SetAlert directive tells the device to set a timer, alarm, or reminder for a specific duration or time. A device can receive the SetAlert instruction either when a user makes a voice request to set an alert, or when a user re-enables an already set alert through the Amazon Alexa app.

Important: Cloud-served assets take precedence over locally stored audio files. Play deployed assets to the user in the order specified in the assetPlayOrder list. Otherwise, use the notification audio files provided by Amazon.

{ “directive”: { “header”: { “namespace”: “Alerts”, “name”: “SetAlert”, “messageId”: “{{STRING}}”, “dialogRequestId”: “{{STRING}}” }, “payload”: { “token”: “{{STRING}}”, “type”: “{{STRING}}”, “scheduledTime”: “{{STRING}}”, “assets”: [ { ” assetId”: “{{STRING}}”, “url”: “{{STRING}}” }, { “assetId”: “{{STRING}}”, “url”: “{{STRING}}” } ] , “assetPlayOrder”: [“{{STRING}}”, “{{STRING}}”, … ], “backgroundAlertAsset”: “{{STRING}}”, “loopCount”: {{LONG}}, ” loopPauseInMilliSeconds”: {{LONG}} } } }

header parameters

Parameter Description Type messageId A unique ID used to represent a specific message. string dialogRequestId A unique ID used to correlate directives sent in response to a specific Recognize event. line

payload parameters

Parameter Description Type Token An opaque token that uniquely identifies the alert. String Type Specifies the alert type. By default, when AVS sends an unknown value to the device, it should display an ALARM.

Accepted values: TIMER , ALARM , REMINDER . string scheduleTime The scheduled time for an alert in ISO 8601 format. String Assets A list of audio assets to be played to the user. list assets[i].assetId A unique identifier for the audio asset. string assets[i].url Identifies the location of the asset in the cloud that the device can download and cache. The asset URL is valid for 60 minutes after the scheduledTime. As a best practice, Amazon recommends letting the device download and store all assets locally. The device is then able to play the locally downloaded asset at the scheduled time. string assetPlayOrder The sequence to play the audio assets. The list contains the AssetId s.

Note: AssetIds may appear more than once in the list. If AssetIds are displayed, play all AssetIds. If your device cannot download and cache the assets, your device should use the audio files provided by Amazon. list backgroundAlertAsset Identifies the asset to be played when the alert channel is running in the background (see interaction model). The inventory provides the backgroundAlertAsset. If the payload doesn’t include the backgroundAlertAsset, the Amazon-provided sound asset is used by default. string loopCount The number of times each sequence of assets has been played. Example: If the value is 2, the device must go through assetPlayOrder twice.

Note: If loopCount is missing from the payload, you must loop the assets for an hour or until the user stops the alert. long loopPauseInMilliseconds Duration between the beginning of each asset loop, including the asset render time. For example, if a single alarm tone has a duration of 200 milliseconds and loopPauseInMilliSeconds is 700, assuming loopCount is greater than 1, the device must play 500 milliseconds of silence between the end of one instance of the alarm tone and the beginning of the next.

When the Alerts channel is sent to the background, whether the channel is actively rendering the asset or remaining silent between loops, wait the entire loopPauseInMilliSeconds duration before rendering the background asset. When it regains foreground focus, start rendering the foreground asset immediately.

Note: If this value is not specified, is set to 0, or is shorter than the asset’s duration, there must be no silence between asset loops. long

resources

Getting out of bed isn’t always easy — heck, even the biggest morning people among us have occasionally found ourselves hitting the snooze button for another 5 minutes of restful bliss. But what if we sleep through our alarm clocks completely? If you often sleep through your morning wake-up call and don’t know what to do about it, we’ve got you. Read on to learn why this might be happening and how to overcome it. Fast Facts Poor sleep quality and not getting enough sleep are the main causes of sleeping through your alarm clock.

Irregular working hours, stress and the presence of a sleep disorder are other possible factors.

Establishing a nightly routine that includes going to bed at a consistent time, regulating your diet, and avoiding certain stimuli can improve sleep quality and help you stop sleeping through the alarm clock.

Changing the type of alarm you use or moving it out of reach can also help you wake up more easily and on time. Share on Pinterest Illustration by Brittany England

The Role That Insomnia Could Play In some cases, an insomnia can be responsible for you sleeping through the sound of your alarm clock. Research suggests that 10 to 30 percent of the world’s population suffer from insomnia. Meadows describes insomnia as a cycle of not sleeping, which can lead to sleeping through the alarm clock or even choosing to sleep in longer when sleep finally comes. Delayed sleep phase disorder (DSPD) is another sleep disorder that contributes to you sleeping longer than you might have planned. DSPD alters the timing of your internal clock, causing you to sleep during the day and be active at night. Shift work is a common cause of DSPD. According to Meadows, “People with DSPD suffer from a constant flow of sleep debt, which causes permanent jet lag and makes it very difficult to fall asleep and wake up at the right time. This can lead to someone oversleeping their alarm clock.” Other sleep problems that can cause you to sleep more deeply than you would like include: obstructive sleep apnea

Restless Leg Syndrome

Parasomnias like sleepwalking Don’t worry. Remember, just because you sleep through your alarm clock doesn’t mean you definitely have a sleep disorder. You could simply be experiencing the effects of too little or poor sleep. But if you suspect you have a sleep disorder, talk to a doctor. Once diagnosed, most sleep disorders can be treated with medication or by working with a therapist or sleep specialist.

How about setting the alarm? When the same old BEEP-BEEP-BEEP stops working, a new alarm might be just what you need to shake your wake up. There are a lot of great options that can make for a better morning than your basic iPhone plan. Since research suggests that carefully timed exposure to light can help reset your waking cycle, a sunrise clock can help your body get up when you need to. Sunrise alarm clocks like the Wake Up Light Sunrise Alarm Clock use light simulations and natural sounds to get your body into morning mode. There are also alarms that can get you moving – literally. The Clocky alarm clock on wheels is a popular option that lets you hit snooze once before it hits the floor and roams your room, *beeps*. You have no choice but to get up and silence Clocky real quick!

When to Speak to a Professional You’ve tried the tips and tricks above… but you’re still dozing off your alarm clock or waking up groggy. What gives? First, make sure you give your body enough time to adjust. Meadows suggests that if you’re still not seeing improvement after a month or so, especially if sleeping through your alarm clock is interfering with your daily life, it’s time to talk to a therapist or sleep specialist. “When you’re engrossed in a routine, it’s hard to see the little things that might be getting in the way,” he says. “A professional can help you rearrange your routine in a way that is more effective, or they may be able to find another underlying mechanism as the cause, such as: B. depression or a deficiency.”

Hi! Yes! If you don’t want to say “Alexa, stop,” you can turn off the alarm by pressing the action button on top of your Echo Dot. The action button is the button at the top of your device with the little dot on it. Have a great day!

Answered by Amazon Devices Customer Support

I write this as I watch Republicans gather for their quadrennial pardon of wearing cheese hats and giant papier-mâché Ronald Reagan heads. OK, I admit it. I get a twisted, morbid delight when politics go very, very wrong. That’s why I was hoping for so much this week.

See also: A Dozen Helpful Amazon Echo Tips and Tricks

But after watching Donald Trump being officially nominated without the evening going completely off the rails, I felt slightly disappointed. As a political commentator, chaos like the one we’ve had this election season is very rare.

I was hoping that tonight would be a big drama, but it wasn’t to be. Everyone joined in, and it moved on with just a few minor hiccups and plagiarism.

It all left me a little sad, worried about the future of our country while hoping for more moments of entertainment in sophomore year at the expense of our national leaders. So I said, “Alexa, cheer me up.”

To my surprise, my trusty Amazon Echo advised me to take time to enjoy the little things. She said that maybe one day I would look around and realize that the little things are the only things that really matter. Since my little pup was sitting on my lap at the time, I couldn’t help but agree.

That got me thinking. As the proud owner/potential Skynet victim of two Amazon Echo cans, I’ve noticed a number of neat tricks that you might like to know. These are little tricks, nothing really important. But as Alexa so wisely said, it’s the little things that matter.

You already know the first secret trick. Saying “Alexa, cheer me up” really works. But did you know that Alexa can help you make a decision — like choosing a president from two almost unbearable choices? Yes. For our second and third secret trick, I’ll show you how Alexa can help you make a decision.

You might want to wait until November 8, 2016 to try this one out first. If you’re still undecided on that fateful day, you can say, “Alexa, flip a coin.” It’s up to you which contestants you assign tails to, but Alexa can help.

Back on February 19, 2016, those who fantasized about a quiet, sedate, seemingly sane Republican primary could still hope for some sort of Jeb Bush revival. There were six remaining candidates for the GOP nomination that day: Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, the aforementioned Jeb Bush, and, wait, I know that… oh, yeah. John Kasich.

If you were a Republican in South Carolina that day, you were probably still trying to decide who to vote for in the next day’s primary. To help you decide among the six remaining hopefuls, you could have said, “Alexa, roll the dice.” Alexa would have dutifully rolled a virtual die and returned you a number. Then all you had to do was rush to the elections and ruin poor Jeb’s hopes forever.

But enough politics. Let’s move on to something many of us use every day: Alexa’s alarm clock.

alarm tricks

There are a lot of neat things you can do with Alexa’s alarms and timers. Amazon has measurably improved this capability since the product launched. A big improvement is the addition of multiple alarms or timers. You can simply tell Alexa to set alarms or timers for additional times or durations, and Alexa will dutifully add them to the alarm queue.

You can ask Alexa “How many alarms do I have?” and she will report them back to you. You can tell her to turn off your 10pm alarm and she will do it. “Alexa, delete my 10 p.m. alarm.” And it’s that simple.

Just before I go to bed, I like to tell Alexa to set my alarm. It’s part of my bedtime ritual. But now I don’t have to. Alexa now has recurring alarms. You can set an alarm for any day by saying, “Alexa, set a repeating alarm for 10 am.” She’ll respond, “For which day?” As soon as you tell her, the alarm clock will be set for the same day every week.

You can also say, “Alexa, set a daily alarm for 10 am.” This will set Alexa an alarm for each day of the week. You can tell Alexa, “Set a repeating alarm for Monday at 8am.” Note that you can’t say, “Alexa, set an alarm for Monday at 8am.” You have to put the word “repeat” in use your command.

It is nice that you can distinguish between weekdays and weekends. For example, “Alexa, set an alarm for weekdays at 8am” would work just fine. Just make sure you stock up on coffee. You could then say, “Alexa, set a weekend alarm for 10am” and get a little more peace on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Here’s another trick. Can you imagine what it would be like if Alec Baldwin woke you up every morning? No, I can’t either. But for some reason you can choose from a multitude (a very limited, very odd variety) of celebrities to wake you up – including the first Baldwin. You must do this through the Alexa app. Go to Settings, then Alarms, then Celebrity Alarms.

I choose a Baldwin for my alarm sound when hell freezes over. Here, in 97-degree Florida, that would be a nice change. But did you know that when hell freezes over (and the internet goes down) your alarm will still ring?

That’s correct. While almost all of Alexa’s features run from the Amazon cloud and require an internet connection, your alarm clocks don’t. If you set an alarm and lose your internet connection, your alarm will sound. That’s because the alarm is stored locally in each Alexa unit.

However, if you’re disconnected, you won’t be able to say “Alexa, stop.” It will not. But hey, at least if you’re Scott Baio, you won’t miss your golden opportunity to say Chachi loves Trumpie in front of a stadium full of oddly dressed people with funny hats. Yes. I went there

Let’s wrap this up with something that’s more of a tactic than a trick. As you know, when you set an alarm, Alexa responds with “Alarm set for 10am” or whatever time you set. That’s a fine confirmation prompt — unless your spouse is asleep in bed when it’s time to set the alarm. Then the confirmation might be loud enough to wake her up.

While Alexa doesn’t have a sleep mode, you can walk up to your Alexa unit and whisper to it, “Alexa, turn the volume up to one.” When you tell your Alexa to set a volume, the lights will flash but no one will speak . Now whisper the time you want Alexa to set and Alexa will answer, but very, very quietly.

Once you set the alarm, go ahead and turn the alarm down to a louder volume. I like four or five. You set the alarm without disturbing your spouse.

On the other hand, if you want to set an alarm completely silently and don’t mind launching your Alexa app, you can do that too. When you set an alarm with the app, Alexa doesn’t say anything. However, this only works if the Alexa you set is in your profile. If your bedroom Alexa is on your spouse’s profile, it’s best to keep your voice down.

There you go. These are our seven tips. I’ll end with a bonus tip: you can say “Alexa, snooze” and your alarm will snooze for nine minutes. Nine, not ten. No, I don’t know why. But hey, it’s a bonus tip.

Stay tuned in next week when the Democrats have their convention. I’m sure it’ll be just as full of sickly disturbing fun as this week’s Republican hype.

“Alexa, tell me a Bernie Sanders joke.”

What? Too early?

“Alexa, cheer me up.”

You can follow my daily project updates on social media. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @DavidGewirtz, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DavidGewirtz, on Instagram at Instagram.com/DavidGewirtz, and on YouTube at YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV.

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It seems like ten minutes makes more sense, but the choice isn’t arbitrary.

If you’re not a morning person—or even if you are—it can feel so good to snuggle under the covers a little longer after you first wake up. That’s why it’s so easy and tempting to just hit the snooze button (or, more likely in the age of smartphones, swipe). Your alarm goes off and silence returns, allowing you to fall asleep before your device wakes you up in… nine minutes?! It can feel like the universe is playing with you and denying you that extra minute of sleep for a full ten. Why does the snooze function last nine minutes? You’re about to find out. And for more smartphone confusion, learn what are those green and orange dots on your iPhone and how to take screen captures on an iPhone.

Why does the snooze function last nine minutes?

Your iPhone’s automatic settings actually started half a century ago. Alarm clocks were introduced in 1956 with the General Electric-Telechron snooz alarm with snooze buttons. This model’s snooze lasted nine minutes, but there were likely several reasons for this.

Alarm clocks predated snooze, so there was already standard equipment for innovators to work with. It wasn’t possible to align the gear teeth for exactly ten minutes, so they had to choose between setting nine minutes and a few seconds, or just over ten minutes. A two-digit snooze would have been more difficult to program than a one-digit one, so the designers figured the less complicated design was the way to go. This is just one of those random interesting facts that might have just blown your mind.

In addition, it was also slightly more beneficial for the snoozers. “In terms of sleep, nine minutes is just enough for a short break; However, once you’ve passed the 10-minute mark, your body can begin to fall back into a deep sleep, making waking up difficult and more uncomfortable,” says Holly Schiff, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist based in Greenwich. Connecticut. Therefore, the nine-minute snooze feature was also chosen as the best option for users’ sleep cycles. To unravel another little life mystery, find out why there’s a cotton ball in a pill bottle.

Is the snooze of the alarm clock good for you?

You might think if your snooze time keeps you from falling into a “deep” sleep, no harm, no foul, right? Well, unfortunately, the consensus among sleep experts is that using “snooze” is still not good for you. Trying to close your eyes for just a few more minutes after you’ve already woken up throws off your body’s internal sleep clock. “When we fall asleep for those extra minutes, we’re preparing our bodies for another sleep cycle, which is then quickly disrupted, and as a result, we feel tired for the rest of the day,” says Schiff. And of course we know that yawning is contagious! She adds that such awakenings, especially repeated, can also tax our nervous and cardiovascular systems. So snoozing should be something you do every now and then, not every morning.

How to change snooze times

We hear you – no medical advice can beat the good feeling of hitting the snooze button. If you don’t want to quit the snooze function entirely, but just want to change the time, can you do that?

How to change snooze time on iPhone

Perhaps surprisingly in our tech-saturated age, the nine-minute snooze time is actually pretty ingrained. While there’s no shortage of cool iPhone hacks you should definitely try, you can’t actually change the snooze time on an iPhone. However, you can certainly set multiple alarms at any interval you like instead of just relying on the snooze button.

How to change snooze time on Android

rd.com

Some Android devices actually offer a bit more flexibility when it comes to snoozing. In your phone’s Clock app, click the three vertical dots in the top right. Select “Settings” and look for “Alarms”. You should see a “Snooze Length” option that allows you to choose different options for your snooze time. If you don’t have this option, go to “Clock” and set a custom alarm (the “plus” in the top right) or click on an existing one. Scroll down and you should see the Snooze Length option. Then you can choose the snooze time (between five, 10, 15 and 30 minutes) as well as the number of repetitions – three, five or forever! Note that this will only change the snooze settings for that specific alarm. Android users rejoice—here are even more things Androids can do that iPhones can’t.

How to change the snooze time of an alarm clock

With alarm clocks without a phone, you actually have a bit more flexibility with snooze times. Depending on what watch you have, you may not be able to change the snooze time, especially if you have an analog watch. But you can certainly buy alarm clocks with different snooze times, the ability to change snooze times, or even no snooze option. With this digital alarm clock from Ygdigital you can set the snooze time anywhere between five and 60 minutes! Others opt for a four- or five-minute snooze — like these options from La Crosse and Tinload, respectively — which gives you even less time to potentially slip back into a less healthy, deeper sleep. And this PILIFE retro analog watch dispenses with snoozing altogether. If you want to up your alarm game, there are all sorts of smart alarm clocks that could turn you into a morning person.

Sources:

Holly Schiff, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist based in Greenwich, Connecticut

Pacific Standard: “The devil is in your snooze button”

Access 2 Knowledge: “Why do alarm clocks give you 9 minutes of snooze instead of 10?”

Insider: “The iPhone’s Clock app doesn’t let you change how long a ‘snooze’ lasts – here are some workarounds for your morning alarm.”

Android Help: “Set, cancel, or snooze an alarm”

It has an alarm, the alarm has volume controls and an option to gradually increase the alarm volume also has snooze options. You can also change the alarm sounds or play music to wake you up. You can also ask it to set another alarm at any time. I’ve attached a screenshot of the app’s control functions for the alarm.

Answered by Shannon

This is a video guide to my blog post from last year that walks you through everything to investigate if your Echo device is making random noises, beeps, chimes, or even weird train-like noises!

Echo devices are very useful, but they’ve been known to sometimes make “scary” noises that can be confusing or even scary. Thankfully, Amazon makes it pretty easy to figure out why your Echo device was making certain noises, as I explore in this video:

The video timestamps are:

0:00 Introduction

1:25 Why did you say that?

2:10 Disconnect Bluetooth

2:52 Check the language history

4:30 View app activity

5:19 Check out the short and whisper modes

7:11 Check your skills

7:37 Check the light ring

8:09 Is it an electrical fault?!

8:41 One-time software bugs

9:15 radio wave interference

9:55 Factory reset

10:23 Graduation

Useful links mentioned in my video are:

video transcript

Hello, I’m Tristan from Smart Home Point. Amazon’s Echo devices are fantastic – I have six, in fact. Whether you use them for weather updates, managing your smart home, food recipes (or anything else), they can do a lot. But sometimes they also have something scary: when they make random noises. It can be a beep or a chime, in some cases it’s a “creepy laugh,” and one guy on Reddit says its echo makes a train-like sound every night!

Well, sometimes it’s obvious that your Echo device just got you wrong…

(cut to an echo)

Although sometimes it’s really scary:

(cut to an echo)

whoops Luckily, the “fix” is often easy, so I wanted to make this video and go through all things to check if your Echo is making weird noises and noises as well.

(Echo says “I’m watching you while you sleep”)

*looks startled* What? Um, it’s not even plugged in! Creepy! But joking aside, if your Echo device makes a random noise, beep, chime, or something else, the first thing you need to do is ask your Echo why it said that. This is a really useful feature that a lot of people don’t know about. You can just say “Alexa, why did you say that?” and the Echo device might respond with something useful. For example…

(cut to an echo)

This is useful, especially when a routine or timer has been triggered because you might not remember it was supposed to be started. Of course, sometimes your Echo will simply reply that it didn’t do (or say) anything – which can be a bit disconcerting – in which case you’ll have to dig a little deeper.

If you have a Bluetooth device (like your phone) connected to your Echo, any sound from your phone will play on your Echo. To see if this is the cause, you can say “Alexa, disconnect” to your Echo device and this will either disconnect Bluetooth (and potentially solve your issue):

(cut to an echo)

Or it will tell you that it is not connected to any other device:

(cut to an echo)

Either way, this is worth trying as it may fix the problem or rule out a common cause of “random noise”.

If you’re still having no luck, next, launch the Amazon Alexa app. This is because everything you say to your Echo devices is saved for future analysis and playback! If you ignore the somewhat insidious side of it for a second, when you go to “More” in the menu and then click “Alexa Privacy” before finally clicking “Check Voice History”, you can see exactly what Alexa thinks that You Said – Including Allowing You can repeat what you said.

Yes, that’s creepy, but it’s worth checking out this screen if your Echo device was making a random sound because it might help you figure out exactly why that sound was being made. I have a 2 month old baby and her crying makes Alexa stagger in weird ways at times – so your Echo device can pick up on random background noise and get confused.

Now, it’s worth pointing out that the Echo heard its name when the app said “Audio wasn’t meant for this device,” but decided it didn’t need to take any action. For example, if you said “We may need to mute Alexa before our friends come over,” when you said “Alexa,” your Echo didn’t have to do anything, you weren’t speaking to it. However, if you’re seeing this message a lot, it could mean that there’s a lot of background noise confusing your Echo device – and sometimes it’ll play a random noise or tone if it’s hearing something wrong. So it’s worth checking carefully.

Next, in the app, if you click “More” and then “Activity,” you’ll see a list of everything your Echo devices have been doing (or saying). If you click More, you can see again what Alexa thought you triggered that activity. This is really useful for finding out why your Echo device said something random. In one case, my echo randomly said “Bye for now”. My wife and I were confused by this, but this screen helped us see that our Echo thought – incorrectly – that we said “I have to go now” to Alexa. In fact, that’s what my wife said to our baby, so our Echo device got it completely wrong when it thought we were going to tell it a joke and then responded “bye for now”!

(cut to an echo)

If you’re still not sure why your Echo is making random noises, (starts whispering inaudibly).

What I just said clearly was “Have you tried to see if whisper mode or brief mode is on”? Stay in the app, click More, then Settings, then scroll down to Voice Responses, which is somewhere in the middle.

This screen has two options: One is called Short Mode, which basically stops your Echo devices from talking that much. Instead, it says less and sometimes just responds with a beep before taking an action. Someone else in your house may have this mode enabled, causing you to think your Echo is beeping for no reason. So it’s worth checking this setting.

Secondly, whisper mode is really useful at night. You can whisper something like “Alexa, what time is it?” and time whispers back.

(cut to an echo)

That’s better than waking up the whole house! I’ve had this setting enabled for years, and overall it works well, but about once a week I ask my Echo device something out loud — and it whispers back to me. This is just a bug, of course, but it could trick you into thinking your Echo is making “random noises” when in fact it just mistakenly thought it was supposed to be whispering something to you!

If you’ve tried everything I’ve said so far and are still hearing random noises, don’t worry as there are a few other things to check before you smash your Echo with a hammer…

(Legal Notice: Please do not destroy your Echo with a hammer. Thanks)

First, you can enable third-party skills on your Echo device. While these don’t typically make random noises, it’s worth going through your ability list and removing any unused ones in case they’re the culprit. You can do this in the app or say “Alexa, what skills do I have enabled?”. and then say “Alexa, disable Big Sky” (for example) to disable the Big Sky skill.

Second, if your Echo is making a noise, check if there is a colored ring of light on your Echo. If it’s pulsing yellow, it means you’re waiting for a notification or message. If it’s purple, there might be WiFi issues. Cnet has a useful guide on how to do this (I’ve included a link in the description). So if your Echo is making a sound AND has a ring of light, there might be something you really need to investigate.

Third, if your Echo makes any popping or crackling noise, perhaps one that sounds “electric” or even dangerous, PANIC! Well, maybe don’t panic, but it could be a genuine defect in your Echo, or even a problem with the power cord. Of course, double check that everything is plugged in securely, but then contact Amazon customer service if it’s still the case, as this could be a security issue and not just an “odd noise” your Echo is making.

Fourth, a random sound could actually be the result of a software bug in Amazon’s Alexa platform. This happened back in 2018, which caused Echo devices around the world to randomly laugh! Such a problem can occur again and again – unfortunately this is in the nature of software errors. So if the random noise is unique, maybe google to see if other people are reporting this to them as well. If so, hopefully Amazon will fix it quickly and it won’t happen again and again.

Fifth, in very rare cases, radio wave interference can be picked up by ANY speaker system. While this rarely happens with an Echo (because it’s much more common when there’s a long audio cable between a speaker system, for example), it’s technically possible and could explain why someone on Reddit actually heard a whistle and then someone clear their throat through their Echo- Device! If this keeps happening, it could be a defect in the Echo due to some loose cables. So try contacting Amazon.

Sixth, if nothing else worked, try factory resetting your Echo. This allows you to set everything up from scratch and remove any corrupted internal data that could be causing your Echo to make random noises. There are several methods to do this based on your Echo model, so I’ve included a link to Amazon’s help pages in the description that explains how to perform a factory reset.

Finally, if all else fails, hit your Echo with a hammer.

(Legal Notice: Please do not destroy your Echo with a hammer. Thanks)

Jokes aside, you may just need to replace your Echo device. In the event of a warranty claim, contact the retailer or Amazon customer service. Otherwise, you can often pick up an Echo very cheaply on Amazon sales, so maybe wait for one of those.

That ends today’s video. There are a few possible causes of your Echo making random noises, but checking in the app will often help you track down the problem. I hope you found this video helpful. If so, please click the thumbs up button and don’t forget to subscribe. Thanks very much!

Do you need help juggling the many events, appointments, meetings and tasks in your life? With an Echo device, Alexa is at your fingertips.

You can set reminders so Alexa will notify you when a task or appointment is due. Create an alarm and use Alexa to wake you up in the morning or notify you when a message arrives. Set a timer for everything from a boiled egg to an intense race. You can even add items to a to-do list or shopping list. Alexa supports you through every Echo device, many third-party Alexa gadgets and the Alexa app(Opens in a new window). How to set everything up.

Set up Alexa reminders

Reminders serve as short-term alerts to help you remember specific activities or events. When a reminder is due, Alexa will play “Here’s your reminder,” then tell you twice.

The only downside is that the reminder will only sound on the Echo device you set it on. So if you have more than one Echo device, make sure you set the reminder on the device you use most. As a backup, the reminder also appears on your mobile device via the Alexa app.

To set one up, say “Alexa, create a new reminder.” Alexa will ask you what the reminder is for. Tell Alexa what it is, e.g. “Go to the dentist,” “start doing the laundry,” or “start cooking dinner.” Alexa will then ask you for the date and time. You can say something like “Today at 3 p.m.”, “Tomorrow at 4 p.m.”, or “10 a.m.” July at 10 a.m. To get to the point, provide all the details of the reminder at once, such as, “Alexa, remind me to start the laundry at 2:30 p.m. today.”

Alternatively, you can set a reminder via the Alexa app. Open the app, tap the More icon in the bottom right, then select Reminders. On the Reminders screen, tap the Add Reminder button.

Fill in the appropriate fields with the alarm name, date, time, and the Echo device you want to hear the alarm on. Tap Save to save the reminder. To hear your reminders, say “Alexa, what are my reminders?” and it will read them to you.

You can also go to the Reminders section in the Alexa app to view them. Remove a reminder by saying “Alexa, delete [reminder name]” or all reminders by saying “Alexa, delete all reminders.” In the app, open the reminder you want to remove and tap click Delete.

Set up Alexa alarms

echo show 5

You can use Alexa as a replacement for the traditional alarm by saying, “Alexa, set an alarm.” Alexa will ask you the day and time and set the alarm after you provide the details. You can also include the information in one shot. Say “Alexa, set an alarm for 10:45 am today” or “Alexa, set an alarm for 8 am.” Or ask for a recurring alarm to sound every day, certain days of the week, or every weekend. (“Alexa, set a recurring alarm for 7 a.m. every Monday.”)

To set an alarm from the Alexa app, tap the More icon and select Alarms & Timers. Tap Add alarm and set the time, the device you want to hear the alarm on, and the interval. You can even set an alarm to play a specific tone or piece of music instead of the typical alarm sound. When the alarm goes off, your Echo device will play the sound you set. You can say “Alexa, stop” to turn it off, or “Alexa, snooze” to delay the alarm by nine minutes.

Track your alarms by asking, “Alexa, what are my alarms?” Check the Alarms section in the Alexa app to review your existing alarms or create new ones. Tap on a specific alarm to change its time, change its sound, change its interval, or delete it. Delete an alarm by swiping left and tapping Delete. Or say “Alexa, delete [alarm time]” or “Alexa, delete all alarms.”

Set up Alexa timers

Stop using the microwave as an egg timer — use Alexa’s named Timer feature to juggle multiple timers at once. (“Alexa, set an egg timer for 3 minutes” when you’re boiling an egg, or “Alexa, set a laundry timer for 30 minutes,” for example.)

Your timers appear in the Timers section of the Alexa app, where you can pause or cancel each one and change their volume. You can also ask “Alexa, what are my timers?” It gives you the names and countdowns of your current timers. Do you want to delete a timer? Tell Alexa to cancel or pause a specific timer or cancel all with one command.

When you set a timer on your Echo device, Alexa will call and let you know the countdown has reached zero. Say “Alexa, turn off the timer” or just say “Alexa, stop” to turn it off.

Set up Alexa to-do lists

You can use your Echo device to create shopping lists or general to-do lists to help you juggle all the tasks in your life. Create these lists by voice by saying something like “Alexa, add milk to my grocery list” or “Alexa, add “take car to mechanic” to my to-do list.”

To set up a list via the Alexa app, tap the More icon and select Lists & Notes. On the next screen, tap the Shopping or To-Do list to add items to either list. Alternatively, tap the Make List button to create an entirely new list. Once a list is created, ask “Alexa, what’s on my shopping list” or “Alexa, what’s on my to-do list,” and Alexa will rattle off the items on either list.

Or check your lists in the Alexa app. Go back to the Lists & Notes screen in the app and open the list you want to view or edit. Check an item to mark it as complete. Swipe left to delete.

Want more options for keeping a to-do list? Leverage third-party to-do services like Any.do or Todoist, which are more robust than Alexa’s built-in to-do capability. In the Alexa app, tap the More icon, then select Skills & Games.

Conduct a search by tapping the search icon in the top right corner. Enter the word lists in the keyword or skill name field. From the search results, tap List Skills or just Lists. You can now browse the range of skills related to lists and making lists.

For items like AnyList(Opens in a new window), Cozi Lists(Opens in a new window), or Picniic(Opens in a new window), you must enable the skill in the Alexa app. You must then create an account for that service or sign in with an account to use the skill. Skills like Any.do and Todoist will prompt you to exit the Alexa app and set up access to the third-party app.

After you set up an account with one of the third-party list services, you can instruct Alexa to add an item to your shopping list or to-do list, and Alexa will use that service.

Amazon’s popular Alexa voice assistant is always learning new tricks, but it took the developers a while to finally deliver two much-requested features: reminders and named timers. Previously, in Alexa’s earlier days, you could set multiple timers, but the system would only recognize them based on their length. You had to remember which timer was for what. Memories weren’t even an option. Now they are both available as new functions and this is how they are used:

memories

Reminders and Alexa are a perfect match. While Alexa was able to track Apple, Google, and Microsoft calendars, she couldn’t just show up and give you occasional reminders at set times. Now it’s easy to enable this feature. Say “Alexa, remind me of my dentist appointment at 3 p.m.” today” or “Alexa, remind me to call my mom on Friday.” If you don’t specify a time, Alexa will ask you for details.

When the reminder is due, Alexa lights up, sounds a gentle alert, and says, “Here’s your reminder. Call my mom.” She will keep reminding you until you ask her to stop.

You can manage your reminders from the Alexa app (select “Alerts & Alerts” from the main menu). You can also view a list of completed reminders here. If you’re not at home and can’t speak to Alexa directly, you can still set a new reminder through the app. The app lets you choose which Alexa device gives the reminder if you have more than one. Voice commands can also be used to cancel a reminder or review reminders that have already been set.

Named Timers

The named timer function is pretty intuitive to use. You set a timer by saying phrases like “Alexa, set an oven timer for one hour” or “Alexa, set a nap timer for 20 minutes” or “Alexa, set a watering timer for 15 minutes.” ” use. She will tell you the timer’s name so you know if she got it right.

As with the timers feature, before the new feature rolls out, you can use your voice to cancel, stop, or resume the named timers. If you don’t specify a timer, Alexa will ask which one you mean. You can also ask Alexa about the timers you have and she will provide the remaining time for each one. When a timer sounds, Alexa says “Your oven timer is ready”. The alarm will then continue to sound until you ask Alexa to stop.

As with reminders, you can view your named timers in the Alexa app under Alerts & Alarms. You’ll see a list of names and have the option to pause or cancel the timers right in the app. Amazon notes, “If two or more timers are set for the same time, use the app to cancel them.”

Amazon debuted named timers and reminders in early June. The usefulness of these new features is easy to see. Imagine you’re hosting Thanksgiving and setting a timer for the turkey, a timer for the pie, and a reminder for the in-laws to show up in an hour so you can get ready to dress before they arrive.

These aren’t the only new features now available on Alexa. Amazon is feeling the heat from competitors like Google Home and the upcoming Apple HomePod, so the company is busy offering new and creative ways to use the voice assistant. Click here to read our guide to getting started with Alexa Calling & Messaging, and explore some lesser-known but very useful commands here.

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You’ve been able to set snooze alerts with Alexa since the beginning, but now you can finally set a snooze reminder. To do this, just say something like, “Alexa, remind me to do [task] every Monday at 7am.” The benefit of a reminder over an alarm is that reminders address the task you set and don’t need to be turned off when they go off . Alexa just plays a tone a few times, speaks the task, and then falls silent on its own. So if you need regular reminders but don’t care as much about earning a full alert, repeat reminders are the new way. Many thanks to @Erinescence for the hints.

What’s the point of having an assistant, robot, or human if they’re not there to remind you to do the things you keep forgetting? For me, it’s recycling. Each week switches between bottles/cans or paper/cardboard and I always put the wrong one on the curb or forget it altogether. I’ve tried setting reminders on my phone, but I usually see them around the same time I hear the recycling truck drive past my house. Thankfully, I have a house full of Echoes and Dots, and Amazon has given Alexa the ability to set up repeating reminders.

At the time of this post, you can choose to have the reminders repeat on just one day of the week, or every day of the week. Questions like every other Tuesday are not supported yet.

There are two ways to set up Alexa repeat reminders, through the app or by voice. As always, asking Alexa is easy: “Alexa, remind me to bring out recycling every Tuesday at 6pm.” Boom. Finished.

If you’re still getting used to asking Alexa to do these things, or prefer to set up reminders using the Alexa app, here’s how:

Open the Alexa app, tap the hamburger menu in the top left, then select Reminders & Alarms. With the Reminders tab selected (this is the default tab), tap Add Reminder. around. You don’t need to include “remember,” that’s included by default. In my example I would enter “Take out the recycling”. Tap the switch next to Repeat to make this a repeating reminder. This will add another repeating field below the toggle with a default entry of “Every Day”. If you don’t want your reminder to occur every day, tap this box and select one of the options listed. Currently you can choose: every day, weekdays, weekends, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. For example, if you need a reminder on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, you need to create three separate recurring reminders. One for Monday, one for Wednesday and one for Friday. After selecting the days you want your reminder to repeat, tap Time and select the time you want your reminder to repeat. Finally, choose a device to listen to your reminder on. If you have multiple Echo devices, this is important. I don’t want the dot in my office reminding me to bring out the recycling when I’m usually in the kitchen. If you only have one Echo device, it will be selected by default.

One last thing to note is that Alexa reminders will also appear on any device that has the Alexa app installed. This is helpful if you happen to be in a different room when Alexa is announcing your reminder, or if you tend to forget.