Unlock Alexa’s Power : How to Enable and Disable Alexa skills

Amazon apart from its retail website is a lot big company. In recent years, voice-controlled virtual assistants have revolutionized the way we interact with our devices.

Among the most popular and widely used virtual assistants is Amazon’s Alexa. Alexa comes with a vast array of capabilities known as “Alexa Skills.”

These skills are like apps that enhance the functionality of Alexa and cater to various needs.

In this article, we will see into the world of Alexa Skills and learn how to enable a skill on alexa and how to disable a skill on alexa to make the most of your Alexa-powered devices.

Introduction

Alexa is a virtual assistant developed by Amazon, first used in the Amazon Echo and the Amazon Echo Dot smart speakers developed by Amazon.

It’s capable of voice interaction, music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, playing audiobooks, and providing weather, traffic, sports, and other real-time information, such as news.

The Alexa smart devices can also control several smart devices using itself as a home automation system.

Users have tools and options to extend the Alexa capabilities by installing “skills” (additional functionality developed by third-party vendors, in other settings more commonly called apps such as weather programs and audio features. In short these are just apps which can be installed and used by your Alexa device).

What are Alexa Skills?

Understanding Alexa Skills

Alexa Skills are voice-driven capabilities that allow users to perform a multitude of tasks, ranging from simple actions like weather updates and playing music to more complex tasks like controlling smart home devices or ordering groceries. Alexa Skills work in conjunction with compatible devices like Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, and other Alexa-enabled devices.

Different Types of Alexa Skills

There are three primary types of Alexa Skills:

1. Custom Skills: These are created by third-party developers and are specific to their applications or services.
2. Smart Home Skills: These allow users to control and manage smart home devices like lights, thermostats, and cameras through voice commands.
3. Flash Briefing Skills: Users can customize their news updates and receive daily briefings from different sources like news agencies and content providers.

Tips for Discovering the Best Alexa Skills

Are you overwhelmed by the sheer number of Alexa skills available? Don’t worry; we’ve got some tips to help you discover the most useful and engaging ones:

• Check User Ratings and Reviews: Look for skills with high user ratings and positive reviews. These are often reliable indicators of skill quality and functionality.
• Browse Editor’s Picks and Categories: Explore the Editor’s Picks section and browse skills by categories that interest you. This makes it easier to find skills relevant to your preferences.
• Follow Influencers and Tech Blogs: Tech influencers and blogs often showcase the best skills available. Follow their recommendations to discover hidden gems.

Also Read: iotty Smart Switch : 8 Key Specifications and Review

What is Alexa Skill Kit?

Amazon allows developers to build and publish skills for Alexa using the Alexa Skills Kit known as Alexa Skills.

These  are third-party developed skills, once published, are available across Alexa-enabled devices. Users can enable these skills using the Alexa app. Skills are like the mini apps that can be integrated in your Alexa devices such as Dot, Echo etc.

A “Smart Home Skill API” is available, meant to be used by hardware manufacturers to allow users to control smart home devices.

Most skills run code almost entirely in the cloud, using Amazon’s AWS Lambda service.

Amazon has  further expanded the capability of Blueprints by allowing customers to publish skills they’ve built with the templates to its Alexa Skill Store in the US for use by anyone with an Alexa-enabled device.

This move has increased the interaction of developers and has seen quite a spike in number of new incoming Alexa skills.

Also Read: How to Make Your House a Smart Home

Why Alexa Skills a big deal?

While voice search grows, improves, and refines, the best way to get in front of potential customers on these devices is through the Alexa Skills base. Google is also shifting towards the voice search through its devices like Google Home.

An Alexa Skill is the smart home device equivalent of an app for your phone on the Amazon Echo series of devices. You can enable the Skills manually or by speaking a command to Alexa.

Google Home has its own skills base as well, but Amazon holds more then 70 percent of market share, so yes its a pretty much big deal.

How you can enable and disable these skills?

We all know that Amazon is now at full swing to make your homes smarter with its new Alexa powered devices and Amazon Echo being the center spot of the attraction, We would teach you how to enable and disable Alexa skills in this tutorial.

How to Enable a New Alexa Skill in 5 steps

1. Open Alexa App on your smartphone. If you have not installed it in your smartphone you can do it from here.
2. Swipe from the left side of the screen to open the App menu.
3. Tap on  Skills & Games from the menu.
4. Select the skill you want to activate or enable on your Amazon device.
5. Tap on  Enable to use.

Steps to Disable an Alexa skill

1. Go to your Amazon Alexa App on your smartphone.
2. Swipe  from the left side  of the screen to open the App menu.
3. Tap on  Skills & Games from the  menu.
4. Tap on Your Skills.
5. Tap on the Skill that you desire to disable.
6. Click on Disable button to disable it.

Disabling Skills Using Voice Commands

1. Activate Alexa by using the wake word.
2. Instruct Alexa to disable a particular skill by saying, “Alexa, disable [Skill Name].”

Maximizing Alexa Skill Experience

Managing Alexa Skill Permissions

Some Alexa Skills require access to certain information or features to function properly. When enabling a skill, you may be prompted to grant permissions. Review these permissions carefully and enable only the ones you are comfortable with.

Updating Alexa Skills

To ensure smooth functioning and access to the latest features, regularly update your Alexa Skills. Enable automatic updates in the Alexa app or check for updates manually.

Troubleshooting Alexa Skills

Common Issues and Solutions

1. Skill Not Working: If a skill is not functioning correctly, disable and re-enable it to refresh the connection.
2. No Response from Skill: Check your internet connection and ensure the device is connected to Wi-Fi.
3. Skill Misunderstands Commands: Be clear and concise while giving commands to avoid confusion.

Contacting Alexa Support

If you encounter persistent issues with Alexa Skills, reach out to Amazon’s customer support for assistance.

The Future of Alexa Skills

As technology continues to evolve, so will Alexa Skills. Developers are constantly creating innovative and helpful skills that cater to various aspects of our lives, making Alexa an even more integral part of our daily routines.

Final words

Alexa Skills have transformed the way we interact with technology, allowing us to perform tasks with ease using just our voice commands. Amazon are doing a lot of hard work and trying to automate nearly any thing which is possible in home. By maximizing your Alexa Skill experience and staying updated, you can unleash the full potential of Alexa and enjoy a seamless virtual assistant experience.