Get into conversation mode to keep the chat going
Alexa has come a long way since Amazon first introduced her in 2014.
And with Conversation Mode, Amazon is taking another leap forward in how we interact with our devices.
Typically you use a wake word to alert Alexa that you’re speaking to her.But with Conversation Mode, available for the Echo Show 10, you don’t need to continuously repeat the wake word. Instead, Alexa will listen to anyone within view of the camera, and respond when someone looks at the screen and addresses her.
The aim is that people can talk to Alexa like she’s another person in the room—albeit one with answers to pretty much everything. And Amazon aims to roll it out to more devices going forward.
Here’s how it works.
- Say, “Alexa, join the conversation” to enable the mode. That will shift her to be aware of everyone in the room, allowing for more free-flowing, interactive conversations.
- When you’re done, just say “leave the conversation” and she’ll go back to her usual default, requiring a wake word to interact.
If you forget to change it, Alexa also goes back to default mode after a period of silence.
Pro Tip: Unsure if you’ve activated it not? When Conversation Mode is on, you’ll see a solid blue border around the screen, showing you that she’s listening. When she’s communicating with the cloud, the bottom bar will turn light blue, as it does in usual mode. Only the requests determined to be directed to Alexa are sent to the cloud—no video or images. You can learn more at the Alexa Privacy Hub on amazon.com.