6 Best Ways To Use Echo Auto & How To Get One Today (+ Pro Tips!)

By Guest Contributor Daniel Hill, Social Media Strategist at Daniel Hill Media

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6 Best Ways To Use Echo Auto

#1. Listen to music completely hands-free

No need to touch your phone at all. Just say “Alexa play Red Hot Chili Peppers” to get started. Echo Auto responds to “Alexa, skip track” or “Alexa, repeat.”

#2. Get your news (and get it customized to your interests)

Just say “Alexa, tell me the news” to hear your personal Alexa flash briefing list. In case you’re not familiar with flash briefings, they’re 2-4 minute audio news clips (and one of the best Alexa features).

How to add an Alexa flash briefing to your personal list? Just say “Alexa, enable The Instagram Stories” (insert the flash briefing of your choice). Be sure to check out VoiceBrew’s list of the 7 best flash briefings right now for some ideas.

Then say “Alexa, tell me the news” to start listening to your flash briefings.

#3. Play a game

My favorite game is still Song Quiz, which plays short audio clips of songs from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, or 2010s — then you guess the name of the song and artist. You can play with someone else in the car, or be matched up with someone online to play against.

#4. Start a conversation with Alexa

Say “Alexa, let’s have a conversation,” and you can talk to one of 6 different prize-winning social bots designed to advance AI. You can discuss topics like news, movies, celebrities, politics, time travel, food, science, Superman, Batman, and more.

#5. Announce you’re almost home across your Echo speakers

Say “Alexa, I’d like to make an announcement.” Then, say something like “I’ll be home in 10 minutes and I’m bringing pizza!” to broadcast the message across your home’s Echo devices.

#6. Turn on the lights and open the garage door before you get home

Just say “Alexa, turn on the lights” or “Alexa, open the garage” wherever you are and whenever you need to.

How to get an Echo Auto

You can now order an Echo Auto on Amazon and have it in days!

(For those of you who are wondering, you no longer need to request an invitation to buy one and then wait to be invited.)

9 simple steps to set up your Echo Auto

Unbox the unit and the power cable. Take it out to the car and plug it into the outlet. Make sure it powers on
Put the mount aside for now. Don’t use it until you have determined the best (permanent) location for the unit
Turn on your phone’s Bluetooth, and open the Alexa app
In the Alexa app, tap the “Devices” button in the bottom right corner
Click the “+” (plus button) in the top right corner and choose “Add Device”
On the screen that says “What type of device are you setting up?” select Amazon Echo, then Echo Auto
Read through the “WARNING! Do not set up Echo Auto while driving screen” then tap “Continue”
Confirm the device is powered on, wait for the sweeping orange light, then select your Amazon Echo Auto from the list
Start using your Amazon Echo Auto!

Pro Tip: Don’t bother trying to charge up your Echo Auto before following the steps above, as it doesn’t have a battery inside.

Pro Tips

#1. Position Echo Auto so Alexa can hear you and other passengers

If you have passengers in the backseat who will use it, position it somewhere so that everyone in the car can be heard.

#2. You can minimize cable across the dashboard

Many cars have a power outlet in the center console that could be used to power the Echo Auto — use this!

#3. It needs to be plugged in at all times

There’s no battery inside the Echo Auto, so you can’t use it unless it’s plugged into a power source. For a workaround, you can always connect it to a portable battery charger!

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