To ask if you use an Amazon Alexa or similar home assistance devices...

[EMacCoffee]

What do you find to be its most useful feature? What do you use it for the most?

I'm just curious really, I use mine a lot for setting timers in the kitchen and for alarms. And I also use them as a radio for music around the house as well.

[TakeMe2Insanity]

We got ours this week so far, timer and listening to music oh and dropping in on other rooms so we aren’t shouting upstairs (3 storey house).

[mbosnz]

Radio, weather forecast, playing spotify, and timers. And entertaining visiting three year olds.

[EMacCoffee]

@TakeMe2Insanity I love the drop in feature, it's fun!

[blardyfeck]

Ours is in the kitchen so it's useful as a timer. We listen to music, weather reports, traffic updates, word of the day, general facts (DHs favourite at the moment "Alexa give me a fact about cheese" 🙄)

Definitely not an essential item but fairly handy & a bit of fun

[Reallybadidea]

Shopping list is incredibly useful. Whenever I think we're running low on something, I just ask alexa to add it to the shopping list and it's there on the app when either of us goes shopping.

We also use it for summoning children for dinner. We have it set up so that we say "Alexa, it's dinnertime" and a notification is sent to the phone of everyone in the household.

I also drop in on the dog if he's making a fuss at night and tell him to shut up and get back in his bed

[aposterhasnoname]

Controlling lights and heating, timer, alarm, and general mucking about are the main things we do with ours.

[EMacCoffee]

@Reallybadidea I never thought of dropping in on the dog, that is genius.

[thecatsthecats]

Ooh, I haven't used drop in.

My favourite feature is definitely voice alarms/clock. The fact I can find out without even opening my eyes how long I have til my alarm has genuinely helped my sleep issues.

Very handy to have the news, weather, timers etc read out to me whilst cooking also.

[mbosnz]

Another thing I use is for streaming white noise at night, to help me go to sleep, like 'rain on a tin roof'

[AllTheCakes]

Turning lights on and off, radio, Spotify, weather, timers and watching the baby monitor on the Google Home Display. Our doorbell is connected too, so it tells you that someone is at the front door and allows you to speak to them from the comfort of the sofa

[Bluntness100]

Drop in, also a three bed house, timer, games, news, but I use them mainly to play music on the multi room function so when I have guests over I can play the same music in all the rooms downstairs simultaneously.

[Bluntness100]

Three storey house!

[DryHeave]

Lights - I’ve set up lots of IFTTT triggers so, for example, “trigger morning” turns on downstairs lights and lower hall, “trigger bedtime” turns on our bedroom lights low and then gradually turns off all downstairs and hall lights, “trigger makeup” sets my dressing table lights to super bright, “trigger bathtime” sets a dim lighting in the bathroom. Etc etc.

Also use it to turn the heating up/down.

[Graphista]

Placemarking. I've asked dd for a speaker for my birthday and she suggested Google home but I'm not entirely sure what it can do

[EMacCoffee]

@AllTheCakes I would love to be able to connect the doorbell, such a smart feature. Our main door is glass and into the kitchen anyway so I probably wouldn't need it but it's cool nonetheless.

[EMacCoffee]

@Graphista I have an Alexa which is very similar to Google Home (my sister has a Google home). They are brilliant for all the reasons on this thread.

[Boom45]

Oo, can i ask a question? My DD has a bunch of story CDs that she likes to listen too as she falls asleep and every CD player we bring into the house spontaneously combusts or something (we are cursed).
If i got an alexa could i play the CDs through it? I'd convert em to MP3 first obv.

[EMacCoffee]

@Boom45 I'm actually not sure, you can definitely use it as a bluetooth speaker so if you had MP3 files on a phone, iPad or something you should be able to yes.

[Starlight456]

We use ours for music , I also put music messages on to wake him up so he can shout Alexa stop in in stroppy voice instead of speaking to me that way.

My Ds also uses ocean sounds to go to sleep

I use the timers for cooking .

We also played games. Lemonade stand , deal or no deal , Tenable.

[Aquamarine1029]

We use our Alexa for loads of things but our favourite is "play thunderstorm sounds" at night while we are sleeping. So relaxing!

[EMacCoffee]

I love the trivia hero game, I regularly play it with my parents.

[FrankT]

Listening to the radio or spotify

[YouCantBeSadHoldingACupcake]

Alexa has a story time app so can tell bedtime stories. I also use it to drop in on the kids and send announcements to tell them to turn lights out. Kids use it for music and audio books

[Bluntness100]

No, you can't upload to Alexa, but it would be unusual if you couldn't find the same stories available that she can find. Unless they are very obscure or home made. She can read books also etc.

[MadSweeney]

I have devices in most rooms.
Radio and my spotify playlists, especially when I feel like a good blast and go for 'play everywhere'
Drop in is great for DH in the garage to tell him his dinner is ready
Show in the kitchen is great for watching iPlayer whilst I'm cooking, showing recipies, timers etc
Also great to see my DD who lives some distance away, nice to have a face to face chat!
Shopping lists is just fab because I shop online with ocado and can just add things I need directly into my basket.