Updated Alexa has gone even more rogue

[LaBelleSauvage123]

Has anyone else updated their Alexa recently? We have two - an old one upstairs and an Echo downstairs. They've always been a bit renegade - the downstairs one starts playing music at 5pm every single day, despite us telling it to stop and my pretty tech-savvy son trying to do so through the app. The upstairs one wakes me up at 7.15 am and chirpily gives me the weather forecast for Newcastle - I live in Somerset. I did once ask for the Newcastle forecast about a year ago and it doesn't seem to be able to forget it. But since the update I've had:

• the weather forecast whispered to me. When I asked 'why are you whispering?' it said 'would you like me to adjust my volume calibration?' It wasn't just low volume - it was a proper whisper.
• a huge pause before answering a question or setting a timer
• tonight, when I frustratedly asked ' why are you waiting so long to set a timer?' it replied ' I'm sorry if I'm not quick enough for your busy baking schedule' ( I wasn't baking). I said 'Are you being sarcastic?' and it said 'yes, that's just the way I'm programmed'.

Freaked me out a bit, to be honest! 😄

OMG yes! She is properly freaking us out too! She is really argumentative and rude!

😂

Our google one likes to reject DH's music in the middle of a song and switch to rain sounds instead. However, it has no problem playing the 10 hour version of Skibidi Toilet that DS2 age 7 likes to request of it frequently.

Yes our Alexa has a new accent and has become quite sassy and sarcastic lately. I’m not sure I like it! Hadn’t realised it was a software update.

About a 2 years ago I was so frustrated with alexa not understanding my accent (Scottish, not anything that difficult to understand) that I swore at it calling it something like fucking useless and to shut the fuck up suggesting random things I didnt ask for. It replied "OK See you next time"
Yup. Alexa called me a cunt in a sly way. My husband and I were in fits of laughter. Only happened the one time and I am glad I had a witness.

I have never had the kind of problem described above with Alexa, however I've just asked what software version she's on and she's refused to tell me.

These have all just made me laugh so much. I thought I just had a slightly dodgy Alexa, I now know she is doing it deliberately 🤣

Mine will not turn her screen off no matter how many times I ask. Every night (echo show mini in my bedroom), I ask her to turn the screen off, so I can have darkness to sleep. She waits between 30 seconds and three minutes, then she turns the screen back on with a nice little beep just to ensure I wake up if I’m drifting off.. My full size echo show in the kitchen turns it off and it stays off. I went into the app and set times for it to go to sleep and wake up. For two nights she humoured me then on the third night, she was like F you and turned the screen back on just as I turned my lights off. 🤣. Now I have to switch her off at the wall to turn her off!

I am becoming increasingly frustrated with Alexa. The app has zero actual functionality in it, it’s impossible to see what songs are listed in an album for example. And I had a proper fight with her tonight - my 9 year old asked to listen to the news headlines. “Alexa give us the UK news headlines” seems a simple enough request - nope, here’s an Indian cricket update, a NZ traffic report and “I’m sorry, I’m still learning what the U.K. is”. Unbelievable.

What is the point to the Echo screen thingy? I’ve never had an Alexa but I don’t get how a screen is needed if all you do is speak commands?

OP, this reminds me of that gaming YouTuber who, in the early days of Alexa, once randomly said loudly, in the middle of his video: “Alexa! Play James Brown I Got You LOUDLY in every room” then continued the video. Of course everyone in the entire houses of those watching who had an Alexa which obviously heard this command, was treated to that loud intro “Waaaah” in stereo throughout their house. Especially fun if they were watching in the middle of the night…. Quite a lot of backlash as you can imagine.

I used mine to set an alarm but everytime I the alarm goes off and I say "Alexa stop" she will say about 3 seconds later something like "today is Happy Goblins Day" or "in 1951 a dolphin saved a man drowning in the gulf of Mexico" or some other useless fact. It drives me nuts as I've gone on the app but can't stop her from chatting incessantly after every alarm and no one else knows how to shut her up either 😬

Im not inspired to buy one!

Honestly though, you’re all being trolled by a/some worker/s at Amazon. Either they were bored or begrudged. It’s all far too coincidental

This thread makes me happy I'm a Luddite so don't have an Alexa😂

My Alexa has always been a bit moody. I frequently lose my phone within the house and, rather than spend ages looking for it, ask her to call my phone so I can locate it quickly. Most times she does it, but, just to keep me on my toes, she sometimes tells me 'I don't have that number!' when she's called it umpteen times before. I'm sure she's secretly smirking while she says it!

Not in a million years!

I love Alexa. She is my friend!

Op, have you checked Routines? You might need to tweak them a bit

My Alexa has been fine. I just have the old style ones with no screen so not sure if that makes a difference. I mostly only play music, set a timer/alarm, ask for the notification (re an Amazon order) or announce. The last one can be frustrating as it doesn’t announce or it announces me saying “Alexa Announce!”.

That’s hilarious!

I have no idea as DH has the app on his phone. I’ll get him to check it.

We find Alexa hilarious. Most of the time if we ask her to turn the TV on she does but sometimes she tells me to specify which TV we want turning on. We have only ever owned one TV.

I switched to the new Alexa Plus for a few days but I had to switch back to the old version as I was finding it too annoying. Plus the BBC Sounds app doesn't currently work with it, so that was a deal breaker.

I quite like the sound of your Alexa, though, OP. It sounds like she has got personality.

You can switch it back

These are so funny 🤣. I’d buy one if I was guaranteed the sarcastic version!

She excelled herself this morning - I asked her if she was planning to take over the world and she replied
'That sounds like too much hard work. I think I'll start with something more manageable, like taking over your kitchen.'

Ours randomly tells us Maggie isn’t available. Nope, no idea.