The first time you try your Echo Show device you will notice that it has several applications similar to any other platform. You can watch YouTube, surf the Internet, and even play music. The Echo Show is a home assistant device with a screen. This means you can see the weather, get recipes, and even play music.
Unlike other Echo devices, the Show offers more functions and features. Therefore, it is natural to wonder if you can download apps on your Echo Show. In this article, we’ll teach you all about Alexa apps, also known as skills, so you can get the most out of your Echo device.
What are Alexa skills?
Alexa “skills” are essentially third-party apps that you can install so that the device can obey new commands. These commands can be anything from reading (or watching) daily news reports, playing games, displaying cooking recipes, and a wide range of other interesting functions. Currently, there are over 100,000 Alexa skills and more are appearing every day.
Preloaded skills
The Echo Show has a ton of pre-installed skills that enhance the user experience. For example, you can watch any YouTube video by saying, “Alexa, play (desired video) on YouTube.” If you want to see the weather forecast for the next day or month, simply say: “Alexa, show me the weather for today (or this week/month).”
Paid subscriptions
There are several built-in skills that require a subscription to work. For example, if you are subscribed to Amazon Music, you can play over 2 million songs displaying information about the artist and even lyrics. Similarly, if you are subscribed to Amazon Video, you can search for any movie or TV show by saying the name of the titles, actors, genres, and many other keywords.
How to configure skills?
The Alexa platform is similar to iOS and Android. Unlike some home assistants that come with a built-in set of apps that you can’t change, most Alexa skills require additional setup. This allows you to personalize your Echo Show device by choosing skills based on your needs and preferences.
You can set up new skills in two different ways. The first way is by saying, “Alexa, enable the skill (skill name).” However, this method requires you to know which skill you want to enable. Additionally, the availability of skills depends on your location, so you may not have access to them.
Another way to set up a skill is from the Alexa app. Of course, this requires you to install the Alexa app on your smartphone before continuing. You can download the application from the App Store (for iOS devices) or Play store (for Android). Then do the following:
- Launch the Alex app on your phone.
- Tap the ‘menu’ icon (hamburger icon) at the bottom right of the screen.
- Choose ‘Skills & Games’ from the menu.
- Search for a skill you want to use in the list or use the search bar to locate a particular one.
- Tap the skill to open the skill menu and description.
- Tap “Enable Skill.”
Please note that you may need to start some of the pre-installed skills before they work.
How to disable skills?
If you want certain apps to disappear from your Alexa skill set, you can disable them from the skills menu. Simply follow steps 1-5 above to access the menu and find the skill you want to disable. Then tap the “Disable” skill and Alexa will stop recognizing your commands.
You can customize other settings from the same skills menu. For example, you can only turn off notifications instead of turning them off completely. Additionally, you can manage parental permissions by adding child skills to the device.
Some useful skills you can acquire
As the skills database grows over time, it will become increasingly difficult to choose between certain skills. Some of the most popular skills will appear in the ‘Skills and games’ menu and you can discover their usefulness and quality by checking their user ratings.
Here are some skills that Echo Show users find convenient:
- Uber: If you use Uber services and have an account, it’s easy to organize a ride through the Echo Show. Enable the skill and say, “Alexa, request an Uber ride” and the app will appear on the screen. From that moment on you can follow the instructions and use voice commands to finish the arrangement.
- Allrecipes – This huge database of recipes will help you in many ways. If you’re not sure what to cook, you can ask Allrecipes to recommend a meal for you. Do you have only a few ingredients at home? You can find recipes based on that. Additionally, the skill can send a list of necessary ingredients to your phone so you know what to look for in a supermarket, plus both hands will be completely focused on the food. You can read the instructions and “turn the pages” using just your voice.
- Audible: If you’re a book lover, you can purchase a book through Audible and then let the Echo Show display and read the book in the background. This way, you can do your household chores while getting your daily literature.
Of course, there are several niche applications, such as Web Analytics for those who monitor your traffic, Tweet Reader that reads your Twitter timeline, CryptoCoin that tracks and notifies you about the value of BitCoin, and many other applications.
Frequent questions
Here’s more information you might want to know about Echo Show Skills.
What do I do if my ability doesn’t work?
Skills, like most applications, can have problems and glitches. If for some reason a skill is not working correctly, it is best to deactivate it and activate it again first. This usually solves most problems.
Of course, you can also check other skills. Assuming all your skills are having issues, you may want to check your internet connection.
If the skill is new, there is likely a problem with the Settings. Some skills require parental controls, while others may require you to tap “Enable” again. If this is an issue with a subscription, make sure you are logged into your account.
Make Echo Show your perfect assistant
Currently, Amazon Alexa is probably the best digital assistant. It is compatible with many other devices and has several third-party connectivity options.
It has a version of third-party apps under ‘skills’ (something neither Ciri or Cortana have), which you can use to make Alexa a unique personal assistant. By customizing your skill set to meet your needs, you can make your life much more comfortable.
What are your favorite Alexa skills? What do you use them for? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
