Alexa trick lets you change your smart assistant's NAME and voice - but there's a catch

Alexa trick lets you change your smart assistant’s NAME and voice – but there’s a catch

A sneaky trick lets you change your smart assistant’s name, and even voice
As it stands, you can only choose from a few Amazon-sanctioned alternatives

Published: 08:26 EST, 18 February 2023 | Updated: 08:30 EST, 18 February 2023

While Alexa was once simply a woman’s name, it has become widely associated with Amazon, since the tech giant launched a smart assistant with the same name back in 2014.

Not only is the AI-powered system named Alexa, it is also the default ‘wake word’ used to alert Amazon devices that an instruction or question will follow.

This has led to women named Alexa becoming the butt of recurring jokes in which their name is shouted, followed by a command.

Unbeknown to many Alexa users, a sneaky trick lets you change your smart assistant’s name, and even voice.

However, there is a catch – as it stands, you can only choose from a few Amazon-sanctioned alternatives.

Unbeknown to many Alexa users, a sneaky trick lets you change your smart assistant’s name, and even voice. However, there is a catch – as it stands, you can only choose from a few Amazon-sanctioned alternatives.

Changing your smart assistant’s name is simple, and only takes a few minutes.

How to change Alexa’s name

Open the Alexa app on your smartphone, and select Devices
Go to Echo & Alexa, and choose the device you want to change the name of
Tap on the Settings icon, before tapping Wake Word
Select your new name – Computer, Echo, Amazon or Ziggy

Simply open the Alexa app on your smartphone, and select the Devices tab.

Go to Echo & Alexa, and choose the device you want to change the name of.

Tap on the Settings icon, before tapping Wake Word.

Finally, select your new name.

At the moment, users can choose from four Alexa alternatives – Computer, Echo, Amazon or Ziggy.

Unfortunately for people with multiple speakers, you can only change Alexa’s name on a speaker-by-speaker basis.

If you’re happy with Alexa’s name, but her voice is starting to bore you, you’ll be happy to hear that you can also change her voice, with choices available for different languages, regional dialects and genders.

To change the voice, again, open the Alexa app and select Devices, then Echo & Alexa, before choosing the device you want to change the voice for.

Tap on Settings, then Alexa’s Voice.

Options include a female voice and male voice, as well as a gender-neutral voice, called Ziggy.

Alternatively, you can opt for celebrity voices for your smart speaker, including former basketball player Shaquille O’Neal and actress Melissa McCarthy.

Users just need to say ‘Hey Shaq’ or ‘Hey Melissa’ to hear a selection of pre-recorded messages – although they don’t offer the same range of responses as the automated voices.

What did British people ask their Alexa most in 2022?

Amazon has compiled a list of the most popular questions people in Britain asked their Alexa voice assistant device in 2022.

The most popular questions were facts about celebrities and politicians, with Alexa also being used to play songs, read out football scores and even recipes.

Here are some of the top questions Brits asked Alexa this year.

Alexa, who is this person married to? Top questions about people’s spouses:

Alexa, who is Liz Truss married to?
Alexa, who is Vladimir Putin married to?
Alexa, who is Claudia Winkelman married to?
Alexa, who is Ronnie O’Sullivan married to?
Alexa, who is Princess Anne married to?
Alexa, who is Joanna Lumley married to?
Alexa, who is Prince William married to?
Alexa, who is Ariana Grande married to?
Alexa, who is Beyoncé married to?
Alexa, who is Ed Sheeran married to?

One of the most asked questions in 2022 was who Russian President, Vladimir Putin (pictured), was married to

Alexa, what’s the score in this game? Top sports questions asked in 2022:

Alexa, what’s the Liverpool score?
Alexa, what’s the Rangers score?
Alexa, what’s the Arsenal score?
Alexa, what’s the Man City score?
Alexa, what’s the Chelsea score?
Alexa, who is the best footballer in the world?
Alexa, when is the Grand National?
Alexa, when does Wimbledon start?
Alexa, where is the Champions League final?

‘Alexa, what’s the score?’ Sports questions were among the most popular that British people asked this year, including ‘Alexa, when does Wimbledon start?’ Pictured: Novak Djokovic at this year’s Wimbledon

Alexa, hello, thank you good night. Most popular responses to Alexa in 2022:

Alexa, thank you
Alexa, good night
Alexa, hello
Alexa, good morning
Alexa, I love you
Alexa, how are you?
Alexa, sing me a song
Alexa, you’re the best
Alexa, what’s your name?
Alexa, goodbye

Around the world Alexa is being asked questions billions of times a week, either to keep them entertained or help with tasks. Pictured: Stock image of an Amazon Alexa Echo

Alexa, can you play this song? Most popular song requests to Alexa in 2022:

Bad Habits (Ed Sheeran)
As It Was (Harry Styles)
Shivers (Ed Sheeran)
We Don’t Talk About Bruno (Encanto)
Peru (Fireboy DML & Ed Sheeran)
Green Green Grass (George Ezra)
Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) (Kate Bush)
Cold Heart (PNAU Remix) (Elton John, Dua Lipa)
Heat Waves (Glass Animals)
Where Are You Now (Lost Frequencies ft Calum Scott)

As It Was by Harry Styles (pictured) was one of the most popular song requests Brits asked Alexa to play

Alexa, can you play this album? Most popular album requests to Alexa in 2022:

Encanto (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
‘=’ (Ed Sheeran)
÷ (Deluxe) (Ed Sheeran)
Harry’s House (Harry Styles)
Elvis 30 #1 Hits (Elvis Presley)
Gold Rush Kid (George Ezra)
The Platinum Collection (Queen)
30 (Adele)
Staying at Tamara’s (George Ezra)
Sing and Learn, Vol. 1 (A Collection of Nursery Rhymes to Help Little Ones Learn and Develop)