SHE’S one of the world’s most popular virtual assistants, her robotic voice reverberating through millions of homes every day.
But while the voice-controlled helper Alexa is more often than not a useful presence at home, she can get on your nerves, too.
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One of the biggest complaints made about Amazon’s assistant – which is loaded into its Echo speaker range – is her volume.
It makes using her at night or early in the morning a big issue, particularly if you’ve got young kids.
Tinkering with volume settings can be a pain, and even when you do that, Alexa’s voice doesn’t become any softer.
Fortunately, you can make Alexa whisper or shorten her responses to ensure she doesn’t make any unwanted disturbances.
To do that, you’ll need to activate “Whisper Mode” or “Brief Mode”.
What is Alexa’s Whisper Mode?
Your Echo speaker has a setting that, when activated, causes Alexa to speak more softly.
It’s called Whisper Mode, and it’s designed to allow night-time Alexa conversations that won’t wake up your entire house.
You need to enable Whisper Mode manually, and then activate it whenever you wish to use it.
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How to enable Whisper Mode
First, you’ll need to enable Whisper Mode in the Alexa app:
- Launch the app
- Go to Settings
- Then go to Alexa Account
- Next, click Alexa Voice Responses
- Then activate Whispered Responses
This simply makes it possible for Alexa to enter Whisper Mode, but you’ll still need to activate it each time you want to use it.
To do this, simply say “Alexa, turn on Whisper Mode” – and she’ll speak in a hushed voice.
This will continue until you say “Alexa, turn off Whisper Mode”.
What is Alexa’s Brief Mode?
Another feature that reduces the amount of Alexa in your life is Brief Mode.
With Brief Mode, Alexa speaks less and may play a short sound instead of giving a voice response.
For instance, when Brief Mode is activated Alexa won’t always say “OK”, she’ll simply take care of the task at hand.
The mode is great for anyone who finds Alexa’s responses frustrating or who wishes she’d be a little quieter.
How to enable Brief Mode
- Open the Alexa app.
- Open More and select Settings.
- Select Voice Responses.
- Turn Brief Mode on or off.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
