Set Your Smart Speaker to Alert You to Smoke and CO Alarms
If you have an Amazon Echo, Google Nest, or Apple HomePod speaker, it comes with a safety feature you might not know about: the ability to listen to smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and to ping your phone if there’s a problem.
To be clear, your speakers don’t detect smoke or carbon monoxide themselves—they just listen for alarm sounds. If you’re away from home and don’t expect to hear alarms, this is a useful extra layer of protection that can protect your property as well as the people (and pets) inside it.
It’s also worth noting that this is a paid feature if you’re using Amazon or Google hardware. However, you may find it worth it (you get other features for your money). Here’s how it works on different models.
Amazon Echo
Previously, Echo speakers could tell you smoke and CO alarms for free, but that feature is now included in the Alexa Emergency Assist package, which will cost you $5.99 per month or $59 per year. It also gives you quick access through Alexa to first responders and emergency services.
The alarm detection feature, called Smart Alerts, will work with all official Amazon Echo devices with Alexa on board (such as smart displays or smart speakers) as long as you have an active subscription to Alexa Emergency Assist. It is not enabled by default – you need to enable it to start using it.
In the Alexa app for Android or iOS, open the More panel, then tap Emergency Assistance . Tap the gear icon to access the feature’s settings, then select Smart Alerts to turn smart alarm detection on or off. It’s also worth reviewing the information in your profile to make sure Amazon can contact you in an emergency.
If a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm is detected, it will trigger two actions: First, Echo devices in your home will alert you to the potential danger and prompt occupants to come out. Second, you’ll receive an alert sent to the Alexa app on your phone, along with a recording of the alarm sound so you can listen to it.
Google Nest
If you want your Nest cameras and speakers to listen for smoke or carbon monoxide alarms, you’ll need to be a paid member of the Nest Aware Club. At the time of writing, it will cost you from $8 per month or $80 per year, and you will also get features such as 24/7 video history and familiar face recognition.
All Google Nest devices can work with these smart alerts: cameras, doorbells, speakers, and smart displays. Alerts aren’t turned on by default, so you need to turn them on manually: In the Google Home app for Android or iOS, tap the Settings icon in the navigation bar, then tap Subscriptions .
Under Nest Aware, you can select Audio Detection to enable alerts. The app will ask you what types of audio you want your devices to listen to, and which Google Nest devices in your home you want to listen to (it doesn’t have to be all of them). At the end you will be able to review your settings.
Once you enable Smart Alerts, you’ll be notified in the Google Home app of any suspicious sounds, as if someone walked past your video doorbell. You can go to the Activity page in the app to view recorded events and listen to clips for detected sounds.
Apple HomePod
HomePod’s audible smoke and carbon monoxide detection features are free—no additional subscription required; you’ll only need any HomePod or HomePod mini speakers that Apple sells.
Before you get started, double check that your devices have the latest software. In the Home app on iPhone, tap the HomePod you want to check, then the gear icon (bottom right) to see if an update is pending. Once you update, you can enable audio detection.
In the Home tab of the Home app, tap the three dots (top right), then tap Home Settings . Select Safety & Security and then Sound Recognition to turn this feature on—you can set what sounds your speakers should alert you to and which speakers in your home you should listen to at all times.
Other settings in the Safety & Security screen allow you to control which speakers are allowed to send you notifications and which users can “check in” to the HomePod. These designated users can listen to sounds when they receive warning notifications and even speak through the speaker to alert people who may be at home.