You Can Change Alexa’s Voice, Language, and Wake Word

Posted on August 21, 2024 by resourcefulman

When you think of Amazon Echo devices, you obviously think of Alexa . The voice is iconic, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only option for your Echo: Amazon has added new voices in recent years, such as the male voice of “Ziggy.” In fact, Alexa is no longer just the American voice. You can now choose from many different voice types, including British and Australian.

You can change your voice on the Echo itself or through the companion Alexa app for iPhone and Android . Here’s how.

How to Change Alexa’s Voice on Echo Devices

You can change Alexa’s voice directly from your Amazon Echo or Echo Show device:

First, say, “Alexa, change your voice.” If you have more than one device, Alexa will ask you to indicate which one you want to change.
Alexa will then respond, “I have several voices to choose from. Here are three you might like.” The assistant will say a couple of phrases with each of these different voices. You may hear voices with American, British, Indian or Australian accents.
After the preview, Alexa will ask you if you want to select that voice or hear a different one. You can keep sampling different voices until you find one you like. When you do this, simply tell Alexa that this is the voice you want to use from now on, and it will become the default voice.

Of course, if you want to change your Echo’s voice again, you can repeat this process at any time. If your Amazon Echo doesn’t support this feature, Alexa will say something like “Sorry, your device doesn’t support this.” If you have multiple devices, repeat this process to change the voice on each one.

How to Change Alexa’s Voice Using the iPhone or Android App

You can also change your voice using the Alexa app for iOS and Android. I’m inclined to recommend this option since it’s easier to sample different voices without having to listen to each one in order:

Open the Alexa app and go to the Devices tab.
Click the ” Echo & Alexa ” button in the top left corner.
Select the device for which you want to change the voice.
Click on the Settings gear in the top right corner.
Select the ” Alexa Voice ” option and you’ll see a list of all the available accents and voices for Alexa. The “American 1” option is a female voice, and the “American 2” option is a male voice. The same applies to other accents such as British, Australian and Indian.
Click on the voice to hear a preview of the Echo speaker itself. Once you’re happy with the voice, save your changes by returning to the app’s main menu.

How to change your Echo’s language

As with voice, your Echo’s language isn’t limited to American English. Since the product is global, you can change the language to something more local to your country or region. Here’s how:

Open the Alexa app and go to the Devices tab.
Select ” Echo & Alexa ” from the top.
Then select the Echo device on which you want to change the language.
Then select the Settings gear in the top right corner.
Here, scroll down and select the “ Language ” option.
You will see a list of all available languages, including Spanish, Dutch, French and many more. Select your desired language and you’re done.

How to Change Alexa Voice Commands (or Wake Words)

Along with changing your voice, you can change your device’s wake word or the word you say to get its attention. This is usually “Alexa”, but you also have the option to choose from four different wake words:

Computer (Star Trek reference).
Amazon (a little impersonal, but ok).
Echo (to maintain corporate identity).
Ziggy (Quantum Leap reference).

Just like you can ask your device to change its voice, you can ask it to change your wake word. You will then be asked to select one of the four options mentioned above. Note that this change will only affect the device you’re talking to, so if you want to change the wake word on all of your Echo speakers, you’ll have to go through the same process for each one. However, you can also set up a wake word in the Alexa app:

Open the Alexa app and go to the Devices tab.
Tap Echo & Alexa , then select the name of the device for which you want to change the wake word.
Tap the gear icon to enter Settings , then tap Wake Word . Select the desired option from the list.
When a pop-up appears telling you that the changes will take a few minutes to take effect, click OK . Again, you will have to repeat these steps for each of your devices.

Amazon has stopped celebrity voices on Echo

In 2019, Amazon added celebrity voices to Echo devices. Users could switch between options such as Samuel L. Jackson, Shaquille O’Neal and Melissa McCarthy. Each voice cost $4.99 and was available as an Alexa skill.

If you’re wondering how to change your Echo’s voice to that of one of these celebrities, I have sad news. In 2023, Amazon quietly ended the program and removed celebrity voices from its store , stopping access even for users who paid for the skills.

Unfortunately, if you want to change Alexa’s voice today, you’re limited to the options I described above.

More…

Tech