When using Amazon’s Alexa services for the first time, it can be a bit difficult to get it started. Especially when you don’t know how to set up Amazon Alexa and your Echo device.

If you have just bought a new Echo device, there are a few steps to follow to set it up and use the Alexa services:

• Install the Alexa app on your smartphone.
• Enable your Echo device.
• Adjusting the settings of your Amazon Echo.

With this guide, you will find it a lot easier to complete the setup and get started using the advantages of Amazon’s voice assistant: Alexa.

The first step: Install the Alexa app on your smartphone.

To start the setup of your Echo device, you need to download the Alexa app. You can download it on your smartphone from the App Store/Play Store. 

First, consider that your smartphone or tablet should have a compatible OS:

• iOS 11.0+
• Android 6.0+
• Fire OS 5.3.3+

Then log in using your Amazon Account (you can create one for free if you don’t have one already). Now, you will need to insert the required data like your address and give the app the permissions it needs to work correctly. This includes also training Alexa to recognize your voice.

How to enable an Echo device.

Here is what you need to do to enable an Echo device. It is the same, be it a standard Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Studio, etc.

Plug the device into a power outlet. Use the power adapter that came with it. The device will turn on, and Alexa’s voice will tell you it is ready for the setup.

Now:

1. Open the Alexa app.
2. Go to the menu ☰
3. Select “Add a Device”.
4. Click the option “Amazon Echo, and then Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Plus and more”.

Once done, complete the setup by following the remaining instructions and completing the required data, and you will have connected your Echo with your Alexa account.

Adjusting the settings of your Amazon Echo

Once you enable an Echo device with the steps above, there remain a few things to settle. You will need to tell the Alexa app where the device is in your house. Doing so will help you later when you add smart home devices to your house. This involves controlling them with Alexa.

Going to the Alexa app:

• Tap the Devices button at the bottom.
• Select the Echo & Alexa option.
• Now select the name of the Echo device.

Here you can modify all the settings of your Amazon Echo. You can change the name of your Echo, the wake word you use to call Alexa.

You can even change the measurement units it uses or where the sound output comes from.

These steps can help you set up Amazon Alexa and your Echo device. But this is only the beginning since there is so much more you can modify to adjust the service as you need it. You can even create your own Alexa Skill. All you need to do is click “Get Started“, and you can build your first Alexa Skill without coding knowledge.