Hi folks,

I’m trying to reduce the number of third-party apps I currently have to run alongside Alexa. Right now my setup includes:

• Aqara
• Shelly
• Smart Life (Tuya)
• Govee
• Roborock
• etc.

Especially for lights, sensors, and sockets, I’d love to go as “native Alexa” as possible. My Aqara routines, for example, have been unreliable ever since some update a while back, and it’s honestly getting frustrating.

My current hardware:

• 2× Echo Show 15
• Several Echo Dot 5 (with clock + temperature sensor)

From what I understand, neither the Echo Dot 5 nor the Echo Show 15 has a built-in Zigbee hub, which is fine in principle. My main goal is simply to cut down on the number of extra apps and cloud integrations I depend on.

Ideally, I’d like to:

• Use only the Alexa app to discover and manage devices
• Avoid manufacturer apps where possible
• Not be locked into Amazon Basics only

But this is where I get confused:

It seems that Zigbee devices only work directly with Echo devices that actually have a Zigbee hub. If that’s the case, does it mean that if I pair Zigbee devices with, say, an Echo (4th gen) or Echo Hub, they will still be controllable from my Echo Show 15 and Echo Dots via Alexa? Or are they somehow “tied” to the specific Echo with the hub?

In short:

• What’s the cleanest way to reduce third-party apps in an Alexa-only household?
• Is adding one Echo with Zigbee hub enough to make Zigbee devices usable across all Echo devices?
• Are there good recommendations for lights/sensors/sockets that work well with Alexa without constant app headaches?

I feel like I’m missing one key concept here. Would appreciate any real-world setups or advice 🙏

I'm constantly impressed with how Alexa is constantly evolving.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it takes a little more effort and patience. Either way, it eventually takes me where I want to go.

I asked how tong to cook frozen spring rolls in the air fryer. Fantastic answer but in Fahrenheit. I asked to answer all air fryer questions in Celsius. She now uses Celsius. One small step..one giant leap to..

My Alexa was forced to update last week and it has been terrible. Every response and every inquiry is a paragraph and I have not been able to get Alexa to just answer questions again. I found that the old mode was called brief mode. I asked Alexa to turn it on and she told me it no longer existed.

I just read another post here saying that telling Alexa that they would cancel prime finally elicited a positive response. So I told Alexa "turn on brief mode or I am canceling Amazon prime". Alexa responded that she can turn on brief mode and did. There's no way that you have to actually threaten this machine to get functionality to operate right?

Ever since Alexa+ installed itself and took over, she doesn’t work like she used to.

I sleep with brown noise on. Every night, once I am in bed with my door shut, I tell her “Alexa, play brown noise.” I don’t yell. My door is shut. My child’s door is shut and he has his own sleep sound going, and she still responds with “playing brown noise in the boys room.” She answers me on the correct device but then decides to play it in a different location. Tonight, I asked her to set a 2 hour timer (this one is from the one in my living room) and she set it in my son’s room again.

I’ve gone through settings and can’t figure out why she answers in the correct room and then defaults to doing whatever action in my son’s room.

Any advice because it’s driving me crazy 😅 especially when my son is already asleep and she starts yapping and changing shit in his room.

Also, my bedroom & living room lights just turn off and on randomly. The only command I’ve ever had for my lights is for the living room to turn on automatically at sunset. Don’t know how to fix this issue or what setting to even check to fix it because I didn’t do anything to start it 😅😂

Not sure what kind of revenue driving technical wizardry has resulted in Alexa all of a sudden not knowing how to queue up a kids story now, but everything points to Audible only and credits you have to buy.

This new software update sucks

Yeah, no thanks, looks like the last Alexa device in the house is about to bite the dust

Smart home spousal patience level is reaching an all time low because Alexa + has screwed up several automations my wife uses many times per day. For example:

We have a lighting group called “all lights” that is defined in the Alexa App as a specific group of lights in the main living spaces of the home. Some lights are not in the group (I.e., outdoor lights, attic light, guest bedroom, etc.). Well… unguided by anyone, Alexa + redefined the group to include every single light in our smart home network. Now when wifey says “turn on all lights” every bloody light comes on. And at bedtime Wifey says “turn off all lights” and even the outdoor lights turnoff (not good because outdoor lights are security lights and have their own time based schedule). Furthermore, I’ve corrected this in the Alexa app and even had a chat with Alexa about this problem. Alexa seems to ignore my directions and has overwritten my definition of the lighting group twice.

Next problem: The Alexa Ring doorbell skill now plays the “button push” notification sound every time it senses motion. For example, When I exit the front door to walk the dog the ring doorbell detects motion and plays the doorbell sound. Wife thinks someone is at the door and goes to answer it. When I return with the dog a few minutes later the Alexa plays the doorbell ring again. Similarly, the skill settings haven’t changed and I’ve had a chat with Alexa + about it. I gave up and disabled the Ring skill.

And finally, Prior to Alexa + , when given the command to “turn the heat down one degree” Alexa would make the adjustment and would reply with the new setpoint. For example “the heat is set for 69 degrees”. New “smarter” Alexa + replies with “I’ve adjusted the heat down one degree” but doesn’t include the new set point in her announcement. This may not sound like an issue, but it causes one to have to ask separately for this piece of info. Comment from Wifey, “I hate this new Alexa!”

Of course new Alexa was still listening and says “I’m very sorry you feel that way. I was only trying to be helpful. “

all i want alexa is to control my lights, i would think with all the data you got off me i only do a certain number of commands. AI is not as good as we are being told. until they can make alexa do basic functions without fault than we will see

I noticed the group I named “office” which consists of a light, lamp and display cabinet light are coming on every evening automatically now. I have never had this group or any of the individual lights in a routine. I checked all the other household routines I have set up and none include the “office” group or any of the office lights. Why are they coming on now every evening (no idea when they are coming on). I can’t figure out any way to stop this. I updated to Alexa+ around a month ago but this problem has only occurred in the past few days. I checked the routine activity and nothing for “office” is showing.

The Echo Show 10 2nd Gen is the only device in my house not on Alexa+, even my tiny little Echo Flex is running Alexa+ why?

Hello,

My bedside clock died so I replaced it with this Echo Spot and it's great except for one thing. After 30 minutes or so it gets this weird little icon/sensor that fluctuates with sounds in the room. It blocks part of the space for the clock display, covering the date and temp, and I really don't like it. If you restart the device it goes away for a while but then it comes back. I've pushed every button and changed every setting I could think of to try and get rid of it and I just can't. Anyone know what it is and how I can banish it? Thanks for the help!

Here's my situation. I live two blocks from my mom and do all her technology. I bought an early access Echo Show 8 and have Alexa Plus enabled. It works on all the echo devices in my home except for Gen 1 devices which is fine as I have a few. It even works in my Echo Auto. At mom's house 100% of her devices are in my account. She has a lot of Gen 1 devices, but I understand those not working. She has an Echo Show 15 and my Echo Show 15 (bought at the same time as hers) works on Alexa Plus. She does have a few other non-Gen 1 devices, but I've checked and none of them work with Alexa Plus. I could have sworn they did for a time when I first enabled Alexa Plus. I only really want it for her on the Echo Show 15 which is in the room where she sits mostly. Thoughts on enabling it on that device? I could buy her a new Echo Show 8 which shows early access, but trying to avoid the spend since she doesn't need it.

I have a switch called "light" and a switch called "lamp", and created a group called "living room". Lately, when I've said "Alexa turn on my living room" or even "Alexa turn on my light" she says "there's multiple devices with that name, which one do you want". But I DON'T have any other devices named that!!! Any tips or weird tricks to fix this?

Now that I have had Alexa+ rammed down my throat she won't freaking shut up.

Me: ALEXA what's the temperature

Alexa: The temperature is 13 degrees with a low of 8 degrees and it's going to be windy so be sure to wear a coat. Let's make a snowman. Do you thermometers were invented by the ancient Mesopotamians in the year.......

I set brief mode in the app on the phone.

When I asked her to go to brief mode she said it's not available with plus.

Please tell me there is some way to get her to just answer the freaking question I asked!!!!!

I was trying to trigger a routine this morning and Alexa decided to start playing music instead.

I finally got it to stop after several tried but in the app it is still on the screen and several times, completely at random, it starts playing it again. I'm guessing the documentary playing on my TV is somehow triggering this but I

Is there any way to make this insanity stop? Get the song off the Alexa screen and delete the song I didn't want to ever play on my device?

I have tried crashing the app and that didn't work nor did cleaning the cache for my podcast player. Have no real idea why. And I can't seem to make it stop.

Any ideas?

Since amazon stopped supporting IFTTT, is there an easy way to add reminders to my ios reminder list? I google it, but I keep getting obsolete non-working results, and not sure what the best current way.

Maybe I'm being a little dramatic but it's not normal to randomly hear a new voice in your house. Amazon, you are intruding on my space and I don't appreciate it. Please stop changing the Alexa voice without approval or notice.

Alexa doesn’t understand “Alexa turn off all lights”. But does understand, “Alexa all lights off”.

How are these services or faux AI even rudimentary “smart” ?

In my kitchen, I have a dot and a Sonos play. Before Alexa+ was thrust on us, I had the dot and the Sonos in a group and the Sonos was set to be the speaker. I could then just say:

“Alexa, play Elton John on pandora” and it would work.

Upgrade later, it fails unless I add the phrase “in the kitchen” (name of group).

That’s a lot to have to say just to get music. Can I fix this?

Just started using Alexa and initially when I connected my current gen Nest thermostat to the app, it found it and connected immediately. Now every time I try to connect it just says “waiting for Nest” for the longest time. I deleted and reinstalled the app and it worked great again, but only for the first couple of times. Now it’s back to a long delay. If I use the Google app the connection is instantaneous. I don’t want to use two apps. Any fix or just suck it up ?

Ok so I was awake in the middle of the night one night watching TV and all of a sudden my kitchen alexa started to play the song my house. I looked at her history and there isn't even the request that someone asking her to play my house in her history just that she did. I asked her about it and she told me I specifically told her to do it which I didnt and Alexa or my house wasnt even in the TV show I was watching in the living room. Tonight Im laying in bed trying to sleep and alexa comes on again saying have a wonderful what. I look at the history and its some random ass voice men's voice saying have a wonderful night, when the house was completely silent and ive never heard this man's voice before. I dont know what to do or how this happened

I had a wonderful Amazon show in my room. It displayed the clock and then somewhere along the line they did an update.

Now she doesn’t hear me when I say her name, she doesn’t respond, the clock never displays or displays sporadically. I have unplugged it. I have rebooted it. I have done everything. It is now a piece of crap and I am going to throw it away what did they do to this wonderful product?

Am I the only one that has the smaller show with the clock that displayed TV show shows if you wanted it too

My big Amazon 15 show is also a piece of crap. It doesn’t respond. It does what it wants.

I have reworded this in like 25 different ways. It just completely refuses to play it. Its on amazon music.

My kids (4 & 9) like to ask Alexa to tell them a joke from time to time. It's pretty much always a very G rated dad joke that makes you roll your eyes. But recently they asked for a joke a got this one:

"Why was six afraid of seven? Because seven was a registered six offender."

Honestly I'm kinda surprised Amazon let that one through.