Alexa and Siri to the rescue: How to use bright speakers in an incident
Smart speakers tell you the weather, play songs, answer trivia questions, help you trick your spouse ( more on that at the end ), and they just might keep your career one day.
To find assistance in an crisis, make sure you are familiar with these directions.
This begin with the most common
Alexa, a words assistant for Amazon’s Echo series of intelligent speakers, cannot immediately dial 911. They wo n’t reliably report your location and do n’t offer a callback number, so they do n’t meet the standard requirements. You have two choices:
- Create a call for crisis situations in case of an emergency. In the Alexa app on your phone, tap More > Communicate, then tap the two-person icon ( top right ). This takes you to your” Links” display. Here, touch the three-dot symbol at the top right, then click Crisis Contact to get one. Then, to use this feature, only say,” Alexa, call for help” or” Alexa, call my disaster contact”.
- Pay for it. Alexa’s Emergency Assist plan costs$ 5.99 a month or$ 59 for a year if you have a Prime membership. Add up to 25 crisis contacts, and you’ll receive a callback from an adviser who can assist you. The demand is the same:” Alexa, call for help”.
If you’re in the Google-verse
You can call anyone in your Google Contacts list, but Google Nest speakers do n’t let you specify an emergency contact.
â—¾ From the Google Home app on your phone, click the gear image, then Communication > Video & Voice Apps to make certain all set up. You can then just say,” Hey, Google, call]name of the person you want to speak to ]”.
With Nest Aware ($ 8 a month or$ 80 a year ), you’ll get direct 911 access, but the feature’s really designed to serve more as a security system for when you’re out.
â—¾ In your Google Home application, click the gear image, then Subscriptions > Nest Aware > Emergency calling.
From any listener display in the game, you can then dial 911. Click the three-lined menu key ( leading left )> E911 > Call Emergency Services.
How’s the caveat: The speech may be connected to an phone for this have to work. If the HomePod is unable to locate the phone used to set it up, it will search for any other iPhones with the same Wi-Fi system to complete the task.
A game has been pulled now that the serious stuff is over.
Claim,” Hey, Alexa, speech slower”, while no one’s about, then provide it the same order again. Enjoy yourself as the rest of your family wonders what’s up with Alexa. Claim,” Alexa, speak at your definition price” to return to normal.
My all-time favorite Alexa trick is teaching it to react to particular questions in a particular manner:
â—¾ When my husband, Barry, asks Alexa about the conditions outside our home in Santa Barbara, she says,” Look out the window. You live in a crystal home”.
â—¾ I told my son, Ian, to beg Alexa,” Who’s the best mother in the world”? Alexa then replies,” I may say Mother Theresa, but, in looking at classic parents, there is no doubt that man is Kim Komando. Then, get clear the washer”.
Take a moment to reflect on how far we’ve come. If you know how to change those options, you can actually save your career, as shown in this illustration. Do yourself a favor and pass this on to those you care on.