Alexa help

[Brie]

A kind friend has given me an Alexa. On the instructions it said to download the Alexa app onto your phone.  This I did  but I had to link my Paypal account. However, it didn't say it was going to take any money so I have done this. Then it asked me to link my Amazon account. I don't have an Amazon account and am now getting very wary. I am worried that if I set up an Amazon account, it will set up Amazon Prime. I know you don't have to have Amazon Prime but I am concerned it might do it by default. I am also worried that if I ask Alexa to do something (e.g play a song) "she" could just charge me something without me being aware of it.

I am unlikely to play much, if any, music on it but I gather you can play the radio - I assume this is free. I would also like to play audiobooks which I understand you can but do these have to be bought from Amazon? Does it have any other uses?

[Treetotal]

Hi Brie, Sorry I cant help as I don't have one but maybe this will help:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201952240

Or...maybe someone who has one may see this and offer a solution.

Good Luck!

Carol

[Brie]

Thanks for the reply Treetotal. I have been reading about it but I'm not clear if I can inadvertently end up with charges. Perhaps its not that clear for a reason!                                   

[Sandblown]

Brie, You stated that the Alexa App has been downloaded. If You have not already done so, then explore all the options, in Alexa 'Settings'. There is a 'Voice Purchasing' Setting than can be enabled or disabled, and I assume You would want to set this to disable, in order to avoid accidentally allowing Alexa to do this.

Yes, Alexa plays free Music, and with respect to Audio Books that is slightly different. I can only comment from experience. I have an Amazon Kindle which I down load Free or Paid Book purchases from Amazon Prime. The Audio Books on the Kindle can be read by the Alexa Dot. ADD: I also use the same Alexa Audio Book functions, via a Kindle App, on My Android Tablet.

I wouldn't worry too much about unauthorized payments to Amazon, via Alexa, so long as You correcty set up, all Your options on the Alexa App.
ADD: If You request Music or a Book, via Alexa, that is not free, Alexa will always prompt with 'Do wish to purchase....' Just say 'No' to Alexa.
SB

[Jamjar]

A kind friend has given me an Alexa

If it is second hand ensure that your friend deactivated the device from their account.

You can’t use Alexa without an Amazon account. All Amazon devices must be linked to an Amazon account. When you sign up to Amazon you don’t sign up to PRIME.

The app does not require a link to PAYPAL, or any other payment facility. The app is totally free. I have it on 3 Apple devices and on 1 Samsung and have never had to link it to any payment facility.

I have three Alexa devices in my home, a Ring Door bell and a Kindle, and all a linked to my Amazon account. I also have Amazon Prime, which I signed up for with a yearly subscription, after I had had the Amazon account for some time. I then signed up for Kindle Unlimited.

As for uses: Alexa will read books but they sound dreadful. I don’t know how you would get her to play audio books, but I suspect you would need a Audible.com account to do it. I bluetooth my audio books from iPad to a stereo speaker. Alexa is great for timers/alarms, checking weather forecasts, recipes etc. You can ask her questions that you would normally do an Internet search for. I have other smart home devices and use her to turn on/off my lights, powerpoints etc. She tells me when there is motion at my front door and allows me to speak to whoever rings the door bell, as she connects to RING doorbells. Yes, you can ask her to connect to your favourite radio station and it is free, apart from using your internet to connect.

There are many YouTube videos on Alexa products, so watch some and decide if it would be useful. If not useful she can be a bit of fun. She tells some very corny jokes. 

Jamjar

[roopat]

My daughter gave me an Alexa last week for my birthday. She set it up - she said she linked it to her Alexa app and her Amazon Prime which can be shared among several devices. I pointed out I didn't want to pay for music (which is all I would use it for) & she said it is free through Amazon Music. I've only used it a few times & after I've told Alexa to play something she says she is playing it from Amazon Music.


This is all a bit hazy as I can't be bothered to actually find out how it works but I'm sure she said it was linked to her Prime account.


Interestingly she told me that according to her app, at 11.33 on a particular day I had tried to play a particular song - I had stopped because it told me it was streaming on another device - I guessed my granddaughter was listening to their Alexa.


I have a lot to learn..... 


Yours of course won't be linked to anyone else unless it is a second-hand one I suppose


Pat

[Jamjar]

Pat, Amazon Prime membership includes free Amazon Music and free Prime Video.

All Amazon devices can be de-registered from an account and then re-registered to another account, should an owner wish to sell them or pass on to someone else.

I have my three Alexa’s set up so that when playing a song they all play it at the same time.

As an aside, I also have 2 Google minis and they do the same things as Alexa.

Jamjar

[roopat]

Pat, Amazon Prime membership includes free Amazon Music and free Prime Video.

All Amazon devices can be de-registered from an account and then re-registered to another account, should an owner wish to sell them or pass on to someone else.

I have my three Alexa’s set up so that when playing a song they all play it at the same time.

As an aside, I also have 2 Google minis and they do the same things as Alexa.

Jamjar

5 devices - that sounds very impressive Jamjar!


Thank you for explaining about the Amazon account link.


We had fun whilst on a video call with my daughter when she was trying to explain the system to me & Alexa suddenly spoke to me with a message from her haha which apparently she had typed in on her Alexa App. Of course the grandchildren thought it hilarious that Grandma was shocked (I might just have over-acted a little bit)


By the way Jamjar I love to see your username - my Mum had a friend from wartime days in the WAAF whose nickname was Jamjar (they all had nicknames in the Forces, this one was a corruption of her surname which was Majumba or something like that). As a child I thought it was a funny nickname. Happy memories - thank you.


Pat

[Brie]

Thank you all for your helpful replies. I have now connected and asked Alexa to phone the person who gave it to me. Which "she" did. I will now check whether it shows up as a call on either my landline or mobile. If it doesn't I shall assume it has gone over the wi-fi. It looks as if it is going to be an interesting (and perhaps long) learning curve 

I shall try and get the radio on it next

Thanks again
Brie