Best Alexa skills to get the most out of your Amazon Echo

Have an Amazon Echo™ smart speaker but not sure you're getting the most out of Alexa™, its virtual assistant? You came to the right place.

At Asurion, we help people learn more about their tech every day. From transferring photos from an iPhone® to a computer to 15 fun things to say to your virtual assistant, we make sure you get the most out of the devices you rely on.

In this guide, we'll show you how to make life easier with some of the virtual assistant's best skills and teach you more about what Alexa can do.

What are Alexa skills?

Alexa skills are like apps for your Amazon Echo device, enhancing what Alexa can do. These skills help you interact more effectively with your device, and by extension, your home and the digital world. From managing your smart home to getting traffic updates and ordering food, Alexa skills expand the functionality of your Echo device to better serve your lifestyle needs.

Your mobile device can even get in on these popular skills by downloading the Amazon Alexa™ app, so you can use the voice assistant anywhere you might be.

How to add skills to your Alexa

To use skills on your Alexa-enabled devices, you can simply tell Alexa to enable a skill with a voice command or you can open the Amazon Alexa app on your phone and follow the directions in this guide. Make sure to download and install the app from the App Store® or Google Play® Store if you haven't already.

How to use the Alexa app to enable skills

• Open the Alexa app, and tap More in the bottom-right corner.
• Tap Skills & Games, then tap the magnifying glass icon.
• Search for a skill, select it, then tap Enable to use.

How to use your voice to enable skills

• Say “Alexa, enable [the name of the skill]."

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Alexa skills for your smart home

Controlling your home's temperature, lights, and security has never been easier. You can use handy smart home skills for devices like Ring™ video cameras, Nest™ Thermostats, and Phillips Hue™ light bulbs to control your home with your voice. To connect smart home devices to the virtual assistant, say “Alexa, discover devices" or open the Alexa app and follow these steps:

1. Open the Alexa app, and select Devices.
2. Tap the + icon, then select Add Device.
3. Choose the device type and brand, then follow the on-screen prompts.

Alexa skills for news

Alexa makes it easy to keep up with the news you care about. For a quick briefing of the day's events, use the NPR Hourly News Summary Alexa skill for a 5-minute headline breakdown. Or use the Flash Briefing skill to get headlines from other newsrooms, like CNN®, Reuters®, Bloomberg®.

Alexa skills for weather

Want to know whether you'll need an umbrella? Just ask Alexa for the forecast. Use the Feels Like skill for a more in-depth prediction that includes the wind chill and heat index by saying, “Alexa, ask Feels Like for the weather in [your city]."

Alexa skills for finance

Thinking about splurging? American Express® and Capital One® cardholders can use an Echo to transfer money, make payments, and check their balance just by asking Alexa to do so. To see if your bank is compatible with Alexa, open the Alexa app and tap the menu icon up top, select Skills and Games, tap the magnifying glass, and search for your bank.

Want an easy way to stay on top of the stock market? Use skills like Opening Bell and TD Ameritrade® by saying, “Alexa, ask Opening Bell for the price of Amazon" or “Alexa, ask TD Ameritrade for the price of Google."

Alexa skills for home security

If you have a smart security system or smart lock, you can use Alexa to manage your home security effortlessly. Simple commands, such as "Alexa, show the front door camera" or "Alexa, lock the front door," offer convenience and reassurance, especially during those busy mornings when you might forget to secure your home.

Alexa skills for traffic and transportation

Use skills like Big Sky for real-time traffic updates, making your commute easier. Simply ask, "Alexa, what's the traffic like to work?" before heading out the door.

Alexa skills for productivity

When you’re back at home, the Alexa Quick Events skill is a great way to stay organized and on top of things—it lets you add events to your Google® Calendar and check for scheduling conflicts. Just ask Alexa to open Quick Events and add an event to a certain time slot.

If you're a fan of to-do lists, the Todoist® app is a handy way to stay on top of tasks. You can even ask Alexa to add items to Todoist and have Alexa read everything on your daily agenda.

Alexa skills for fitness

If you need exercise inspiration or a virtual personal trainer, Alexa has you covered. Say, “Alexa, open 7-Minute Workout" to have Alexa walk you through one of the many fitness routines and help you break a sweat.

Alexa skills for food and drinks

Whether you want a new recipe or you want to order takeout, Alexa can make mealtimes easier. For easy, quick recipe recommendations, try the Easy Meal Ideas skill.

If you don't feel like cooking, use the Just Eat skill to order delivery and track it. And while Alexa can't make you a drink, you can ask for your favorite cocktail's ingredients when you need an assist. Bitters anyone?

Alexa skills for music

Stream your favorite playlists and genres or learn about new music with skills from Amazon Music™, Apple Music®, or Spotify® while you wind down. Just say, "Alexa, play jazz music on Spotify” or your music streaming app of choice.

Alexa skills for kids

Keep your children entertained and learning with engaging Alexa skills from National Geographic® and Sesame Street®. These skills provide interactive educational content that makes learning fun and interactive, covering topics from wildlife to alphabets and stories.

Alexa skills for learning

Expand your knowledge daily with Alexa skills such as Curiosity® or Science Buddy®. These skills offer quick learning facts, DIY science experiments, and even daily trivia to keep your brain active and engaged.

Alexa skills for meditation

Achieve peace and calm at home with meditation skills like Headspace® or Deep Breath®, which guide you through daily meditation sessions. Whether you are a beginner or experienced in meditation, these skills help you develop a regular practice for mindfulness and stress reduction.

Ask Alexa to perform the Guided Meditation skill. The virtual assistant provides a new 3–8 minute meditation every day.

Alexa skills for sleep

At the end of your day, ease into sleep with Alexa's Sleep Sounds skill. This skill provides a variety of soothing soundscapes and ambient noises to help you relax and fall asleep. Choose from a range of natural sounds like rain, ocean waves, or white noise to create a peaceful environment conducive to sleep.

All you need to say is, “Alexa, play white noise."