Alexa, the smart assistant developed by Amazon, has become an essential part of many people’s lives. Whether playing music, setting reminders, or controlling smart home devices, Alexa has proven to be a helpful tool for many households. However, one common complaint about Alexa is that its volume isn’t always loud enough.
Fortunately, there are several ways to make Alexa louder. The main way, of course, involves using special voice commands. But you can also do this using the volume buttons on the speaker and the Alexa app you can install on your smartphone.
Well, let’s look at how each method works so that you can find the most convenient one for you.
Increase Alexa’s volume through voice commands
One of the easiest ways to make Alexa louder is to use voice commands. You can say “Alexa, volume up” to increase the volume or “Alexa, volume down” to decrease it. If you’re unsure how loud Alexa is, ask, “Alexa, what’s the volume?” She will respond with the current volume level.
Moreover, you can say, “Alexa, set the volume to [0-10],” where every figure means the volume level. For example, to make your Alexa as loud as possible, say, “Alexa, set the volume to 10.” If you want to mute your speaker, say, “Alexa, set the volume to 0.”
Adjust Alexa’s volume manually using buttons
If voice commands aren’t doing the trick, you can adjust the volume manually. On most Alexa-enabled devices, you can use the physical buttons to increase or decrease the volume.
Most devices have plus and minus buttons to adjust the volume. But if you’re using an Echo Dot or Echo Tap, you can turn the outer ring (dial) clockwise or counterclockwise to adjust the volume.
Check the volume settings in the Alexa app
Changing the volume in the Alexa app is less convenient than other ways. There are two drawbacks here:
- You need to navigate to a specific Alexa device in the app.
- If you’re not playing music, Alexa may not allow you to change the volume.
However, the app does have one advantage: it allows you to change the volume from 0 to 100, which gives you much finer control over the exact volume.
If you want to make Alexa louder or softer using the Alexa app, you have to follow these steps:
- Open the Alexa app on your smartphone or tablet.
- Tap on the Devices tab at the bottom of the screen.
- Select the Alexa device whose volume you want to adjust.
- Tap on the Volume button located under the device’s name.
- Use the slider bar to adjust the volume level. Drag the slider to the right to increase the volume or to the left to decrease it.
- Once you’ve set the volume level, tap Done to save the changes.
You can also adjust the volume for different types of Alexa responses, such as alarms, timers, and media playback, by selecting the appropriate option in the Volume menu. For example, you can increase the volume of alarms to make you more likely to hear them in the morning while lowering the media playback volume.
Use Brief Mode to make Alexa louder
In addition to adjusting the volume, you can enable the Brief Mode feature to reduce the verbal feedback Alexa gives when you perform an action. For example, if you ask Alexa to turn off the lights, she might respond with “Okay” instead of “Okay, turning off the lights.” This can help reduce the overall volume of Alexa’s responses.
So here’s how to enable it using the Alexa app:
- Go to the Settings tab and select Alexa Account.
- Then tap Alexa Voice Responses.
- Finally, toggle the Brief Mode switch to the ON position.
Here’s what you should also know. You can use external speakers if you still have trouble getting Alexa loud enough. Many Alexa-enabled devices have a 3.5mm audio jack or Bluetooth connectivity, which allows you to connect external speakers. This can significantly increase the volume of Alexa’s responses and music playback.
What is Alexa’s Adaptive Listening, and how to enable it?
Alexa’s Adaptive Listening feature allows the smart assistant to adjust its response time based on the user’s natural pauses and speech patterns. This can make conversations with Alexa feel more natural and intuitive. Here’s how to turn on Adaptive Listening:
- Open the Alexa app on your smartphone or tablet.
- Tap on the Devices tab at the bottom of the screen.
- Select the Alexa device for which you want to enable Adaptive Listening.
- Tap Settings at the screen’s top right corner.
- Scroll to the General section and select Alexa Voice Responses.
- Toggle the switch next to Adaptive Volume to the on position.
- Finally, tap Adaptive Response, and toggle the switch to the on position.
That’s it! Once you’ve enabled Adaptive Listening, Alexa will adapt to your speech patterns and respond more quickly when it detects that you’ve finished speaking. This can make conversations with Alexa feel more natural and intuitive and help you get things done more efficiently.
Note that Adaptive Listening is not available on all Alexa-enabled devices. If your device doesn’t support Adaptive Listening, you may need to upgrade to a newer model or use a different device to take advantage of this feature.
