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Calling from Echo Device to Smartphone and/or (a separate) Echo Device

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DroMike

I purchased several of the newly released $99 discounted Echo 2nd Gens (in the discounted 3-pack) a few days ago.  My friend just had a birthday so this weekend while she was visiting me, I gave her one of them.  Then, together, we set up mine.  Setup included allowing Echo to access my smartphone's contacts list.  From that I was able to call my friend's actual smartphone ("Alexa, call [contact name]").  It worked perfectly!

My friend will go home tomorrow and set up the Echo 2 that I gave her.  I understand that Echo will also call another Echo device.  Now that I've already successfully called my friend's smartphone, once she sets up her own Echo 2, how do I tell Alexa to differentiate between calling her smartphone, and/or her Echo 2?  For example, if I know my friend is not at home I would want to call her smartphone and not her Echo 2 device if she's not at home to answer the device.

Can somebody who has called both another individual's smartphone AND Echo device separately please educate me?  Thank you kindly.


orange

Re: Calling from Echo Device to Smartphone and/or (a separate) Echo Device
« Reply #1 on: November 06, 2017, 05:02:57 am »
I think it calls both - you can't choose.


Re: Calling from Echo Device to Smartphone and/or (a separate) Echo Device
« Reply #2 on: November 06, 2017, 07:39:03 am »
I have called my wife and my own separately for testing... been a while since that function first became available... a few weeks at least. not sure how it functions today. This stuff seems to change so much I can't keep up with all of the things I don't use personally.
2 Echo Dots 2nd gen
2 echo dots gen 3 (no clock) -2 Echo Dot 3rd gen with Clock
1 echo dot Gen 4 with clock
1 Echo Spot
4 10" Fire Tablets
1 15' Echo show
23 Hue Lights 1 Hue bridge - 1 Amazon Smart plug outlet
One Ring Doorbell Pro
4 cell phones with Alexa app installed!
You should see My Apple Device List!

DroMike

Re: Calling from Echo Device to Smartphone and/or (a separate) Echo Device
« Reply #3 on: November 07, 2017, 05:38:04 pm »
Great.   I'm hoping it indeed does "ring" both; that would be perfectly fine.  I think my friend will be activating her Echo tonight.  I'll call and test it and see what she tells me (and report back here in case anybody else is interested).  Thanks for both your responses. - Mike

malliekm

Re: Calling from Echo Device to Smartphone and/or (a separate) Echo Device
« Reply #4 on: November 07, 2017, 06:05:45 pm »
I'm interested.  I don't use this feature much because of the satellite lag time
but it's interesting that no one knows how the older Echo to Echo feature will work now.
Seems like they would have sent out a "how to".  Has no one called Amazon about it?

DroMike

Re: Calling from Echo Device to Smartphone and/or (a separate) Echo Device
« Reply #5 on: November 12, 2017, 12:43:27 am »
OK, I just made a call from my Echo directly to my friend's Echo.  Resultant of that I'm now 99% sure of how things work:

When someone in your contact list has an Echo and you want to call their Echo, you say, "[Wake-up word], call [contact name's Echo]."  My Echo did ask me "Do you want to call their Alexa?" so perhaps you could also or should say "call [contact name's] Alexa" instead.  Either gets you there.  This means if you wanted to call their cell phone you'd simply say, "[Wake-up word], call [contact name]."

It seems pretty obvious then that you can select the device (Echo or cell phone) where you'd like the call to your contact to be directed and won't ring both simultaneously. 

P.S.  Related bonus cool feature if you've misplaced your phone.  If YOUR phone number is in your contact list just tell your Echo to call [your name] and of course your own phone would ring.  Voila -- I hear you (cell phone ringing) underneath that cushion.  Geez, I wish it could make it call my keys too.... ;-)