Daft Alexa moments

[strayfish]

We've all had them - Alexa responding out of the blue, not 'knowing' something it knew yesterday, answering a question you didn't think you asked. Yesterday's Alexa-ism took my personal prize so far:

Command: Alexa set a 6 minute timer
Response: What city in Scotland?
(Huh? Ok then) Me: Aberdeen
Alexa: In Sandwich, Kent, it's 12 degrees with intermittent clouds. [Sandwich is 600 miles away from Aberdeen]
Another try: Alexa, six minute timer
Alexa: Six minute timer starting now. [At last]
[Timer alert goes off] Command: Alexa, stop
Alexa: Everything seems to be working [You know what - you're never driving my car]

[StevenR]

The strangest ones I had were both when I asked "what's the time" (I never really ask that because I need to know the time, I usually use it to check if everything is working fine if there have been any network issues).

Command: Alexa, what's the time?
Response: Lavatory (bathroom, toilet ; a room or building equipped with one or more toilets).
(Logs indicated this was misheard as "Alexa, what's the toilet")

Command: Alexa, what's the time?
Response: The Middle Ordovician, the second epoch of the Ordovician period.
(I have actually had this one several times, and it appears to be responding to the question "Alexa, what's the Dyfed")

I have also had several times where Alexa has responded to the "stop" command with advertising blurb about the Echo Dot (mishearing "stop" as "dot") which is doubly funny as it is actually an Echo Dot I am speaking to.

[mike27oct]

I often ask the time, and always get a straight answer, I ask Alexa, "What time is it?", or even ask "What's the time?"  Could be you are too far away.

[strayfish]

I often ask the time, and always get a straight answer, I ask Alexa, "What time is it?", or even ask "What's the time?"  Could be you are too far away.

I was holding it in my hand!

[renegade600]

when I asked, "what is the temperature in here"  every once in a while I get the weather for some city in Iran.  sure hope homeland security is not monitoring  :-)

[strayfish]

I often ask the time, and always get a straight answer, I ask Alexa, "What time is it?", or even ask "What's the time?"  Could be you are too far away.

I was holding it in my hand!

Apologies - it wasn't me you were talking to

[strayfish]

when I asked, "what is the temperature in here"  every once in a while I get the weather for some city in Iran.  sure hope homeland security is not monitoring  :-)

We got that, possibly not the same one, when we asked what the Tardis was (as you do!)

[malliekm]

Pronunciation.  Maybe some of you need to pronounce your words more clearly.  I've been guilty of the same thing.  I usually ask, "Alexa, what time is it" but I copied the command above of, "Alexa, what's the time?".  She told me.  Then I asked, "Alexa, what's the temperature in here?", she said, "I didn't find a thermostat in Monica's account". 

[Alpha Bitch]

Pronunciation.  Maybe some of you need to pronounce your words more clearly.

Or take the Voice Training in the Alexa app.

Some of the responses in this thread are hilarious!!!!!

[strayfish]

Or take the Voice Training in the Alexa app.

Some of the responses in this thread are hilarious!!!!!

No voice training in the UK, we do what we always do when we're not understood - shout louder!

[mike_bike_kite]

I'd just got my echo and set it up and was proudly showing it off to my wife. I called out the command "Alexa, play ..." and then realised I couldn't think of the names of any tunes. Sad really. I guess I was having a senior moment. The little lights on top of the dot went round and round as if trying to encourage me and then faded. My wife just looked at me, slowly shaking her head.

[strayfish]

Brain freeze! Solution - covert rehearsal or alcohol

[jwlv]

I'd just got my echo and set it up and was proudly showing it off to my wife. I called out the command "Alexa, play ..." and then realised I couldn't think of the names of any tunes. Sad really. I guess I was having a senior moment. The little lights on top of the dot went round and round as if trying to encourage me and then faded. My wife just looked at me, slowly shaking her head.

Lol. You could have said "play music" and Alexa will pick some music for you. Or narrow the fields by saying the style of music "play classical / rock / heavy metal / etc music"

[renegade600]

right now I have a bad sinus cold with a bad cough.  and as with any sinus cold and cough, the voice was shot.  Yesterday, I was having a interesting time with the lights and switches.  told it turn off the sink, it turned on the hall, asked it to turn off television, it gave the time.  asked it turn turn off the bathroom, it turned off a computer...  those were just a few interesting interpretation of the commands I made.  I had to revert to the app for other commands. 

makes me wonder if the echo gets voice recognition, if it will accept commands when having  voice issues.   

[strayfish]

makes me wonder if the echo gets voice recognition, if it will accept commands when having  voice issues.   

That's something I've wondered - my just-woke-up voice is quite different from my 'how many times do I have to say it - 5 MINUTE TIMER!' voice.