Controlling playback in other rooms

[Beetle-Snake]

You can now ask an echo in one room to play music or a podcast on another named echo in another room, for example "play echo on bedroom". Just tried and works but struggling to see the benefit. Why would you want to play music in a room you aren't it. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to work if you try to select more than one named echos

[malliekm]

Oops, I just posted about the same thing. I was able to get all 3 of my echo dots to play a different station simultaneously.

[Beetle-Snake]

I was able to get all 3 of my echo dots to play a different station simultaneously.

Good to know but I still can't see the point in this. Having to ask to play a different station three times on one device is not much better than saying it three times on each device. Am I missing something. Does this feature have more benefits than I am giving it credit for?

[mike27oct]

The best benefit just may be telling one device to turn off another device if it was accidentally left on playing music if no one is currently in the room.

[scottrods]

imagine if you had a baby in the other room with a Dot... you could just play their favorite music while you watch them on your monitor in another room... still able to interact, but without having to leave what you're doing... Best example of an advantage I can think of... other than starting up a tune or two in the bedroom and having to go to the kitchen... and be gone long enough you want to just turn off the tunes in the other room and start them up where you are...

[renegade600]

I was able to get all 3 of my echo dots to play a different station simultaneously.

Good to know but I still can't see the point in this. Having to ask to play a different station three times on one device is not much better than saying it three times on each device. Am I missing something. Does this feature have more benefits than I am giving it credit for?

there are more features than you are giving it credit for. 

[Beetle-Snake]

imagine if you had a baby in the other room with a Dot... you could just play their favorite music while you watch them on your monitor in another room... still able to interact, but without having to leave what you're doing... Best example of an advantage I can think of... other than starting up a tune or two in the bedroom and having to go to the kitchen... and be gone long enough you want to just turn off the tunes in the other room and start them up where you are...

Yes the baby one is good and there is the odd time I forget to stop my echo playing in a room and will stop it from the app so that will save some time but still really hoping there is more to this feature than just that. Hopefully syncing music in multiple rooms is the next iteration.

[mindmagic]

When I'm listening to the news downstairs and need to go upstairs without missing anything. I can then turn off the downstairs radio from upstairs.

[StevenR]

You can also have it play on multiple rooms at the same time. If you open the Alexa app and then go to Settings, there should be a section named "Audio Groups" with a "Multi-Room Music" option. That allows you to create groups of Echo devices (called "Upstairs", "Downstairs", etc.). You can then say "Alexa, play music <group name>" to play on all the devices in that group.
Unfortunately this doesn't work with Spotify, but it does work with Amazon Music.
Also, it doesn't appear to allow a device to be in multiple groups (so you, for example, can't have device in the "Upstairs" and "Everywhere" group).

[Beetle-Snake]

You can also have it play on multiple rooms at the same time. If you open the Alexa app and then go to Settings, there should be a section named "Audio Groups" with a "Multi-Room Music" option. That allows you to create groups of Echo devices (called "Upstairs", "Downstairs", etc.). You can then say "Alexa, play music <group name>" to play on all the devices in that group.
Unfortunately this doesn't work with Spotify, but it does work with Amazon Music.
Also, it doesn't appear to allow a device to be in multiple groups (so you, for example, can't have device in the "Upstairs" and "Everywhere" group).

Just read about this also online but cant test it as not at home but this is great news and makes yesterdays "new feature" a whole lot more interesting and useful. Can I check in terms of the "Everywhere" group does that have to be a defined list of devices rather than Alexa knowing you mean all devices? If you dont group them will it still recognise "Everywhere" so you can then have another group "Upstairs" and "Downstairs"

[StevenR]

Can I check in terms of the "Everywhere" group does that have to be a defined list of devices rather than Alexa knowing you mean all devices? If you dont group them will it still recognise "Everywhere" so you can then have another group "Upstairs" and "Downstairs"

No, it doesn't appear to recognize Everywhere if you don't have a group by that name.

Strangely, if you say "Alexa, play music  <group name>" and the group does not exist then it exists with absolutely no response, not even the error tone.

[Beetle-Snake]

Can I check in terms of the "Everywhere" group does that have to be a defined list of devices rather than Alexa knowing you mean all devices? If you dont group them will it still recognise "Everywhere" so you can then have another group "Upstairs" and "Downstairs"

No, it doesn't appear to recognize Everywhere if you don't have a group by that name.

Strangely, if you say "Alexa, play music  <group name>" and the group does not exist then it exists with absolutely no response, not even the error tone.

thanks - that's a little disappointing they have limited one device per group but to be honest my likely setting would usually be "everywhere" and if I need to limit them in other rooms I can mute that device. Maybe further tweaks to come for that and the lack of error tone for groups that don't exist but have to say chuffed this is out and kudos for Amazon releasing this in UK and Germany at the same time as US.

[malliekm]

Cool

[Beetle-Snake]

Just tried this and having a problem. I select "Everywhere" for all three of my devices and it only plays on two of them and disconnects the BT speaker on the third. Anyone else having similar issues? Have tried with just two devices but same problem. Doesn't seem to like my BT speakers but never had any such problems before.

[Bens]

I just tried this feature today but I did not realize it was just limited to playing music.  I knew this feature was coming so I bought a 2nd dot.  My idea was that if the dots link together I can have one in each room.  Example:  If I spoke a command in my kitchen (not just music) and then went to my living room I could hear Alexa in my Living room and give her commands from there.   Sort of a whole house system. That’s what I’m hoping for some day.