Routines - New "Alexa says" Action

[StevenR]

Has anybody else tried the new "Alexa says" action which has been added to Routines?
It allows you to select from a range of categorised phrases for Alexa to speak when triggering the routine. Unfortunately you are limited to that selection of phrases, you cannot create custom phrases. Also, behind the scenes, it appears to use the "Simon Says" functionality.
This means it is subject to the same issue as "Simon Says" (may only be an issue in the UK) where Alexa will randomly say "I heard phrase" rather than just repeating the phrase.
I tested a routine which starts of by saying "Good morning", triggering it several times, and it randomly says "I heard good morning" instead which spoils the effect somewhat.

[tuicemen]

I'm in Canada, I think it may be a UK issue.
I have no problems creating custom commands and have yet to have Alexa reply with the "I heard phrase"

[asianrocker]

This is a prime example of user error. I checked it out and the OP is using the feature wrong. You were not supposed to say the phrase to trigger the routine. But rather you schedule it like an alarm  to trigger alexa says.

Example. The bday phrase. You set a time on your bday like an alarm for alexa to greet you on your bday first thing in the morning, capicé?

Haven't used any routine yet but pretty sure I am right on the concept of Alexa says.

And no, it definitely does not work like simon says, LOL.

Don't blame the AI, blame the user. LOL.

[tuicemen]

Actualy you can trigger by time or by saying the phrase. I do this every nite.
I Say Alexa Go to sleep  and she sends a off command  to  everything.  In the morning I say Alexa good morning  and she turns on my TV and cable box as well as speaks my flash briefings 

[StevenR]

This is a prime example of user error. I checked it out and the OP is using the feature wrong. You were not supposed to say the phrase to trigger the routine. But rather you schedule it like an alarm  to trigger alexa says.

Example. The bday phrase. You set a time on your bday like an alarm for alexa to greet you on your bday first thing in the morning, capicé?

Haven't used any routine yet but pretty sure I am right on the concept of Alexa says.

And no, it definitely does not work like simon says, LOL.

Don't blame the AI, blame the user. LOL.

I know how routines work, you can create them either triggered by saying a phrase or on a schedule.

I just created a routine as a test, containing just an Alexa Says action of "Welcome home!" and set it to go off on a schedule. It said "Welcome home!" as expected. I then edited the routine to change the time it goes off. When it went off again it said "I heard welcome home!". This is exactly what I would get here in the UK if I said "Alexa, Simon says Welcome home!". So, as I said, it would appear that the Alexa Says action is internally using the same functionality as is used if you use "Simon says" (it is effectively saying "Simon says phrase" to itself).

[asianrocker]

Actualy you can trigger by time or by saying the phrase. I do this every nite.
I Say Alexa Go to sleep  and she sends a off command  to  everything.  In the morning I say Alexa good morning  and she turns on my TV and cable box as well as speaks my flash briefings 

Yes. But we are talking about alexa says. Which is not meant to be voice activated.

[StevenR]

Actualy you can trigger by time or by saying the phrase. I do this every nite.
I Say Alexa Go to sleep  and she sends a off command  to  everything.  In the morning I say Alexa good morning  and she turns on my TV and cable box as well as speaks my flash briefings 

Yes. But we are talking about alexa says. Which is not meant to be voice activated.

The "Alexa says" action in routine scan be used in any Routine, not just time-scheduled ones.
And, if you read my reply, this is happening for me with routines triggered by time schedule not just those triggered by voice (the first time it was triggered on the schedule it said the phrase as expected and the second time it said "I heard" before the phrase).

[asianrocker]

This is a prime example of user error. I checked it out and the OP is using the feature wrong. You were not supposed to say the phrase to trigger the routine. But rather you schedule it like an alarm  to trigger alexa says.

Example. The bday phrase. You set a time on your bday like an alarm for alexa to greet you on your bday first thing in the morning, capicé?

Haven't used any routine yet but pretty sure I am right on the concept of Alexa says.

And no, it definitely does not work like simon says, LOL.

Don't blame the AI, blame the user. LOL.

I know how routines work, you can create them either triggered by saying a phrase or on a schedule.

I just created a routine as a test, containing just an Alexa Says action of "Welcome home!" and set it to go off on a schedule. It said "Welcome home!" as expected. I then edited the routine to change the time it goes off. When it went off again it said "I heard welcome home!". This is exactly what I would get here in the UK if I said "Alexa, Simon says Welcome home!". So, as I said, it would appear that the Alexa Says action is internally using the same functionality as is used if you use "Simon says" (it is effectively saying "Simon says phrase" to itself).

So I am right. The bolded proves I am right on the concept of Alexa says. Now for the I heard welcome home. I just tried it. I am in the US but my language is UK. When I said "Alexa, Simon says Welcome home!" I got the same response.

Now, when I changed my language back to US and use the same simon says command. Alexa just said welcome home. Not - I heard welcome home.

I therefore conclude being in UK sucks coz you don't enjoy the FULL feature of alexa AS IT SHOULD BE. And so maybe that's why you got the same - I heard welcome home. On the alexa says feature. Pretty sure US users won't have that problem if they edited the schedule like you did.

[tuicemen]

Yes. But we are talking about alexa says. Which is not meant to be voice activated.

You can add the alexa says to any routine even voice activated ones. I just retested and dont get the issue StevenR reported.

[asianrocker]

Yes. But we are talking about alexa says. Which is not meant to be voice activated.

You can add the alexa says to any routine even voice activated ones. I just retested and dont get the issue StevenR reported.

Like I said, never used routines before so....

But as for OP's problem ... Are you in US? If you read my last reply it's coz he is not in US.

[tuicemen]

Yes. But we are talking about alexa says. Which is not meant to be voice activated.

You can add the alexa says to any routine even voice activated ones. I just retested and dont get the issue StevenR reported.

Like I said, never used routines before so....

But as for OP's problem ... Are you in US? If you read my last reply it's coz he is not in US.

As I originally stated a UK issue.

I'm in Canada, I think it may be a UK issue.
I have no problems creating custom commands and have yet to have Alexa reply with the "I heard phrase"

[asianrocker]

Yes. But we are talking about alexa says. Which is not meant to be voice activated.

You can add the alexa says to any routine even voice activated ones. I just retested and dont get the issue StevenR reported.

LOL, ok. Guess I should have said  alexa says is not meant to be voice activated by itself. And of course you can add it on any voice routine you make.

And I actually tested exactly what the OP did, edit the time on just the alexa says routine, and did not have his problem. So yap UK users, anyone want to trade countries with me? coz I love your accent and want to die there for serious. Really don't care if Alexa won't work right in there.

[StevenR]

Yes, I'm sure this is only a problem in the UK as just about the only other thing I can find in a Google search reporting this issue with "Simon Says" (apart from another post by me on these forums from last year) is this YouTube video (also from last year) demonstrating the issue by somebody else in the UK. I've submitted feedback to Amazon via the Alexa app regarding this, so hopefully they will fix this.

[RichieRich]

Has anybody else tried the new "Alexa says" action which has been added to Routines?
It allows you to select from a range of categorised phrases for Alexa to speak when triggering the routine. Unfortunately you are limited to that selection of phrases, you cannot create custom phrases. Also, behind the scenes, it appears to use the "Simon Says" functionality.
This means it is subject to the same issue as "Simon Says" (may only be an issue in the UK) where Alexa will randomly say "I heard phrase" rather than just repeating the phrase.
I tested a routine which starts of by saying "Good morning", triggering it several times, and it randomly says "I heard good morning" instead which spoils the effect somewhat.

I have this exact same issue. I'm also in the UK (if relevant). Did you ever find a cure?

My Echo has a routine triggered when I say 'good morning' it says good morning, turns on a couple of lights and reads the weather.

Like yours, mine also  says "I heard good morning" which as you say, is  just ridiculous.

Same with 'good night', it turns a load of TP-Link plugs and lights off, then says "I heard good night"  !?

[RichieRich]

FYI, mine does this ALL the time, it's not random like yours, it says it every time