Ability to control Echo bluetooth through Routines?

[ermatthe]

Thanks to the anniversary gift my wife got me I've recently gotten into the Echo realm. I've spent the past couple of weeks researching what I'm trying to accomplish with no luck.

Currently, in my basement I have an Echo Dot connected to a Harmony Elite hub+remote running a Pioneer VSX-1130 K receiver and the rest of my home theatre. 
I have a routine set up where I give Alexa a command, it turns on the receiver, switches the input to bluetooth and turns on my subs (Smart Plug).  I then would like the Echo to connect bluetooth without having to give another command.  But as far as I can tell there is no option for this in Routines.  From what I have read, some speaker/stereo systems will automatically connect when switched to the bluetooth input.  And some USED to connect but don't anymore.  My Pioneer definitely doesn't auto connect.  It seems like Amazon could give much more functionality to routines by adding options such as:   
Alexa: Connect bluetooth.  Or even Shuffle Artist/Genre etc.
More functionality in routines in general would be great.

Even when I stop listening to music and give her the routine to turn everything off, it keeps playing music from the internal speaker until I specify 'Stop'.  The option to add 'Alexa: Stop' to a routine would streamline things as well.

Any thoughts or ideas?

[greenflash]

I registered to +1 this request, as it's the only missing step in my dream routine; this week Alexa has received the ability to add music / control volume within each routine. Only a simple "connect" command is missing. Hope this happens.

[Bwtobias]

Trying to do this as well. Tried ITTT and Stringify to no avail. A simple command within a routine to “connect to Bluetooth” would really make my morning routine perfect. Please add amazon!

[froglips]

I agree it would really make the Bluetooth much more usable!

[NetworkGuy]

+1 I would also need the connect/disconnect commands in routines.

[mike@thecarusos.org]

+1 to this as well.

[mcgib]

Ditto me

[kissace]

This feature to control bluetooth via routines would be highly welcome and would make my mornings better. Amazon please add this.

[XXP]

Where's the +1 button?

[nilskober]

I’ve found a simple workaround for that problem. You just need to make the Echo say “Alexa, connect” in the routine and it will trigger itself. Should work with any command.

Edit: I’m German where it does work this way. In English it seems you have to use “Alexa, connect Bluetooth”. The comma important, otherwise it doesn’t work. Also it doesn’t work for all commands because some are not short enough to be recognized before the routine is interrupted by recognizing itself. That can result in an endless loop. So just try it out for your language wether it works or not.

[Sylian]

you have to use “Alexa, connect Bluetooth”. The comma important, otherwise it doesn’t work. Also it doesn’t work for all commands because some are not short enough to be recognized before the routine is interrupted by recognizing itself.

Didn't work.

Please Amazon, add a simple command within a routine to “connect to Bluetooth”.

[asianrocker]

That's weird that some doesn't auto connect. As far as I know once you turn BT on on any device it automatically pairs. Actually you have to set it up to automatically pair. So maybe the ones not connecting automatically, did you set it that way?

The magic word actually is pair.