Cancelling a timer is a pain

[connectcreative]

Just got an Echo Dot V2 for UK. All good but the only thing I appear to have an issue with is cancelling a timer when its going off, more often than not the Echo simply won't here me say Alexa, stop. Usually take two or three attempts.

Anyone else had an issue with that?

[DParker]

Just got an Echo Dot V2 for UK. All good but the only thing I appear to have an issue with is cancelling a timer when its going off, more often than not the Echo simply won't here me say Alexa, stop. Usually take two or three attempts.

Anyone else had an issue with that?

I use the timer feature a lot, and rarely ever have that problem...even given that the downstairs Echo is in the family room, and I'm usually in the kitchen when timers pop (I do need to raise my voice a little in that case due to not only the distance, but also the fact that the Echo is sitting on an end table and hidden by a short wall).  I do occasionally have to repeat myself when the alarm on my upstairs Echo goes off in morning, but that's mostly likely caused by my half-conscious mumbling.  That unit's recognition ability is stellar, and can reliably understand me from 12 feet away with my back turned to it and facing the headboard while I'm reading in bed.

[mikee123]

I usually have to shout or go close to me Echo or Dot to cancel a timer, otherwise she will not hear me. I have to set the timers at max volume on my Dot, as otherwise its hard to hear. The max volume on the Dot is not loud enough for me, and I do not have the space nor do I want to connect a external speaker to it. I thought about replacing it with another Echo but like how small the Dot is.

[connectcreative]

I've since connected my dot to an amp and pair of speakers in the kitchen where it lives. What I can't understand is that the dot still sometimes fails to here my 'Alexa stop' command when a timer is going off, yet hears me perfectly when playing music at full blast. And I mean LOUD - I'm amazed it can hear me at all but it always does

[Chris__M]

Are you saying "Alexa stop" in a continuous phrase?

I find that if the device is busy doing something like an alarm or timer, it is better to say "Alexa", and wait for it to drop the volume (as it will), then say "Stop".

I've actually enabled the beep on activation, and I find it helps a lot (Sounds and notifications, Request Sounds/Start of Request. I don't use End of Request, as I find it confusing.)

[connectcreative]

I'm increasingly using a pause after "Alexa..." to try and improve things, seems to be working a bit better. I played around with the activation beep but it kind of puts me off if I speak to it naturally in a continuous sentence (without the pause) as it feels like an interruption.

[DParker]

I'm increasingly using a pause after "Alexa..." to try and improve things, seems to be working a bit better. I played around with the activation beep but it kind of puts me off if I speak to it naturally in a continuous sentence (without the pause) as it feels like an interruption.

How is that different from speaking to an actual person?  When you say someone's name to get their attention, don't ypu generally pause for a second before proceeding to give them a chance to shift their attention to you?