Apple Echo - UK users

[Maff]

Anyone else having problems with there Echo today in the UK? I'm wondering if Echo servers are down. Alexa can't answer any question, or even switch my wemo switches. I'm online, have reset alexa, she just says 'I can't answer that'.

[RKnudsen]

Yes, it seems to be down:
http://www.amazon.com/forum/kindle?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx1D7SY3BVSESG&cdThread=Tx1LI8F2XZ6JQ5G

We live in Germany and received our Alexa just some days ago. It all works perfectly fine.
I can't enter a German zip code and I think that the verification currently is strictly limited to US zip codes. That's the difference to Google which looks for zip codes available world wide.
I used a VPN to setup Pandora and iHeart accounts. It is interesting that I can't use the iOS apps for both services without VPN but Alexa doesn't seem to have any issue with that
We really like it!

[mark133]

Yeah mines down aswell

[Maff]

Mine seems to be working again. Given the timing I wonder if they were making changes to accommodate Alexa on the new and older Fire TV and  sticks which they have just announced. I was quite uplifted when they announced they they would do that and update the older fire tvs.. As these are global products rather than US only like Echo.. Gives me hope that a more international focus might be around the corner, so we can end up with correct time & weather on our Echos.

[Maff]

Actually not all services have come back on...  Smart things integration seems offline still.

[Bluefusion]

Really want to get a Amazon Echo for here in the UK. Just interested in the settings is there an option for UK rather than US - i.e. When asking Alexa to spell a word would it only be a US spelling or can it be set to UK?

[jwlv]

Alexa does not have any language settings. It assumes American English.
For example, if I ask "Alexa, spell color."  She'll say "Color is spelled C-O-L-O-R," instead of C-O-L-O-U-R.

[leejamesturner]

Ok so i seem to have managed to get Prime Music working in the UK for now at least. Here’s what I did:

1. Signed into Amazon.COM with my normal UK credentials (rather than Amazon.co.uk).

2. Clicked on the “Sign-up for Prime” link which was at the top left by the Amazon logo if i remember correctly. (I managed to sign up even though i don’t have a US credit card which was surprising)

3. Navigated to “Your music library” where I was told i needed to switch to a US library. A pop up came up if with something like “Fix Library” which I clicked.

4. Played something from Prime music on Amazon.com to confirm its working and I have access.

5. Opened the Alexa app on my iphone and navigated to Prime music which now shows must browsing options rather than “You must sign up to Prime”.

6. Tested it out on the echo by saying “Play Ho Hey by the Lumineers”. It works!

I guess Amazon will try to charge my UK card in 30 days and i’m not sure what will happen but for now at least it’s working great. If anyone needs more detail let me know and i’ll try to help.

[harryfulton]

I don't know if others have done this but I have used the zip code for Pago Pago - which superficially gives you the right time for the UK. It is actually UTC-11 - so alexa thinks the time is 1.20am when it is 1.20pm in the UK - but she will ofcourse simply say 'It's 1.20'.

Still screws up google calendar entries. Will have to wait for a proper fix. If it ever comes.

[leejamesturner]

Thanks harryfulton, great advice!

[andyinCO]

I'm a Brit living in the US. and I wish Echo would give me the scores/results from the Premier League. We have all the games on NBC Sports every week and English teams have a big following here so I would think it would be a bit of a no-brainer.

[Maff]

Looks like non-echo devices which include Alexa capabilities are starting to come out. The first one is called Triby & is basically a magnetic fridge radio. It's already on sale worldwide, and will get alexa via an update shortly. Unless we end up with a situation where the update is withheld outside of the US, I'm starting to get a little hopeful that Echo might actually start to get updated to work outside of the US. Simply as I would imagine that confining prospective manufacturer customers also to just the US will most likely hamper uptake of their cloud alexa capabilities they are really pushing now. I'm quite exited at the prospect of buying a bedside clock which includes alexa, linked in with my existing account. Also would like that in my car. Getting closer to Jarvis very quickly :-) However I'd settle for just being able to get local news and weather on the device I have owned for ages first!

[Maff]

To the UK users..  In case you have not spotted it, over in the tips & tricks section there is a thread "Using outside the US, where folk have figured out a (fairly) easy way of setting Echo to finally be set to the correct timezone. The same method could potentially sort out the location issues also and be set for your postcode, but we're still working on it (so far not no luck there). But I'm chuffed I can finally ask Alexa the correct time!

One positive thing to note though, is the Alexa Api clearly contains codes for all timezones and country codes, which gives me hope that full international support may just be around the corner.

[harryfulton]

A bonus for users in London - a skill has been included to get the status on various tube lines. Hopefully there will be a skill for local buses at some point.

I've read elsewhere that Alexa is coming to the Triby - which is I believe available in the UK. This might be another indication that the UK will be supported soon.

[Maff]

I've been keeping an eye on Triby on Twitter. I think they kind of released a little more info the other day than Amazon have done so far, maybe by mistake. They were asked by someone whether the Alexa update would be withheld in the UK. They replied by stating "Alexa will be available in all countries where Alexa will be supported". When pressed further, they said it should be taken up with Amazon UK. I found it interesting, as Amazon has so far never said anything about countries outside of the US being supported. I guess given how popular Echo is becoming & how much development is going on its a no brainer it will leave the US, but this is the closest I have seen of any quasi official line talking about non US countries being supported.