How to Make Phone Calls with Alexa

Making phone calls has always been the best way to stay in touch with your beloved ones. Can you ask Alexa to call someone? Certainly, you can make phone calls with Alexa now. Alexa has so many wonderful skills and features to help you out promptly just with your voice commands. Calling and messaging is one such utility that Alexa offers.

Technically, called Alexa-to-Alexa calling, it allows you to place or receive calls and send messages between devices that are Alexa–enabled. Amazon Alexa offers an impressive way to stay in touch with your social connections and loved ones without spending on making phone calls via the mobile network or landline.

As per Amazon, Alexa communication is a calling and messaging service between supported Echo devices and the Alexa app. There are no extra charges to avail this function.

So, in this blog, we will learn about Alexa’s calling service in detail.

What is Alexa Calling?

Known as “Alexa calling and messaging” or Alexa-to-Alexa calling, this is a calling and messaging service by Amazon Alexa. It was initially started on the Amazon Echo Show but later the functionality was extended to other Echo devices also.

It works with the Alexa app of Android and iOS platform and compatible Echo devices.

You can make a call along with leaving a voice message as well as sending text messages, and all of this is free of cost.

You can place a call to mobile numbers, landline numbers as well as to compatible Alexa based Echo speakers. But there is a catch here, and that is you can’t call emergency services or premium-rate numbers.

You can receive calls also with Alexa’s calling service. If you want to answer a call, you can simply say “answer” whereas if you don’t want to answer a call, then you can give the voice command – “ignore.”

Read More: How to Change Amazon Alexa’s Voice, Speed, Language and Accent

Types of Calls Supported by Alexa

The following types of calls that are possible with the Alexa calling feature are:

• Alexa-to-Alexa calling
• Calls to and from Mobile number 
• Calls to and from Landline number
• Call using the Alexa app 
• Making international calls

Types of Calls not Supported by Alexa

• Emergency service numbers (like 911).
• Premium-rate numbers (like 1-900).
• Three-digit numbers / abbreviated dial codes.
• International numbers located outside the US, UK, Canada, and Mexico.
• Dial-by-letter numbers (e.g. 1-800- FLOWERS).

Benefits of Using Alexa Calling Service

It’s definitely obvious that there are so many benefits of using the calling feature of Alexa:

• You can go hands-free while placing and receiving calls.
• You don’t need to invest in talk-time plans.
• You don’t need to pay anything to avail this facility.
• Easy to use as all you need to do is give a few verbal commands. 

Compatible Devices

Following are the devices that can be used to place and receive calls with Amazon Alexa’s calling service:

• Amazon Echo
• Amazon Echo Dot
• Amazon Echo Show
• Amazon Echo Spot
• Amazon Echo Plus
• Other Echo devices
• Amazon Alexa app (Android, iOS). 

For Android devices, it is supported by devices running on Android 5.0 or above versions whereas for iOS-based devices, a version of iOS 9.0 or higher is recommended.

• Amazon Fire tablet.

Read More: Users Now Ask Alexa to Book a Doctor’s Appointment in Apollo Hospitals

How to Set Up Alexa’s Calling Service?

Here’s the know-how about making calls with Alexa:

How Does It Work?

All you need to do is to have an Amazon account, a mobile number, and the Alexa app on an Android or iOS device. Then, using the Alexa app, you need to set up Alexa’s calling service. 

Sign Up for Alexa Calling

Here’s how you can get started with Alexa calling:

• Launch the Alexa app on your smartphone.
• In the app, go to the Communicate icon that you can easily spot on the bottom menu.
• Confirm your name.
• Then, you need to enter and verify your mobile number by following the on-screen instructions.
• Verification of the phone number is done via SMS.
• Sync your contacts from the address book. Contacts who also use Alexa calling, automatically appear in the ‘Contacts’ list of the app.

Thus, you are all set to use Alexa’s calling function.

Make Phone Calls Using the Alexa App:

To make a call using the Alexa app, you can go to the Alexa app on your smartphone and then go to the Communicate icon. 

Then, you can tap on the Contact icon in the top corner. Further, you can choose the specific contact and hit the Call button besides choosing the option of audio or video call subsequently. 

To end the call, you can click on the End button. When there is an incoming call or message, then you are alerted with a notification. 

Make and Receive Calls Using an Echo Device:

If you are wishing to make a call with a compatible Echo device, then all you need to do is ask Alexa to call a contact. Alternatively, you can also dial the person’s number directly by voicing out the number. The number will be automatically saved too if Alexa recognizes your voice profile.

You can specify if you want to call the contact’s Echo device, mobile number, or landline number and Alexa will do so accordingly.

When you receive a call, then the Echo device will ring an alarm. To receive the call, you can give a simple voice command like “answer,” and to avoid it, you can say “ignore.” Moreover, when you want to end the call, you can just say “Hang up.” 

So, here’s how you can make calls using Alexa with your voice commands. 

Read More: Amazon’s Voice Assistant, Alexa Gets Hindi & Hinglish Support in India

About Alexa Messaging

To send a text-based message, you can use the below steps:

• You can go to the Alexa app on your smart device.
• Then, from the Communicate icon, hit the Messages icon.
• A new text message screen or an existing conversation screen will appear.
• Further, you can then send the message to your contact’s Alexa app or Echo device. 

Final Words

So, now you know how to make phone calls with Alexa. It is absolutely easy to set up and get started with the Alexa calling service.

Hopefully, making urgent phone calls will now not be difficult as you have Alexa to do your bid even if you are packed with work.