Alexa Can Now Whisper to Avoid Waking Your Baby

Everyone knows you should never wake a sleeping baby. Now Amazon's virtual assistant Alexa knows that too.

At its Echo event last month, Amazon tipped a new feature called Whisper Mode, which lets Alexa-enabled devices recognize whispered speech, and respond by whispering back. Now, Amazon has announced it is rolling out Whisper Mode in the US. Whisper Mode works with Alexa Voice Service devices and Alexa Skills in US English.

Whisper Mode is an optional feature that you will need to enable. The easiest way to do that is to just say "Alexa, turn on Whisper Mode." You can also do it from the Alexa app; go to Settings > Alexa Account > Alexa Voice Responses > Whispered Responses.

If Alexa's whispers freak you out and you'd rather her talk in a normal voice, just say "turn off Whisper Mode."

Whisper Mode is one of several features Amazon is working on to make Alexa more context aware and able to recognize and understand more than just words.

One of those features, called Alexa Guard, will keep tabs on your house and send alerts if it detects something's amiss, like the sound of glass breaking, smoke detectors, or carbon monoxide alarms. Alexa Guard will link up with home security systems from Ring and ADT and be available on certain Echos later this year.

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Another feature called Hunches will alert you if one of your connected smart home gadgets isn't in its normal state. If, for instance, you say "good night" before turning off a light you normally keep off at bedtime, Alexa will let you know and offer to turn it off for you.

Meanwhile, if you own an Echo device or plan to buy one, you can get three months of SiriusXM programming for free as part of a limited-time promotion. SiriusXM is also currently offering a 60 percent discount on its All Access plan, plus a third-generation Amazon Echo Dot for free, when you pay for six months upfront at $49.99. The third-gen Echo Dot, which just hit the market, earned an "excellent" rating in PCMag's review.