Echo Studio
(Photo: Zlata Ivleva)
You're visiting the home of a friend or family member who owns an Amazon Echo. And you’d like to listen to your favorite music or news feeds on their Echo. Or maybe someone is visiting you and would like to do the same with one of your Echo devices. All of this is doable thanks to a feature known as Guest Connect.
Once connected, you can ask Alexa to play your preferred music and news stories. The voice assistant will detect the person speaking and provide the appropriate content. When the access is no longer needed, you can tell Alexa to disconnect the account. Otherwise, Alexa will disable access automatically within 24 hours or when the guest leaves the location. If the guest returns to the same location, the connection is re-established.
PCMag-Recommended Echo Devices
Guest Connect Requirements
To use Guest Connect on someone else’s Echo, you need your own Alexa account as well as an Alexa Voice ID profile. Bluetooth and notifications must both be enabled on the Echo device. The Guest Connect feature must also be activated.
Guest Connect works with any standard Echo device, including the regular Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Studio, and Echo Show. However, it is not compatible with on-the-go Echo devices such as an Echo Auto or Echo Buds. It also won’t work with Alexa accessories such as smart plugs, nor is it compatible with a Fire TV or Fire tablet.
Keep in mind that if you subscribe to the Amazon Music Unlimited Single Device plan, you will not be able to listen to your music on another person's Echo.
Set Up Alexa Voice ID
You should already have the Alexa app on your mobile device if you own an Echo of your own. Otherwise, you can install the app from the App Store or Google Play and then set up your device. You then need to create an Alexa Voice ID in the app . To do this, tap More > Settings > Your Profile & Family, then select your name and choose Set Up Voice ID.
Tap the Agree and Continue button and go through the setup process. You will need to speak each of the four phrases that Alexa displays on the screen. When finished, tap Done.
Enable Notifications
You then should enable notifications for the Guest Connect feature. This will tell you when you’re near a compatible Echo device that has the feature enabled. In the Alexa app, tap More > Settings > Notifications > Guest Connect and toggle it on so it says Enabled.
Enable Guest Connect
Now it's time to enable Guest Connect. Open More > Settings > Your Profile & Family in the Alexa app. Tap your name, then select Guest Connect. Tap Continue, then Next, and the process is complete. Anyone who wishes to connect to your Echo device would need to follow the same steps to set up Voice ID and activate Guest Connect.
To allow people to connect to your own Echo, you must turn on Guest Connect for the device. Do this from More > Settings > Account Settings > Guest Connect in the app. At the Guest Connect screen, turn on Allow Guests to connect. Anyone who wants to allow others to connect to their own Echo would need to do the same on their end.
Activate Guest Connect
The next time you’re in Bluetooth range of someone else’s Echo with Guest Connect enabled, you should receive a notification through the Alexa app. If you do, tap the notification and click Join to connect. Instruct any guests who want to use your Echo to do the same.
You can also manually check for a connection. In the Alexa app, go to More > Settings > Your Profile & Family and select your name. Tap Guest Connect, then select the name of your host's Echo under the Available Connections section.
Tap the Join button to access the Echo. You should then see a checkmark next to the host’s name indicating that you have connected to the device.
Listen to Music or News
Once you’re connected, you can now request your favorite music. Say “Alexa, play some music,” and Alexa will play songs based on what you’ve listened to in the past. You can also tell Alexa to play specific music. Say “Alexa, play some jazz” or "Alexa, play some classical music.”
You can also direct Alexa to a specific music service by saying “Alexa, play some music from Pandora” or “Alexa, play some jazz from Apple Music.”
You can also ask Alexa to read the latest news. Say “Alexa, play a news story.” Alexa will read a news story based on your interests and the news stations you’ve accessed in the past.
Disconnect From Guest Connect
If you wish to disconnect from your host’s Echo, you can do this a couple of ways. Say “Alexa, disconnect my account.” Alternatively, open to More > Settings > Your Profile & Family in the Alexa app. Select your name and then tap Guest connect. Select the name of the checked connection and then tap Disconnect. At this step, you can also select the entry for Disable Notifications Here to stop receiving notifications for this specific Echo.
Forget a Connection
Anyone who uses Guest Connect to access an Echo will automatically be reconnected the next time they’re in the same location. But you can tell Alexa to forget the connection so that it doesn’t try to connect you each time.
In the Alexa app, return to the Guest Connect screen under Settings. Tap the name of the remembered connection and select the option for Forget Connection.
Block Guests
As a host, you can block specific people from reconnecting to your Echo device, but you have to do this while they’re still connected. In the Alexa app, go to More > Settings > Account Settings > Guest Connect. Tap the person’s name and then select Block.
Turn Off Guest Connect
If you're a host and want to disable the feature so no one can use your Echo device, return to More > Settings > Account Settings > Guest Connect in the Alexa app. Tap the Allow Guests to connect switch, and guests will no longer be able to connect.
If you're a guest and want to turn off the feature, head to More > Settings > Your Profile & Family, then select your name and choose Guest Connect. From this screen, tap the Enabled switch to turn off Guest Connect.
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