Useful Amazon Echo skills depend on what you want Alexa to do: play audio, share news, help you unwind, host a game, or keep a household list. The ten ideas below are starting points, not a verified ranking. Amazon’s closest roundup was published in 2018 and its rendered page lists nine skills despite framing the article as a list of ten; check the Alexa app for current availability and terms before enabling any named service.
What Alexa skills do on an Echo
Amazon describes skills as voice experiences that add capabilities to Alexa-enabled devices, including Echo. They work much like apps: you make a spoken request, and Alexa routes it to the service that can respond. Amazon’s Alexa Skills Kit overview calls them “like apps for Alexa.”
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Some entries below are named skills from Amazon’s March 29, 2018 roundup, so their inclusion does not confirm that they remain available or work the same way today. Others are customizable Alexa Blueprints, which are distinct from conventional third-party skills. Search the live catalog in your own Alexa app before relying on a particular option.
Ten Alexa ideas, organized by what you want to do
1. Play podcasts: AnyPod
Amazon’s 2018 roundup described AnyPod as a way to subscribe to podcasts and play recent episodes. If you listen to podcasts by voice, check its current listing and supported playback options before choosing it; the historical description is not a guarantee of present-day functionality.
#1 Best Overall
- Your favorite music and content – Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
2. Hear news and market updates: The Wall Street Journal
The same roundup described this skill as offering news, podcasts, and market updates. It may suit a short spoken briefing, but consult the current listing for availability, account requirements, and any access terms.
3. Add background sound: Ambient Sounds: Cricket Sounds
Amazon presented this as a cricket-sound loop for masking noise or helping create a sleep environment. It is a simple use case for voice playback, though the exact skill and its controls should be confirmed in the current catalog.
4. Try guided meditation: Headspace
The 2018 entry described guided meditation and a sleep exercise. If you are considering a wellness skill, check what content is accessible through Alexa and whether an account or paid subscription is required; neither current availability nor terms are established by that old roundup.
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Rank #2
- Your favorite music and content – Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
5. Guess product prices: Price It Right
This was described as a guessing game about the prices of Amazon items. It is a light quiz idea for a solo session or a group, but its old description should not be treated as confirmation that the game still works.
6. Name the song: SongQuiz
Amazon’s roundup described a music-guessing game with decade-based playlists and competition. Look at the listing for current music coverage, supported regions, and any access conditions before inviting others to play.
7. Listen to talks: TEDTalk
The historical listing said users could browse talks by topic or speaker, or play recent or random talks. For spoken learning, that makes it a useful type of experience to search for; verify the current skill and available controls in the app.
Rank #3
- Meet Echo Dot Max: Experience rich room-filling sound that automatically adapts to your space and fine-tunes playback. Features a built-in smart home hub and Omnisense technology for highly personalized experiences.
- Music to your ears: With nearly 3x the bass versus Echo Dot (2022 release), it fits beautifully in any space, delivering your personal sound stage with deep bass and enhanced clarity. Listen to streaming services, such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and SiriusXM. Encore!
- Do more with device pairing: Connect compatible Echo smart speakers and smart displays in different rooms, or pair with a second Echo Dot Max to enjoy even richer sound
- Simple smart home control: Set routines, pair and control lights, locks, and thousands of smart home devices that work with Alexa without needing a separate smart home hub. With Omnisense technology, you can activate routines via temperature or presence detection.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot Max doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
8. Request a ride: Uber
Amazon’s 2018 article described using this skill to request, check, and cancel rides. Ride-service integrations are especially time-sensitive: check both the Alexa listing and the service’s current support information before assuming voice booking is available where you live.
9. Maintain a shared grocery list: OurGroceries
The old roundup described adding items to shared grocery lists and mentioned companion-app features for recipes, photos, and barcodes. If shared lists are your goal, confirm the skill’s current availability and whether account linking is needed; the companion-app details are historical, not a current feature guarantee.
10. Make a custom household helper with Blueprints
Amazon’s Blueprints catalog currently displays customizable examples including Custom Q&A, Chore Chart, Whose Turn, and How Many Days. These can be adapted for household questions, chores, turn-taking, or tracking a countdown. They are Blueprint examples rather than a claim about third-party skills, and availability may depend on your account and region. See Amazon Blueprints for the current catalog.
Rank #4
- Your favorite music and content – Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
How to find and enable a skill
- Open the Alexa app and tap More.
- Select Skills & Games.
- Browse a category or search for the skill by name, then open its listing to check availability, terms, and permissions.
- Follow the listing’s enable or setup instructions. If it requires account linking, review the requested access before continuing.
- Use the invocation phrase shown in the listing, or ask Alexa how to use the enabled skill.
These navigation labels come from Amazon UK’s help page and may differ in other app locales. Amazon UK also says you can ask Alexa how to discover skills. See Amazon UK’s skills help.
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Skill interactions can share information relevant to a request with the skill developer. Amazon gives examples such as trivia answers, a ZIP code in a weather request, or request content that may include transcripts. Review a skill’s privacy information and permissions, particularly if it asks you to link another account. Amazon explains how to review permissions in Alexa Privacy settings.
For smart-home integrations, Amazon says it may receive device type, name, features, status, and usage history, including changes made outside Alexa. Its controls let users review recent smart-home history, delete it, or set automatic deletion after three or 18 months. Deleting that history does not necessarily remove device names, types, or voice requests about those devices. Details are in Amazon’s smart-home privacy information.
Best Value
- MEET ECHO SPOT - A sleek smart alarm clock with Alexa and big vibrant sound. Ready to help you wake up, wind down, and so much more.
- CUSTOMIZABLE SMART CLOCK - See time, weather, and song titles at a glance, control smart home devices, and more. Personalize your display with your favorite clock face and fun colors.
- BIG VIBRANT SOUND - Enjoy rich sound with clear vocals and deep bass. Just ask Alexa to play music, podcasts, and audiobooks. See song titles and touch to control your music.
- EASE INTO THE DAY - Set up an Alexa routine that gently wakes you with music and gradual light. Glance at the time, check reminders, or ask Alexa for weather updates.
- KEEP YOUR HOME COMFORTABLE - Control compatible smart home devices. Just ask Alexa to turn on lights or touch the screen to dim. Create routines that use motion detection to turn down the thermostat as you head out or open the blinds when you walk into a room.
Do not assume every skill is free. The sources here do not establish current prices or access terms for each named entry. Check the listing for your region, including whether it requires a subscription, account, or additional permissions.
Use routines when you want several actions together
A routine groups actions and can start by voice, at a time, or when a compatible smart-home device triggers it. It can make a repeated sequence easier to launch without remembering a skill’s invocation name. Amazon’s routine guidance describes routines as shortcuts for grouped actions.
Amazon discontinued the developer-facing Alexa Routines Kit effective May 13, 2026. That notice concerns the developer kit; it does not say ordinary customer routines were discontinued. See Amazon’s Routines Kit notice.
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