How-To

Amazon Echo Tip: Enable the Wake Up Sound

By Brian Burgess

Updated September 25, 2023

When you aren’t able to see your Amazon Echo when you use the wake up word, you aren’t sure if Alexa heard you, here’s how to give it a wake up sound.

When you first get the Amazon Echo out of the box, we showed you some features you’ll want to enable right away to make the Echo smarter. Alexa is the name of the artificial intelligence the smart speaker uses to give you information and is its wake word.

However, sometimes you might need to wake up Alexa and tell her to give you your flash briefing, order an item, or just find out the temperature outside. If your Echo is in line of sight, you will see the rings around the top of the bezel light up, and that lets you know she is listening.

But, if the Echo is not in your sight, you won’t know if she heard you or not, and that is where enabling a wake-up sound comes in handy.

Enable Amazon Echo Wake Up Sound

To make the Amazon Echo give you a wake-up sound, head to the Echo app on Android, iOS, or head to its web interface on your computer.

Then go to Settings > Your Echo’s Name > Sounds. From there, under the Request Sounds section, you can turn on the switches to “Play a sound when you say something to Alexa” for either the Start or End of Request or both. With the sound enabled, you’ll be sure that Alexa woke up and is waiting for your command.

Do you have an Amazon Echo? What do you think of it so far, and share your favorite tips for using it in the comment section below.