How to Make Phone Calls with Alexa on Amazon Echo Devices
Similar to other home smart speakers, you can call landline and mobile phone numbers using Amazon’s Echo with Alexa.
Amazon’s line of Echo devices provides hands-free calling. Earlier we showed you how to make phone calls with the Google Home smart speaker and here we’ll take a look at doing it with the Amazon Echo. While you can still make Echo to Echo calls, where each person needs an Echo or Alexa app, Amazon this year added the ability to place voice calls to mobile and landline numbers in the U.S. Canada, and Mexico.
Make Phone Calls with Amazon Echo
Just like with Google Home, setup is easy. You can simply speak the number you want to dial. “Alexa, dial (phone number)”. Alexa will repeat the number to you and ring it. When you’re finished with your call, just say “Alexa, hang up.” You can also make calls and send text messages to the numbers you have set up in your Contacts on the phone you linked with Alexa. It works with iOS 8 or above and Android 5.0 or higher.
To link your phone, open the Alexa app and then tap the Conversations button at the bottom and follow the onscreen instructions. For security purposes, you will need to verify your number via a text message.
A few things to keep in mind here. While making outgoing calls is easy enough with Alexa, you need Amazon’s new Echo Connect box to receive calls from regular numbers. Also, just like other digital assistant smart speakers such as the Harman Kardon Invoke with Cortana, it is not meant for emergency 911 calls, that is, unless you have the Echo Connect.
The number displayed on the recipient’s phone will be the mobile number you have linked to your Echo. If you have the Echo Connect, your home landline number will be displayed. You can also make video calls between Echo speakers with an Echo Show or via the Alexa app configured on your iOS or Android phone.
Summing Up
The sound quality is about what you would expect from a standard speakerphone. So far, I have found that the audio quality of the call is better from an Echo and Echo Dot than from the Google Home. Your mileage will vary depending on the placement of the Echo and your Wi-Fi connection. It’s not a perfect experience yet, but it’s nice to have a hands-free calling, especially if you’re busy in the kitchen or have your hands full around the house.
Have you made any phone calls from your Amazon Echo yet? Let us know how your experience has been with it in the comment section below.
4 Comments
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William W Owens Jr
Interesting. but can you make calls from an Android tablet? Is there an article on how to do this?
Roger Corrie
My grandchildren are in an emergency foster shelter in San Antonio Tx. 3 are in one building and the 4 year old is in a different one. I call them everyday. The Echo dot’s speaker and sound does not work well, but the 1st Generation echo in the kitchen works very well when ever we have a good connection, which is about 90% of the time. I just purchased the 2nd generation echo which I will be setting up in the living room tonight and we will see if how well it works.
Jeff
The Echo plus sound from my phone call was excellent–all I could have wished for. However, the recipient of my call said I sounded distant. I was directly in front of the Echo at a distance of about 5 ft. Made me wonder about an additional microphone for the Echo. Or is it some other problem?
Julia Walters
the recipient of the call said I sounded as if my head was in a bucket. It was not comfortable for conversation.