The best Amazon Alexa skills for your Echo smart speaker

Your Amazon Echo speaker can quickly become an essential part of your home – but Alexa is nothing without the skills that make it tick. Alexa skills are essentially apps, which enable Amazon's voice assistant to connect to hardware and software to perform certain tasks.

Whether it's turning your heating up or ordering some dinner, there are plenty of things your Echo can do. Thanks to its open API, the list of compatible services and devices is growing by the day, too.

Essential guide: Amazon Alexa missing manual

Amazon has also started letting you use skills without enabling them first. You just have to ask Alexa to use a skill and when it's done it'll automatically be enabled. Not all skills take advantage of this at the moment though. Similarly, there are only a few good Echo Show skills, but those will undoubtedly grow over time.

It's also worth mentioning that Amazon is now making it easier to make your own Alexa skills with the new Alexa Blueprint - no coding experience necessary.

If you're looking to equip Alexa with some new skills, try these on for size.

Alexa music and audio skills

Spotify

The leading music skill for Amazon Alexa devices, Spotify gets pride of place on Echo speakers. It's the only service, other than Amazon Prime Music, that you can select as a default service within the Alexa app, which means that any music you ask to be played will stream from Spotify automatically.

To enable: "Alexa, play [choice] from Spotify"

Top command: "Alexa, play what's hot in [country]"

Sonos

Now that there's an Alexa-enabled Sonos smart speaker, there needs to be a way to control said speaker with Alexa. Enter the Sonos skill, which will allow you to do just that. Want to play some jazz in the kitchen? Or turn down the volume in the living room? Your wish is Alexa's command.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Sonos"

Top command: "Alexa, play jazz in the kitchen"

Top Music Chart

Can't keep up with the kids? Get Alexa to run down the top rated music in the United States with this nifty Skill. It might give you some inspiration, or a yawning realisation that you're well past it.

To enable: "Alexa open Top Music Chart"

Top command: ""Alexa, how about the top albums?"

Ted Talks

You can't beat a Ted Talk for forcing information into your brain, and the warm fuzzy feeling of spending 20 minutes doing something intellectually superior. Alexa can play you Ted's excellent short lectures, and who knows, you may learn something.

To enable: "Alexa open Ted Talks."

Top command: "Alexa, ask TED Talks to find talks about nature."

Radio Mystery Theatre

Use your super-techy smart speaker to evoke the days when families would crowd round the radio, hungry for entertainment – like a sort of crackly Netflix. Essentially a compendium of radio shows from the early 70s, Radio Mystery Theatre offers up retro stories guaranteed to leave you high on nostalgia, if nothing else.

To enable: "Alexa, Open Radio Mystery Theater."

Top command: Just say "Alexa, next" to skip an episode. Resuming where you left of is a common complaint of an otherwise highly-rated skill.

Essential comparison: Amazon Alexa vs Apple HomePod

Alexa skills for kids

Alexa can step in to give you a hand entertaining the children. There won't be a dull moment with this set of skills.

Amazon Story Time

An essential skill for parents, just say "Alexa, ask Amazon Storytime to read me a story" to get a properly narrated short story, from the Amazon Rapids app library and Audible. They're suitable for children aged 5 - 12, and comes recommended.

To enable: "Alexa, open Amazon Storytime."

Science Buddy

Science Buddy is a kid-friendly quiz around the subjects of earth science, physics and biology. You get ten multiple-choice questions, with three options. Get those brains turning over,

To enable: "Alexa, open Science Buddy"

Top command: "Repeat the question"

Draw It

Getting bored of the kids asking you what they should draw? Draw It doesn't just offer them ideas, it describes how it should be drawn, and they have to guess what the subject is as quickly as possible. Great for entertaining groups and solo kids, it's a good skill for developing creative minds.

To enable: "Alexa open Draw It"

Top command: "Alexa tell Draw It to start a game"

Animal Sounds

A firm favourite among The Ambient's offspring, Animal Sounds plays the call of 30 animals, from boring old cats and dogs to leopards, bears and sea lions.

To enable: "Alexa, open Animal Sounds"

Top command: "Alexa, ask Animal Sounds to visit the elephant"

4AFart

This one offers on-demand fart noises – need we say more?

To enable: "Alexa, ask for a fart"

Panda Rescue

Like an Alexa-powered Tamogotchi, your children are placed as lead carers for a rescued panda. Check in every couple of days to make good choices and keep that panda well cared for.

To enable: "Alexa, open Panda Rescue"

Alexa news, sports & weather skills

One of the best things about Amazon Echo is waking up and asking Alexa for your daily briefing before you head out for your day. These are all accessible as part of your daily Flash Briefing. You can ask Alexa for any of the below apps, and keep on top of Flash Briefing content by heading to the Alexa app and going to Settings > Flash Briefing. You can turn items on and off from here. When getting your Flash Briefings, you can skip through by saying "Alexa, next".

BBC News

If you just want to hear the big stories of the moment from all over the world, the BBC skill is a good one to go with. It'll add the latest world headlines from the BBC World Service directly to your Flash Briefing.

To enable: "Alexa, what's my Flash Briefing?"

The Daily from The New York Times

Every day, five days a week, for 15 minutes, The New York Times puts together an audio briefing of the most essential news you need to know before you start your day. It's in-depth and a good companion to your morning cup of coffee.

To enable: "Alexa, what's my Flash Briefing?"

ESPN

The wide world of sports produces so many goals, touchdowns, home runs and slam dunks that it's hard to keep track of them all. The ESPN skill will give you a daily gulp of sports news, delivered from the people behind SportsCenter.

To enable: "Alexa, what's my Flash Briefing?"

The Daily Show

The news can often be depressing and sad, so leave it to the people at Comedy Central's The Daily Show to put a funny spin on things. Every morning during your daily briefings you'll get a quick recap of the best bits from last night's show.

To enable: "Alexa, what's my Flash Briefing?"

Golf Channel

Keep up with news from the PGA tour can be difficult, but with this handy Alexa skill you can get leaderboards on demand. You can ask stuff like "Alexa, ask Golf Channel for the PGA Tour leaderboard" and "Alexa, ask Golf Channel who is winning the European Tour' for a quick run-down of the state of play.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Golf Channel."

Cricket Info

Just like golf, cricket test matches are played out over days, so it's great to be able to check in on the score. "Alexa, ask cricket info to get score update"and "Alexa, ask cricket info to get detailed score for India" will get you an up-to-the-minute synopsis.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Cricket Info."

Big Sky

A really top-rated weather skill, you can just ask "Alexa, ask Big Sky for the weather in three hours" or even "Alexa, tell Big Sky to give me a weather fact" to really get your meteorological geek on.

To enable: "Alexa, start Big Sky."

Space Weather

When you've got Amazon Weather – which just works when you say "Alexa what's the weather" and Big Sky (above) you're well sorted for whether you need your umbrella – but try Space Weather for something different. Just say "Alexa, start space weather" to get current solar wind speed, chances of a solar storm and the solar flux. Out of this world.

To enable: "Alexa, start space weather."

Alexa skills for bedtime/sleep

Like drifting off to the sound of the sea? Alexa has some great relaxing sounds – and you can ask "Alexa, turn this off in 10 minutes" (or any time period) so you're not disturbed later.

Ambient Sounds: Various

Ambient sounds has every conceivable sleep sound to drift of to imaginable, and a bunch you couldn't possibly dream up. They're all essentially listed as separate skills, so just say "Alexa play [enter sound]" to get started – we've listed some ideas below. If you say "Alexa play Ambient sounds" it will give you a mind-boggling list of the entire range.

• Thunderstorm Sounds
• Ocean Sounds
• Rain Sounds
• Wind Chimes
• Fireplace Sounds

To enable: "Alexa, play Ocean Sounds"

Sleep Sounds

Another incredible range of sounds to fall asleep to, just say "Alexa, play Sleep Sounds" for a list of everything from 'rain on a tin roof' to 'pink noise'. We shudder to think what that might be.

To enable: "Alexa open Sleep Sounds"

Alexa smart home skills

If you've got an Echo, chances are it's not the only smart device populating your home. It's the most sociable though, and it's using this chatty nature to strike up conversations with the rest of your connected tech. The result is an all-round smarter home controlled simply by your voice. These are the best Amazon Echo Skills for creating a truly connected home.

Nest Thermostat/Camera

Got a Nest product? These skills is a must. If you've got a thermostat, there’s the Nest Thermostat skill, which you can use to tell Alexa to turn your heating up or down, making breaking out the Nest smartphone app feel like a relic of personal comfort as dated as actually standing up and fiddling with the thermostat manually.

You can be specific with where you want the temperature changing too by saying things like "Alexa, change the Hallway to 20 degrees" or "Alexa, raise the bedroom by four degrees" without having to touch a thing. If you've got a Nest Cam, there’s the Cam skill, which lets you view your footage right from your Echo Show.

To enable: Install via Alexa app, link accounts.

Top command: "Alexa, what's the temperature?"

Lifx

Probably one of the nicer and more affordable smart lightbulbs, Lifx's line doesn't need a hub to use with Alexa – it only needs the skill to be downloaded, and of course, your voice to tell Alexa to turn on and off the bulb.

To enable: Install via Alexa app, link accounts.

Top command: "Alexa, dim Kitchen lights by 10%"

Philips Hue

It's time to get precise with your voice-controlled lighting. Philips Hue and Alexa play nicely together, meaning you cn say things like "Alexa, dim the living room lights to 20%" from the comfort of your favourite chair. The only problem is that it can't change the colours of the bulb – we hope that changes soon.

To enable: Install via Alexa app, link accounts.

Top command: "Alexa, set bedroom to red."

August Smart Home

If you have an August Lock and Connect on hand, and installed, just head into the skills menu of your Alexa app and download August Home. Link up the accounts and you should be set to control your locks with the sound of your voice. Magic.

Read this: The best smart locks - tested

To enable: Install via Alexa app, link accounts.

Top command: "Alexa, is the front door locked?"

Logitech Harmony

Another hub system that gives Alexa omnipotent powers over everything in your home, Logitech's Harmony skill provides the Echo power to control your connected TV, among other devices. "Alexa, tell Harmony to turn on the TV", "…turn up the volume" and "…pause my movie" are just a few of the commands you'll be flinging your TVs way the next time you've misplaced the remote.

To enable: Install via Alexa app, link accounts.

Top command: "Alexa, pause Netflix"

Hive

It's not just Nest that's got Alexa-loving voice commands down. All the big connected thermostat players are getting involved, including the British Gas bundled Hive. As well as asking Alexa to turn your heating to a certain temperature, you can make use of Hive's broader array of smart devices, using Echo to turn on certain power outlets in your home and set the mood with connected lighting.

To enable: Install via Alexa app, link accounts.

Top command: "Alexa, turn on my plug"

iRobot Home

The point of a Roomba is to take some of the hassle out of cleaning your home, and the Alexa skill can help make life even easier. Just tell it to get your Roomba to start cleaning, or to stop cleaning, or to dock. Best of all, if you notice something weird going on, you can simply say, "Alexa, ask Roomba what it's doing."

To enable: Install via Alexa app, link accounts.

Top command: "Alexa, ask Roomba to start cleaning"

Amazon Echo exercise and health skills

Alexa isn't just a butler and an educator, it's a personal trainer too, whipping you into shape with its metallic tones. If you're trying to keep fit or get a jump on that 2017 beach bod, these are the health and fitness skills you should try.

Push Up Century Club

Ever wanted to increase your ability to do push ups? Of course you have. That's why you need to try the Push Up Century Club skill with Alexa. Letting you set a fitness foundation based on your current level, Alexa will determine which set of reps you should start with. Then it'll guide you through a workout complete with 30-second breaks in between.

To enable: "Alexa, start push ups"

Top command: "Alexa, start push ups on day five"

ALOP Pilates

Exercise doesn't have to require you entering Beast Mode, it can be a little more measured too. This skill has Alexa guiding you through a beginner's pilates class where you'll just need the Echo and a mat. From there, it will take about 20-30 minutes to complete, and you can run it as regularly as you like.

To enable: "Alexa, start pilates class"

1-minute Mindfulness

For those who want to meditate and gain a clear mind, try this skill on for size. It's really just relaxing sounds that play for a minute, but hey, maybe that's all you need to recharge.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Mindfulness"

Top command: "Alexa, ask Mindfulness for a peaceful meditation"

BabyMate (UK only)

It's not just your own health you should be thinking about, especially if you've got little ones around. The BabyMate skill lets you keep tabs on your baby's actions when you're too busy to hold a pen and paper. "Alexa, ask Baby Mate to record a bottle of 100 millilitres" is a great command for those worried about the amount their kid is taking in, while "Alexa, ask Baby Mate to record a medium diaper" covers the other end.

To enable: "Alexa, enable BabyMate"

Top command: "Alexa, how many poos today?"

Zyrtec Daily AllergyCast

Allergies can be crippling. Unfortunately, it's difficult to know when or where they'll come and get you. Enter the Zyrtec Daily AllergyCast skill, which will give you an allergy forecast that includes pollen counts. Plus, it'll tell you the dominant allergens in the area so you know exactly what'll make you miserable.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Zyrtec"

Top command: "Alexa, ask Zyrtec for my AllergyCast"

Amazon Echo games

Once you've focused on your home and body, it's time to have some fun. Thankfully, Alexa's not a stuffy digital assistant, it likes to let its hair down occasionally too. These game skills are testament to that.

Bingo

A classic with a futuristic twist, you'll need to download bingo cards for this game if you don't already have them, but having Alexa on hand to call out numbers is quite useful and adds to that "authentic bingo hall" experience.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Bingo"

Top command: "Alexa, call the next number"

Lie Swatter

Can you tell if someone is lying or not? Time to put it to the test. The Lie Swatter host will share several crazy facts, and everyone else will have to guess whether they're true or false. Simple, addicting and, with the right people, absolutely bonkers.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Lie Swatter"

6 Swords

Love playing Dungeons & Dragons but don't have a dungeon master? It is a fine art, after all, so it's understandable if you can't find a good one. Enter 6 Swords, based on the first version of the classic role-playing game. Let Alexa remember where you are and what you're doing, and use simple commands to get through the game. You can play with up to five other people.

To enable: "Alexa, enable 6 Swords"

Top command: "Alexa, what am I carrying?"

Skyrim

No joke, Bethesda's biggest game is now available to play with Alexa. The Elder Scrolls title lends itself to a voice interface in interesting and hilarious ways; this one's for the old-school D&D lovers.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Skyrim"

Top command: "Use shout"

Akinator

If you haven't tried Akinator before, it's a game where a cartoon genie tries to guess what you're thinking of by asking a series of questions – with scarily accurate results. And now it works with Alexa! Just don't be creeped out when not one, but two robots are reading your mind.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Akinator"

Twenty Questions

Don't like Alexa working out what you're thinking about? Fine, just turn the tables and have a go at trying to crack its thought process instead. Who's for a game of Twenty Questions? Once you've instigated a game (Alexa, play Twenty Questions), you've got, yep, you guessed it, 20 questions to work out what animal, vegetable, mineral or other Alexa is. Be warned, Alexa is a crafty opponent.

To enable: "Alexa, play Twenty Questions"

Curiosity

If you've ever needed a little intellectual stimulation, or your conversation is stalling and you want to spice it up with something interesting, then Curiosity is for you. This skill presents you with two topics, you choose one and it'll tell you some kind of interesting fact about art or history or science. It's kind of like feeding your brain, except what you're feeding it is totally random.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Curiosity."

Amazon Echo travel skills

Wherever you're trying to get, and however you're trying to get there, your Echo can help, you just need the right skills and the right questions. They can't help delays, but this lot can make your journey a little bit easier.

Uber/Lyft

Sync your Uber and/or Lyft account through the Amazon Alexa app to allow access, and from there you can ask Alexa to use the rideshare apps. Just make sure your location is right so the driver can find you. You can also ask Alexa for arrival statuses, cancel ride requests and for Lyft, even rate drivers. The Show version of the Uber app will even give you a look at your driver's ratings and where they are.

To enable: Install from Alexa app and link account

Top command: "Alexa, ask Uber to request a ride"

National Rail (UK)

British trains are notoriously fickle, so this is a Skill that's more valuable than most. As well as asking for train times, you can get Alexa to see what's going on with the inevitable delays. Set up your usual routes, and asking questions like "Alexa, ask National Rail what my commute is looking like" will tell you that yes, your train is nobbled again and no, there's no point in getting out of bed just yet. Recent reviews have reported that it's gone downhill...a bit like UK trains.

To enable: "Alexa, enable National Rail"

Top command: "Alexa, ask National Rail to check my commute"

Tube Info (UK)

If you're a more underground than overground kinda guy or gal, you'll want to look past the National Rail skill and go straight for Tube Info instead. Checking line statuses and delays, it can prevent you being wedged in like a sardine on an overcrowded carriage. There's guidance on the best routes to take too if you need it.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Tube Info"

Top command: "Alexa, ask Tube Info for a status"

NYC Subway

If you're over in the Big Apple and need some help with the labyrinth that is the New York City subway system, NYC Subway has your back. It constantly checks the status of the subway lines, telling you which ones aren't rated "Good Service" and tell you whether there are any issues with a specific line.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Subway"

Top command: "Alexa, ask subway for the status of all lines"

Bay Area Transit for Caltrain

In the San Francisco Bay Area, BART and Caltrain are a one-two public transportation punch. While they serve totally different areas, they can be combined to move around the entire Bay Area. Figuring out all the timings is the tough part, but this skill will let you know when and where they'll stop, and how they connect.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Bay Area Transit"

Top command: "Alexa, when is the next Caltrain?"

Amazon Echo food skills

It turns out that Alexa is a pretty good sous chef, setting your alarms and making sure you don't forget that you need to pull those muffins out of the oven. But it can also help you in the kitchen in other ways. Bon appétit!

Save the Food

You've spent your hard-earned paycheck on food, but sometimes you've bought too much and can't finish it all before it expires. That's where Save the Food comes in. You just ask what the best way to store food is, and Store the Food will let you know how to keep it fresher longer. No more wasted food!

To enable: "Alexa, enable Save the Food"

Top command: "Alexa, ask Save The Food how to store asparagus"

The Bartender

Easily one of our favourite skills. The Bartender lets you ask Alexa how to make a cocktail, responding with the exact ingredients required and how they should be mixed. If your Echo is in the kitchen or by the bar, it would be a sin not to have this skill installed.

To enable: "Alexa, enable The Bartender"

Top command: "Alexa, tell the bartender to surprise me"

Domino's

That's right, your wildest dreams have come true: Alexa can order your favourite pizza with just a simple command thanks to Domino's Echo skill. It's a bit limited in functionality, but you'll be able to get Alexa to order your pre-set 'Easy Order' by request, as well as track it when it's on its way.

To enable: Install from Alexa app and link account

Top command: "Alexa, ask Dominos to track my order"

Just Eat (UK only)

Pizza not your thing? Don't worry, you're not being put on an enforced diet by your Echo. Takeaway-loving Just Eat lets you order through speech, assuming you've set up an account and Alexa's within earshot that is. Asking "Alexa, ask Just Eat what can I re-order?" will give you a rundown of past choices while saying "Alexa, ask Just Eat to re-order my last Indian" will see your favourite curry winging its way to you pronto. Still waiting on your grub? Asking "Alexa, ask Just Eat where's my meal?" will update you on your poppadom's progress.

To enable: Install from Alexa app and link account

Top command: "Alexa, ask Just Eat to re-order my last Chinese"

Grubhub

If you've had a long day and you're just not in the mood to cook, and you can't get Just Eat, you can turn to Grubhub. All you have to do is say "Alexa, tell Grubhub I'm hungry." Then you get to choose from three of your past orders to re-order. Simple.

To enable: Install from Alexa app and link account

Top command: "Alexa, ask Grubhub to order food"

Starbucks Reorder

You're in dire need of your current go-to Starbucks drink, the Pink Drink, but you just know the line is going to be insane. Just turn to the Starbucks skill, which allows you to quickly and easily re-order your go-to Starbucks order.

To enable: Install from Alexa app and link account

Top command: "Alexa, tell Starbucks to start my order"

Other Amazon Echo skills we love

Wiffy

It's the age old question: what's the Wi-Fi password? With this one, you can just say, "Alexa, ask Wiffy for the Wi-Fi password" to find out. Goes without saying that you shouldn't use this one if there are people who you might not want to grant access, but otherwise it's a real time saver.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Wiffy"

Top command: "Alexa, ask Wiffy what is the Wi-Fi password?"

Guitar Tuner

A must for any guitar player. Alexa will sound out each note in turn, helping you to tune your strings. It's a simple skill, but as any musician will attest, a mighty useful one.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Guitar Tuner"

Top command: "Alexa, ask guitar tuner to tune note A"

Cinemate

We get it, trying to find content in one of 50 streaming services can be a pain. What movie is on which service? You can ask the Cinemate app to sort through all of that for you. You can ask all kinds of information about the movie you're about to watch, including what movies two actors have been in together (great for outsmarting friends!). It currently serves Netflix, Hulu, HBO and Amazon Prime Video, and is being updated with new services.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Cinemate"

Top command: "Alexa, ask movie guide where can I watch Interstellar"

Translated

Amazon is working on a real-time translator for Alexa, but in the meantime this skill should help you get by. Simply ask Alexa to translate short sentences from English into one of 36 languages. We like how you can ask Alexa to read more slowly if you're having trouble with the intonations, or you can ask it to repeat the phrase entirely.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Translated"

Top command: "Alexa, translate hello to [language]"

Trackr Find My Phone

We've all been there, frantically trying to find your lost phone with no friends around to let you call it from their handset. Don't worry though, set your phone up with Trackr, and the next time you misplace it, you can just ask Alexa to help you find it.

To enable: Install from Alexa app and link account – needs partner smartphone app.

Top command: "Alexa, ask TrackR to ring my phone"

Amazon Echo Show Skills

The Echo Show literally adds a whole new dimension to the Echo skills you know and love. The only problem is that because the device is so new, a lot of developers haven't been able to optimize for it yet. Regardless, there are a handful of really good skills for Amazon's new screen.

Allrecipes

You'll surely find something to cook in Allrecipe's library of 60,000 recipes. Alexa will even help you out, asking how much time you have to cook and what kind of food you want to cook. On the Show it'll provide visual step-by-step instructions. If you don't have a Show, you'll just get voice instructions. If you don't have all the necessary ingredients, Alexa can send them to your phone for when you're at the grocery store.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Allrecipes"

Top command: "Alexa, ask Allrecipes for a recipe with chicken, bacon and broccoli"

Ring

Want to see who's at your front door but have your hands full and can't grab your smartphone? Enter the Ring skill for Echo Show, which'll give you a live feed of who is (or isn't) at your door, assuming you have a Ring setup in place of course.

Read this: Ring CEO Jamie Siminoff talks smart home security

To enable: "Install from Alexa app and link account".

Top command: "Alexa, show my doorbell"

Food Network

Love cooking but aren't so good with written instructions? The newly relaunched Food Network skill for Echo Show has video recipes hosted by your favorite network personalities. Or, you can just ask Alexa what's on Food Network right now and watch that to get in the mood to cook.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Food Network"

Top command: "Give me the recipes on TV right now"

Jeopardy!

The Echo Show version of this skill is superior in one regard: There's a screen that adds to the authenticity. You can see the categories and questions, making everything a little easier to manage. The regular version is still fun, but those title cards just hit you in a fun, nostalgic sort of way that's hard to beat.

To enable: "Alexa, enable Jeopardy!"