How to Use Alexa Brief Mode

This article explains how to enable Alexa's Brief Mode to streamline its responses.

How to Enable Brief Mode

Having Alexa say "OK" to everything you ask can be annoying, but stopping it is easy. Alexa has a Brief Mode that silences many interactions. With Brief Mode enabled, Alexa won’t always say "OK." It just takes care of the task at hand. This mode is a boon to those who get frustrated with Alexa's respondes, and it makes the assistant more efficient (and quiet).

Here’s how to enable Brief Mode:

1. Open the Alexa app on your device.

2. Tap the menu button in the upper left corner and tap Settings.

3. In the Settings window tap Alexa Account and then tap Alexa Voice Responses.

4. In the resulting window, tap the On/Off slider for Brief Mode to the On position.

5. Tap your device Home button to dismiss the Alexa app.

At this point, Alexa Brief Mode is enabled. You should now be able to interact with Alexa, without the excess responses from the device.

How to Disable Brief Mode

If you find you miss Alexa responding to your every command, you can always reverse what you just did. This is done with the following steps:

1. Open the Alexa app on your device.

2. Tap the menu button in the upper-left corner and tap Settings.

3. In the Settings window tap Alexa Account and then tap Alexa Voice Responses.

4. In the resulting window, tap the On/Off slider for Brief Mode to the Off position.

5. Tap your device Home button to dismiss the Alexa app.

Alexa will now go back to its default mode.

Enjoy the Silence

That’s all there is to enabling the Alexa Brief Mode. And if you find the silence from the device a bit disconcerting, you can always take Alexa back to its previous ways. Until then, enjoy the silence.