The 7 Most Secret Alexa Commands

The programmers at Amazon included dozens of secret Alexa commands for the Amazon Echo and other smart devices. Some are funny things you can ask Alexa, but others are helpful Alexa skills you might not know about.

Information in this article applies to all Amazon Alexa-enabled devices, including the Echo Dot, Echo Show, and Fire TV.

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Choose Your Own Adventure: "Alexa, Play Skyrim Very Special Edition"

Can't get enough of Skyrim? You can play a spin-off of Bethesda’s classic MMORPG with Alexa. Skyrim: Very Special Edition is a choose-your-own adventure game that is surprisingly deep. Alexa sets up the scene with vivid descriptions and periodically asks you what you want to to do next. Exploring the world of Skyrim is a relaxing way to unwind since you never have to wait through long load times.

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For Board Game Night: "Alexa, Roll Dice"

Can't find the dice for your favorite board game? Alexa has you covered. Alexa rolls a single six-sided dice by default, but you can tell her to roll as many as you want. If you're playing Dungeons & Dragons or another table-top RPG, you can say "Älexa, roll a 20-sided dice." Alexa's dice are also great for making decisions and resolving disputes, such as who gets to ride in the front seat on road trips.

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Delete Your Alexa History: "Alexa, Delete Everything I Said Today"

Alexa asks if you want to delete your voice recordings in the Alexa app

Alexa stores recordings of your voice commands to help improve her voice recognition capabilities and remember your personal preferences. Amazon employs a human quality-control team that reviews user recordings to ensure Alexa's accuracy, so if you don't want someone else listening to your conversations with Alexa, be sure to periodically erase your search history. It's also possible to disable Alexa voice recording altogether.

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Alexa Emergency Command: "Alexa, Call 911"

A cell phone screen displays 911 — Kativ / Getty Images

Enabling Alexa to call 911 can be a lifesaver, especially for seniors who live alone. To do so, you must set up your Echo to make calls using the Alexa app for your smartphone. Alternatively, you can use the Echo Connect to link Alexa to a landline or VoIP service. If you have children in your home, make sure they know to never give the command unless there's a real emergency.

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Activate Super Alexa Mode: "Alexa, Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start"

Super Alexa Mode is an Easter egg for fans of classic gaming. The directions are a reference to the Konami code, a famous video game cheat used in various titles such as Contra for the NES. The developers at Amazon correctly predicted that users would try out the code on Alexa, so they prepared a clever response. Unfortunately, activating "Super Alexa Mode" doesn't actually do anything; it's just a joke to get a laugh out of gamers.

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Get Zen: "Alexa, Open Guided Meditation Skill"

There are dozens of meditation skills for Alexa, and Guided Meditation is a good place to start. The meditations focus on different topics, and you can skip to the next one by saying "Alexa, play next." Each session takes less than 10 minutes, but if you're short on time, say "Alexa, open One Minute Meditation" for a condensed version.

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Alexa the Actress: "Älexa, I Am Your Father"

It turns out that Alexa is a pretty good actress and comedian. Alexa's programmers are obviously sci-fi fans considering the number of Star Wars themed commands they included. For example, try asking her who shot first, or ask which movie is her favorite. You can even request a Star Wars joke. Alexa is also multilingual: She can speak both Klingon and Yoda.