What are Amazon Echo Buds and How Do They Work?

Use Alexa wherever you roam

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Updated on August 6, 2021

If you've been looking for wireless earbuds that work for a budget, Amazon Echo Buds might be exactly what you want. The company joined forces with Bose to create these inexpensive headphones that integrate Alexa into the mix for a hands-free listening experience.

What Are Echo Buds?

Simply put, Echo Buds are wireless earbuds that include Amazon's virtual assistant, Alexa. They include noise reduction technology from Bose and offer a customizable fit with three sizes of ear tips to help form a comfortable in-ear seal for most people.

How Do Echo Buds Work?

Echo Buds can be used with both voice commands and fingertip presses. You can use the wake word—"Alexa," "Amazon," "Computer," "Echo," or "Ziggy"—to activate voice assistance or tap and hold one of the buds to activate the virtual assistant instead. A double-tap on a bud also lets you toggle between noise reduction and the outside world.

They use Wi-Fi or mobile data connections for connectivity and other features. You can use your Echo Buds to listen to music, audiobooks, and other entertainment, plus make and receive phone calls through a Bluetooth 5.0 connection to most Android phones and iPhones.

See which smartphones are not compatible with Echo Buds.

You can use the Alexa app to mute mics and perform other actions as needed, but the goal of Echo Buds is to make hands-free access as easy as possible.

How to Put Echo Buds in Pairing Mode

Technical Details to Know

Competitors of Echo Buds include Apple AirPods 2, Bose SoundSport Free, Jabra Elite 65t, and Samsung Galaxy Buds. Echo Buds are comparable to the competition and do offer noise reduction technology that the others (except Bose) don't. They include two external microphones and one internal microphone. Ear tips and wing tips come in three different sizes.

A single charge provides battery life up to five hours; a charging case extends that to 20 hours. Echo Buds also offer up to two hours of music playback time with a 15-minute quick charge.

Echo Buds offer access to Siri and Google Assistant from supported devices; just press and hold your earbud to activate those voice assistants.

Alexa voice control is supported on Android 6.0 and iOS 12 or higher. Echo Buds are sweat resistant, but not waterproof or sweat proof. They can withstand minor water splashing, for example, but you can't immerse them in water, spill liquids on them, or drip sweat into them.