Alexa Together is a unique premium program that’s available to anyone with an Echo device. Developed as a way to support loved ones living in different households, the service is an affordable way to provide remote care for older family members. Alexa Together is a surprisingly versatile platform, and since it’s based on the standard Echo operating system, it’s very easy to use.
Available through the Alexa app and put into action with a single Echo device, Alexa Together provides real-time activity monitoring and alerts to caregivers, along with a host of remote assistance features, such as the ability to set reminders and set streaming services for loved ones.
There’s a lot Alexa Together can do, and we’ve put together this article to help you understand the basics of the platform, how to set up and activate the service, and how to use some of Alexa Together’s features.
How much does Alexa Together cost?
After Alexa Together’s 30-day free trial, subscribers can sign up for $20 per month or an annual membership for $200. Amazon also offers a bundle that gets you an Echo Show 8 and a free trial of Alexa Together for $ 130.
What equipment do you need?
Aside from a reliable Wi-Fi connection for the person receiving remote care, the only other equipment they’ll need is the Alexa app and an Echo device, preferably an Echo device. echo show, so Circle of Support caregivers and contacts can use features like Drop In to remotely check in on their loved ones via video call. However, for best results, it’s ideal to have a variety of Echo devices scattered around the customer’s home; that way, your loved one can easily interact with Alexa without having to navigate to a specific part of your home.
Ideally, caregivers will also have an Alexa device like the echo show for Drop In purposes, but all they really need is access to the Alexa app.
How do you set up Alexa Together?
To use Alexa Together, both the loved one and the caregiver will need to create and link two separate Amazon.com accounts to the same Alexa Together subscription. If your loved one can’t create an account for themselves, you can always create one in their name. The customer will also require a single Echo device to use the plan, which they can also set up and activate if their loved one does not have the ability to do so.
Just buy whatever device you’d like them to have and have it shipped to your address to set it up, and be sure to choose the Gift option during checkout to ensure the Echo hardware isn’t automatically linked to your own Amazon account.
Once you’ve received your loved one’s Echo device, the setup process is almost identical to activating a non-Alexa Echo Together product, but with two exceptions: You’ll sign in to the device with Alexa’s Amazon account. your loved one and i will be adding your loved one’s Wi-Fi information to the Echo product without actually connecting to it.
To do so, after the initial setup, go to settings and select Network > Add a network, then enter your loved one’s network information and select Save.
Once your loved one has received their Echo device, the only thing left to do is activate the Alexa Together plan. To start the process, head over to the Alexa Together page. Select the Start your 30-day free trial , after which you will be asked to enter the payment information for the plan. After this, choose Activate Alexa together.
On the next screen, you will need to indicate whether you are the caregiver or the person receiving support. Assuming you’re the caregiver, you’ll be asked to enter your loved one’s name and Amazon email address to send them an Alexa Together invite. They’ll then need to open that email themselves, where they’ll be asked to confirm some basic information and provide an address for Urgent Responders (more on that later).
What are some features of Alexa Together?
Now that we’ve gone over the basics of Alexa Together in terms of cost, equipment, and general setup, let’s take a look at some of the platform’s most useful features and how you and your loved ones can use them.
Activity feed and customizable alerts
One of the biggest reassurance capabilities of the Alexa Together suite is the ability to simply know that your loved ones are awake. This confirmation is achieved through a live activity dashboard that is designed to grant privacy and independence to the person receiving care, but also to give an indication to the caregiver that daily life is continuing as normal.
Let’s say your elderly father normally wakes up and starts his day around 8 am each morning. If her loved one remembers to say “Alexa, good morning” to her Echo Show each morning, Alexa will add this Echo interaction to her Alexa Together shared activity. And if they could use a friendly reminder to say “good morning” to Alexa, you can easily set one up for them.
To do this, go to the Alexa Together dashboard in the Alexa app and select Tips > Learn more > Create a reminder. You can also create reminders on the remote support page (more on this below) by choosing Reminder > Add reminder. From here, you will be able to customize what time the reminder occurs, on what date, and how often it should repeat.
Now, let’s say there’s no reported activity with Alexa beyond the agreed upon time of 8am. In this case, Alexa Together will issue an alert to the caregiver’s Alexa app, letting you know that your loved one hasn’t used their Echo device yet. along with the option to communicate using Drop In or a regular call.
The activity dashboard will record all sorts of Alexa and third-party smart device interactions, such as the launch of a music streaming service, motion detected by a home camera or motion sensor, and even sensor activation. contact to inform you. that your loved one opened the medicine cabinet to take their daily pills. And while all of these reporting parameters can be customized to only issue activity notifications during certain time periods, Alexa Together will only send broad alerts to the caregiver. For example, if your loved one asks Alexa to play a certain song using Spotify, Alexa Together will record this activity as Entertainmentwithout reporting which song was actually played.
Caregivers will also have the ability to view an entire day’s worth of activity notifications, along with pings from previous days, by selecting See all activity.
Remote support capabilities
In the Remote Assist dashboard, caregivers will have access to a range of Alexa Together features that integrate seamlessly with their loved ones’ Alexa ecosystem.
We’ve already covered the practical reminders feature to create and customize unique, infrequent, and daily reminders for Alexa to ping your loved one’s Echo hardware. He Contacts The tab allows the caregiver to add friends and family to Alexa Together’s contact record and Circle of Support. Echo Device Settings will allow you to customize various elements of your loved one’s Alexa Together-enabled Echo device, while Voice Feedback will allow you to fine-tune exactly how your loved one can hear and interact with Alexa.
Shopping List will let you create, add, and remove items from a shared shopping list, much like Alexa’s normal shopping list capability, and Music & Podcasts will let you set up and manage different streaming services that you your loved one can access with their Echo Device.
circle of support
While the primary Alexa Together subscription is shared between a client and a caregiver, the latter will be able to add additional friends and family to an emergency contact list, billed as the Circle of Support. This will allow Alexa Together to broadcast activity notifications and alerts to a variety of contacts in addition to the primary caregiver, along with call and delivery capabilities (when and where appropriate) to get in touch with your loved one in the event of an emergency.
At this time, you can add up to 10 Circle of Support contacts to an Alexa Together plan.
24-hour emergency services and fall detection
As part of the Alexa Together subscription, your loved ones will have access to 24/7 emergency dispatchers. Your loved one can easily communicate with the platform’s on-call Emergency Response unit with just a simple “Alexa, call for help” command, which will automatically ping the caregiver and Circle of Support contacts with a notification that the team Urgent Response was called upon.
Plus, you can link a number of third-party fall detection products to your Alexa Together system, including devices from companies like Vayyar, SkyAngelCare, and Altumview. In the event a fall is detected, you will be notified instantly and your loved one can call the Emergency Response team and Circle of Support contacts.
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