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Alexa- Anyone else having trouble with her?!!

(35 Posts)
Curlywhirly Sun 27-Nov-22 15:03:17

We have an Alexa in our kitchen and have to say we don't use it much, but I find it handy for listening to music as I'm preparing our meals. We have had no issues with it until recently - she has started to randomly make unsolicited comments! She has announced on a few occasions that someone is at the door, but, we don't have a camera door bell! The first couple of times there was no one at the door, but yesterday she piped up that someone was just as my husband was coming in! Scary. I've unplugged it!

welshchrissy Mon 28-Nov-22 13:18:39

I love my Alexa and I don’t care if it’s listening in or recording me. I do and say nothing that would interest anyone else. I just hope that if they are capable of listing in they listen in to the right people and perhaps something heard will prevent my children or grandchildren being blown up in some terrorist act.

LondonMzFitz Mon 28-Nov-22 13:09:53

I find, working from home at my little office set up in my bedroom, my Alexa dot is my alarm clock, radio, Kindle Audible and reminds me on a Thursday to put the bins out ....

I have dry eyes (laser surgery years ago) so if I wake in the night I no longer need to rub my eyes and check the time, I keep my eyes shut and ask Alexa for the time. And I can drift off again. Dropping off to sleep to Desert Island Discs.

Madly enjoyable for not a lot of money.

MiniMoon Mon 28-Nov-22 10:58:54

I've got an echo spot in my bedroom. I don't use it for anything but the clock and sleep sounds. The image on the screen started to jump a few months ago and I've never been able to fix it. I think it's a problem with them. I might replace it with a new Dot that shows the time.

kittylester Mon 28-Nov-22 10:44:08

We also keep the cameras off. No point scaring them (who evercthey might be,) unnecessarily.

Seriously though, of what possible interest could we be.

kittylester Mon 28-Nov-22 10:40:20

I really don't think anyone would learn anything of not by listening in to our ramblings. Unless the eaves dropper is interested in the price of houses on our road and whether we and our immediate neighbours are the only people planning on staying put.

annodomini Mon 28-Nov-22 09:54:49

I have Alexa in the bedroom. I play Classic FM to relax while I read myself to sleep. When I turn out the light, I ask Alexa to stop playing after 20 minutes after which I am fast asleep - almost always. I have an Echo Show in the sitting room on which I record my shopping list and enjoy seeing the happy little face of my great granddaughter. Oh and I keep the camera off.

OnwardandUpward Mon 28-Nov-22 09:04:05

We have never had an Alexa because we do not want to be listened to by who knows who.

If we want music or anything else, we are quite capable of pressing a button ourselves.

kittylester Mon 28-Nov-22 07:52:41

We switched ours in the sound bar off as we had one in the lounge already.

We have 2 shows in our bedroom . Mostly for the clock but dh uses his to play nature sounds which masks his tinnitus. We have dots in each of the other bedrooms, one on the landing and a show in the kitchen. We love them.

ParlorGames Mon 28-Nov-22 07:43:12

Our Alexa is integrated in the sound bar which is under the TV. She will occasionally respond to a command on a television programme and doesn't always co-operate if we ask about the weather etc. Haven't found her to be very reliable to be honest and certainly wouldn't reply on her to remind me about lists, appointments etc.

Lollin Mon 28-Nov-22 07:33:25

We have pondered about having one. recently stayed in a cottage that had one. We found it great fun for making silly requests and listening to music instantly. If it recorded I’m hoping all will be well as I’m sure we only made really positive comments about the lovely property, not sure what I may have grumbled about my DH though!

Oopsadaisy1 Mon 28-Nov-22 07:26:08

I use my Alexa all of the time, like LadyGracie.
But the other day I asked her to play my playlist and she went a bit doolally, I asked her what on earth she was doing and she told me she would contact my Emergency Contact, MissOops called me and said that Alexa had said I was needed urgently!

This thread reminds me of a joke I heard a couple of years ago.

Neighbour: I’m very concerned that the Government are spying on us.

I laughed, my husband laughed, my Grandchildren laughed.

Alexa laughed……….

LadyGracie Sun 27-Nov-22 23:21:43

We have a show, 3 dots and 2 other things that respond to Alexa, I love them, you can ask them anything and you'll get the answer. I use them as kitchen timers, my shopping list, reminders, appointments.

Oldbat1 Sun 27-Nov-22 23:10:34

My downstairs Alexa switched herself on during the night! I was blaming my rather odd neighbour for the music but it was our Alexa. She has been doing odd things recently - perhaps she needs a reboot.

Callistemon21 Sun 27-Nov-22 22:44:54

B9exchange

When I learned that Alexa recorded conversations and sent them out to India for training call centre operatives in English, I vowed never to get one! grin

Really?

Ours wakes up sometimes in the evenings, lights up, whirls around for a while, even if no-one speaks to her.
mine sometimes responds to the television
Ah, perhaps she's responding to the telly.

The spy in the corner of the room 🤔

imaround Sun 27-Nov-22 22:22:22

I love my Alexa, though she does seem to go a bit random at times.

I do not care if she is recording our conversations and sending them to India. All they will learn from me is choice American curse words at best. I have been known to tell Alexa off when she gets crazy.

crazyH Sun 27-Nov-22 21:29:35

Home

crazyH Sun 27-Nov-22 21:29:14

I have two. The downstairs one, I hardly use, but the one in my bedroom is great, for news, soft music, quizzes (if I can’t sleep) ,followed by monsoon sounds , to remind me of hone and send me to sleep . Love it !

Floradora9 Sun 27-Nov-22 21:12:25

I love mine we have two shows ( with a screen ) and two dots. Ours are used every day for radio, weather advice and I use mine to read my kindle books . I love to be able to play my playlist of favourite classical music and to be able to say a meal is ready to all the rooms .

Kim19 Sun 27-Nov-22 17:28:51

Yes. I want rid of her completely but have comp!etely failed so far. She has actually messed up my iPad considerably. I now have to enter through a back door and this frustrates me no end. My incompetence knows no bounds.

Charleygirl5 Sun 27-Nov-22 16:32:42

My 3 are good weather forecasters. Very occasionally I will ask about the local weather and discover what is happening in India. She will respond if a name close to Alexa is heard on TV.

I asked her today where my "stuff" was to discover I had not sent the request. She does have a few uses.

B9exchange Sun 27-Nov-22 16:11:05

Just two examples. I just don't like the thought of being listened to...

www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6910791/Alexa-listening-conversations.html

www.thesun.co.uk/tech/10981326/amazon-alexa-spying-listening-bbc-panorama/

MiniMoon Sun 27-Nov-22 16:09:46

You can delete all your conversations with Alexa.
We have four. One in the bedroom, with the camera turned off blush, one in what GH laughingly call his office, and one each in the kitchen and living room.
We love them all. I changed the voice and name in the living room. Male voice with the name Ziggy.
We haven't had any strange comments though.

Daddima Sun 27-Nov-22 16:00:31

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/alexa-recording-your-conversations-heres-17779015

I’ve just been listening to my recordings. Nothing noteworthy.

cornergran Sun 27-Nov-22 15:44:52

We’ve got four now, useful things for music and the news. When not in use the microphone is turned off, she doesn’t hear a thing then. No random comments so far.

JaneJudge Sun 27-Nov-22 15:44:44

mine sometimes responds to the television