If you’re like most people, you probably use Amazon’s Echo or Echo Dot device to play music, ask questions, control your smart home gadgets, and more. But did you know that with Alexa Drop In, you can easily connect with other Echo devices in your home or office?
You now have several Amazon Echo devices throughout your home. You already use them to control your smart home appliances, or you may utilize the multi-room audio capability to listen to music. You can also use them as a two-way intercom, though, didn’t you know? If you know how to use Alexa’s Drop-In capability, you can benefit from this feature.
Further reading: Alexa Whisper Mode Not Working: Ways To Improve It
What is Alexa Drop-In?
Drop-In enables two-way communication between Echo devices or with contacts on Alexa. Is it similar to making a call? Actually, not quite. Your intended recipient cannot decline your “call” when you drop by. When you enter, the gadget automatically connects to you, and you can then start communicating with anyone who is close to the recipient Echo.
Instead of screaming at the top of your lungs for everyone to get ready for school or to gather around the dinner table before the food becomes cold, check in with Alexa. Let’s save your voice and configure Drop In on Alexa.
How to Setup Alexa Drop In
Step 1: Open the app for Alexa on your phone.
Step 2: Click on “Devices.” This is the house-shaped icon in the bottom right corner of your screen.
Step 3: Choose an item from the list of devices.
Step 4: Under General, tap Communications.
Step 5: Choose the feature of Drop In that, you want to use. You can tap “On,” “My Household,” or “Off.”
- If you choose On, you can check in on the devices linked to your Amazon account. In the same way, you can use the feature with contacts or friends who you’ve invited to drop by.
- If you choose My Household, the drop-in feature will only work on Amazon Echo devices in your home.
- If you choose “Off,” no one can visit you.
If you turned the Drop-In switch to “On” above, you will need to give Alexa contacts permission to drop in on you next. This is how:
Step 06: Click on Talk. This is the icon that looks like a speech bubble at the bottom of the screen.
Step 07: Tap the Contacts icon. This is the icon in the upper right corner that looks like a person’s silhouette.
Step 08: Choose “Profile and Settings.” This will be at the top of your list of contacts, next to your name.
Step 09: Turn on the “Allow Drop In” switch.
Step 10: Repeat the process for the other people you want to give Drop-In access to from your contact list.
How do you use Drop In with Echo devices?
Use your Echo devices to call in.
Say “Alexa, Drop In on Home” to your Echo device.
All the Echo devices in your home or office can Drop In and call each other. So, if you have more than two Echo devices, you can say, “Alexa, Drop In on [name of Echo device],” or you can just say, “Alexa, Drop In on Home,” and Alexa will list all the Echo devices in your home, and you can choose which one you want to connect with.
Drop in on the Echo devices of people you know.
Tell your Echo, “Alexa, Drop In on [name of contact].”
Before you can use Drop In with your contacts who have an Echo device, you need to get them to download and open the Amazon Alexa app on their mobile device and then sign up for Alexa Calling and Messaging. Then, they will have to turn on Drop In for you. Once that’s done, you can just say, “Alexa, Drop In on [contact’s name].” Say the name exactly as it appears in your contact list.
Use the Amazon Alexa app to drop in.
Open the Amazon Alexa app, then go to the Conversation screen (the chat bubble icon in the bottom navigation bar) and tap Drop In. You will see a list of your Echo devices and contacts that you can Drop In on. To start a Drop-In, just pick one. The Amazon Alexa app will then let you see or hear anything within range of the connected Echo device.
How to Assign Names to Alexa for Drop In
- Open the Alexa app on your phone or tablet.
- Click on Devices.
- Choose an item from the list.
- Tap Name Edit. You can give the names of the rooms like “Living Room,” “Kitchen,” and “Game Room.”
After you give the names of the devices, you will be able to use Alexa as an intercom and Drop In on the devices. Try one of the following commands:
“Alexa, drop in on the kitchen.”
“Alexa, drop in on the living room.”
The light on your Echo will turn green when you get a Drop In.
How to stop Alexa Drop In
You can quickly turn off this feature in the Alexa app on your smartphone if you don’t want someone to drop by unexpectedly and maybe catch you doing something you don’t want people to witness. How? Read on.
Step 01. Launch the Alexa app on your phone and tap the Menu button in the top left corner.
Step 02. Choose the Settings option from the menu’s bottom.
Step 03. Choose “Device Settings“. Next, choose the device for which you want to disable the Drop-In.
Step 04. Click on “Communications.” Next, choose “Drop-In.”
Step 05. Disable the Drop-In. Select My Household if you want to limit access to people in your household only, allowing you to utilize the Echo Show to check on a baby in its cradle.
Step 06. You’re ready to go. However, you will need to repeat steps 3-5 for each additional Echo device you own.
What Is Alexa Drop In From The Computer?
With the Alexa app, it’s easy to make quick announcements and get information to people. You can use your phone, Echo devices, or Windows 10 PC to get to it. In 2018, Alexa on Windows 10 was updated with a new user interface that lets it work with new features like Drop In for video calling. You can set Alexa
Follow these steps to log in on your laptop:
- On your PC, open the Microsoft Store.
- Then look for Alexa’s app.
- Click Get, then click Install.
- Use the Windows Search Bar to open it.
- Find Alexa and use your Amazon account to sign in.
Note: Alexa is already built into PCs from Acer, HP, Lenovo, and Asus.
How to Use Drop-In From Your Smartphone
You can also use Drop In on your phone through the Alexa app. From the Alexa app, you can connect to any Echo device on your account. If you connect to an Echo Show device, it turns into a video call.
To Drop In from the Alexa app, just tap the Communications icon to bring up the Communications screen, then tap the Drop-In icon. If you tap the Echo device you want to join, the conversation will begin. Tap the red button that says “Hang Up” to end the call.
How Do You Review the History of Alexa Drop-In?
After you use the Alexa Drop-In App, all of the commands are saved to your Alexa account. Follow these steps to listen, delete, and look back at your Alexa history;
- Open your Alexa app
- Tap the “More” button and then choose “Settings.”
- Select Alexa privacy
- Select an entry or scrutinize a particular date range
What Is the Difference Between Drop-in and Announce on Alexa?
With Alexa Drop In, you can talk to other people in your home or call your friends who also have Alexa-connected devices. At the same time, Alexa sends messages to all of your Echo devices in your home.
You can use Alexa’s “announce” feature to send a message to your household only. Alexa Drop In, on the other hand, makes it easy to connect with people no matter where they are, as long as their device is Alexa-enabled and they have given you permission to drop in on them.
Both devices can send information to Alexa-enabled devices, but Drop In, which is a two-way device, can reply while Alexa Announce cannot.
FAQs:
Can you stop calls from Drop In?
Yes. Say “Alexa, turn off Drop In for my household” to stop Drop In calls. This will stop Drop In from working in the house. To turn off Drop In for a contact, turn it off on that contact’s contact card. Do Not Disturb lets you temporarily stop call drop-ins on a device (simply say, “Alexa, do not disturb”)
How safe is Drop-In?
People who care about their privacy and safety may not want to use this feature. Alexa can be set up so that only certain people can drop in. If you have an Echo Show, you can use its camera to see what’s going on in the room. If you don’t have a camera on your Dot or Echo, the drop-in feature lets the other person listen in on the room.
If someone does use the feature, Alexa will let you know with an alarm.
Can I use “drop-in” when I’m not at home?
Yes, as long as it’s turned on. Dropping in doesn’t require you to be at home or on the same Wi-Fi network. Only the Alexa app is needed (signed in to the same account of course). In 2021, almost no one will have a landline phone, so the Drop-In feature is especially useful. But not everyone wants a stranger to jump into their conversation without being asked.
Conclusion
So what is Alexa Drop-In? Simply put, it’s a way to have a voice conversation with someone using your Echo device. You can use Drop In for hands-free calling between devices in your home, or you can call another person’s Echo device even if they’re not home. It’s perfect for when you need to talk to someone and they’re not available on the phone. Just be sure that whoever you’re calling is comfortable with being called without notification first! Have you tried out Drop In yet? Let us know how it works for you in the comments below.