Configure Alexa From Afar for Mom

An under-reported feature of Amazon's Echo is its potential as a game-changing device for seniors and the disabled. My 90-year-old mother is among those that loves her "Alexa" and the freedom voice control brings for someone whose eyes aren't what they used to be. However, if a new feature requires configuration, that can be a problem for family "helpers", like myself, that are not nearby.

This is where Alexa's web app can be a godsend - enabling remote Echo configuration.

The problem: it was a challenge for Mom to keep track of her schedule of varying homecare assistants and doctor appointments. Wouldn't it be great if she could just ask Alexa what was on her calendar? Alas, this requires using the Alexa app to link a Google Calendar account to Echo. I wouldn't be able to set this up until my next visit in several weeks.

Thankfully, I discovered the web version of the Alexa configuration app. I was able to create a Google Calendar account for mom and, using the Echo web app, link it to her Alexa. My wife and I can now update her Google calendar with doctor appointments and homecare schedules, and mom can simply ask Alexa what's on her calendar for a given day! We were able to set it up that day, not wait until our next visit.

The big downside of this: it requires knowledge of your family member's Amazon logon credentials. The first step of the Web setup app requires logging onto their Echo, using their Amazon ID/password. That's an awful lot to ask - it means the family member has to trust you will not abuse the use of that information.

Dear Amazon - an idea: management permissions for Echo, authorized by the owner. It would be better if my mother could authorize my Amazon ID to make changes for her through the Echo app - without having to share her credentials. This feature would enable seniors and others to get an occasional helping hand while still maintaining necessary privacy.

Web-based Alexa App to Control Your Echo from Laptop or Desktop

There is a web-based version of the Amazon Alexa app, a little-known, power user feature.  Here’s the scoop how to control Alexa over the web.

Amazon’s Echo is usually controlled by voice, but the Alexa App is necessary for setup and configuration of various features, and can be handy for selecting music, etc. 

The typical way to use the app is via your phone or tablet. But the web app can be useful.

You can access the web version of the Alexa app at alexa.amazon.com.  Make sure your Echo has been initially set up, is part of your WiFi network, and is logged onto your Amazon account.

You will be asked to sign in with your Amazon credentials.

You'll then see a web version of the same Alexa app available on your phone or tablet.  The web app gives you the same control you have over your Echo using the device app. 

Change settings.

Control what music is playing. 

Enable skills. And more.

This shows control of Amazon Echo is truly cloud-based. I had thought maybe the device-based app was going through Bluetooth or local WiFi requiring proximity.  But no - when you use the Alexa app you're communicating with the cloud - which then governs your local Alexa. This is what makes web-based control possible.

The Alexa web app can be quite handy. If I'm working on my laptop, it's much easier to switch to the Alexa app window and check something out, vs. pulling out my phone and using the app there. You gotta love a 24 inch desktop screen for convenience if you're at your desk anyway. The web app also enables control of Echo from a remote location, say for an elderly relative.

Control of Alexa via the web is another useful feature of the Amazon Echo.