How to Make Phone Calls and Video Calls Using Amazon’s Alexa

The estimated reading time for this post is 5 minutes

Alexa has thousands of skills, and one of the most useful ones may be the ability to make phone calls using your Echo device or the Alexa app on your phone. Originally, phone calls were only available Alexa to Alexa but an update now lets you call landline and cell phone numbers using Alexa.

Calls using Alexa can be made to the US, Canada and Mexico, free of charge. You can make Alexa calls to most landline and cell phone numbers, and to your contacts’ Alexa devices. You can also make video calls with Alexa.

Using Alexa to make phone calls can be handy when you want to make a hands-free call, when you want to call others within your house, when your phone isn’t close by, when you’re in distress and can’t reach your phone (though emergency services are not currently supported), or when you want to have a video chat.

How to Make Calls Using Alexa

To make calls using Alexa, you must first have the Alexa app on your phone or tablet.

• Alexa app for iPhone
• Alexa app for Android

Alexa calling is also available using the Alexa app on the Kindle Fire tablet, generation 4 and later.

After you download the Alexa app, it will ask for permissions to make calls and to access your contacts. You need to do both to enable calling using Alexa. You also need to give permission for the Alexa app to access your microphone and camera for Alexa calling.

This Amazon video shows you how to make calls using Alexa:

Alexa Voice Calls to Landline and Cell Phones Using Echo

You can make Alexa calls to landline and cell phones using your voice with an Echo device. Ask Alexa to call one of your contacts or speak the phone number you want to call.

Alexa will place the call and, after the person answers, you can talk and listen through your Echo device.

Alexa Voice Calls Using the Alexa App

To make calls using the Alexa app on your phone or tablet, open the app and from the home page, tap the conversation icon at the bottom of the screen.

You’ll see a list of your friends who have Alexa calling set up on the app and who have Echo devices. Tap a name to place a call to one of those people.  One the next screen, tap the phone icon at the top of the screen to make a call. You will be given a choice of audio or video call. Tap either one to begin the call.

Tap the person icon at the top of the screen to call one of your contacts. Then tap the contact you want to call.

Alexa Video Calls

You can make video calls to your contacts using the Alexa app, the Echo Show and Echo Spot. You and your friend must both have the Alexa app to make video calls.

Alexa video calls can be made from Echo Show or Echo Spot to the Alexa app and vice versa.

To use the Alexa app to make a video call, follow the instructions above and tap “Video Call” in the Alexa app to make a video call.

To make a video call using the Echo Show or Spot, ask Alexa to call one of your contacts who has an Echo Show or Spot, or has the Alexa app. These contacts can be found in the Alexa app, as described above.

Calls Between Your Echo Devices

You can also make calls between Echo devices in your home, if you have more than one Echo, so that your Echoes work like a home intercom system.

Look in the Alexa app under Settings to see the names of your Echo devices. (Re-name them if you need a handy way to remember what to call them.) Then ask Alexa to call the name of your Echo device.

For example, let’s say you’re in the kitchen and your children are upstairs doing homework. You can call them on an Echo to ask them to come downstairs for dinner. Say, “Alexa, call Upstairs Echo” (if that’s what you’ve named your upstairs Echo) and the Upstairs Echo will ring.

Receiving a Call on Echo

You may receive calls on your Echo devices after you’ve set up Alexa calling. When someone calls you using Echo or Alexa, all of your registered Echo devices will receive the call.

You will know when a call is coming in because your Echo will start ringing. On Echo devices without a screen, a green ring will appear at the top of the Echo when a call is coming in. On the Echo Show or Spot, the call will be announced on the screen, along with information about who is calling, if available.

To answer a call, command Alexa to “Answer.” On the Echo Show or Spot you can tap the answer button on the screen.

To hang up, tell Alexa to “End the Call.”

If you don’t want to receive calls on your Echo device, tell Alexa to “Turn on Do Not Disturb.”

Leaving a Message on Alexa

If no one answers your call, you can leave a message using Alexa if they have an Echo device or the Alexa app on their phone or tablet. A notice will appear on their Echo device as a yellow ring or as an announcement on their Echo Show or Spot.

What Else You Should Know

If one of your contacts has an Echo device, but doesn’t have the Alexa app, you will not be able to call their Echo device. You will be able to call their phone by telling Alexa their phone number, or their name if they are in your Contacts.

Emergency services, such as 911, are not available using Alexa calling.

Calls currently cannot be placed to the Alexa app or Echo devices from a landline or cell phone.

Alexa calls will use your monthly cellular data if you are using the Alexa app on your phone or tablet and are not connected to Wi-Fi. Unless you have an unlimited data plan, you may want to wait until you’re connected to Wi-Fi to make a video call using Alexa.

=> Learn more at Using Wi-Fi vs. Cellular Data (and Why You Should Care)

You must either know the phone number or have the person in your contacts to make a call. You cannot, for example, tell Alexa to call a business that isn’t in your Contact list.

And, if you forget all of this, you can always ask, “Alexa, how do I make an Alexa call?” or you can read this article again…

For more information on Alexa calling, check out the Alexa Calling and Messaging FAQ section of the Alexa Help Page on Amazon. Also see Alexa Terms of Use to learn how Amazon uses the information it gathers from Alexa

Your Thoughts

Have you ever made a call using Alexa? Do you find Alexa calling useful? What features would you like to see added to Alexa calling?

Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!