Now You Can Ask Alexa to Read Your Email Messages Aloud

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Alexa got a BIG update last week that lets Alexa read your email messages aloud to you. You can just ask Alexa to read your emails to start your day while you’re brushing your teeth, getting dressed, shaving, or doing the cha-cha.

This new Alexa skill is available in the updated Alexa app, but only in the U.S. for now. This skill works with Gmail, and Microsoft Outlook, Hotmail, and Live email accounts. If you use a different email account, such as Yahoo, Verizon, AOL, or other service, you won’t be able to use this Alexa skill for now.

Amazon is rolling out this skill, so if you don’t see it yet in your updated Alexa app, be sure to keep checking for future app updates.

What Alexa Can Do With Your Email

Alexa can read your email messages as well as perform other email related tasks.

Alexa Reading Your Emails

After you connect your email account to Alexa, you can use this new skill to have Alexa read your emails aloud. When you ask Alexa to read your emails, it will read the messages that have arrived in your inbox over the last 24 hours. If you have an Echo Show, the screen will show you the sender of the email and the subject line, but not the message itself.

But that’s not all it does…

Other Things Alexa Can Do with Email

Alexa can do things beyond reading your email messages aloud. After Alexa finishes reading an email message, it will ask you what you want to do with that message.

You can:

• skip to the next message
• trash it
• archive it
• reply to it

You can also ask Alexa to compose a new message and send it to one of your contacts.

In the Alexa app is an option to automatically add “Sent by Alexa” at the end of the email messages you compose using Alexa, in the event that Alexa misinterprets your request or misspells a word or a name.

You can also ask Alexa if you have received an email message from a specific person.

How to Connect Your Email Account with Alexa

To use Alexa to read your email, you must first connect your email account to Alexa. As stated above, Alexa can connect with only Gmail, and Microsoft Outlook, Hotmail, and Live email accounts.

To connect your email account, go to the Alexa app on your phone and tap the three stacked lines in the upper left corner of the screen. A menu will open, choose Settings at the bottom.

In the Settings screen, scroll down to the Alexa Preferences category, then find Email & Calendar. If you only see Calendar instead of Email & Calendar then you do not yet have access to this Alexa skill.

On the next screen you’ll see a list of email accounts you can connect to Alexa. Tap the + sign next to the email service you use to log into your account and connect it to Alexa.

After you have connected your Alexa account to your email account, you should be able to use this email skill.

What Else You Should Know

Be aware that if you connect your email account to Alexa, that means Amazon will have access to your email messages. CNBC checked with Amazon about the privacy policy for Alexa’s access to emails. This was Amazon’s reply:

In order for email to work on Alexa, you must first link your email account in the Alexa app. By linking your account, some of your contacts and email messages are stored in the cloud to provide the service. This information is encrypted and stored securely in Amazon’s servers. Amazon does not read an individual’s email, except in very specific cases such as if that individuals asks us to do so or when we need to for security or compliance purposes, such as investigating a bug or abuse.”

Speaking of privacy, when you use this skill, make sure when Alexa reads your email messages that no one is listening who may be surprised by them. For example, if you receive a confirmation email for a gift you just ordered, you may not want anyone to listen to Alexa reading that message.

Also note that other people who are near your Echo device will be able to ask Alexa to read your email messages. So if you use your email account for confidential communications, this Alexa skill may not be the best one for you to use.

If you get a lot of emails, using this Alexa skill to read all of your messages may become annoying. Instead, you could ask if you received an email from a certain person if you’re expecting an important message.

Your Thoughts

Do you think Alexa reading your emails is a handy skill? Will you be connecting your email account to Alexa? Do you hope Amazon expands this skill to other email services and outside the U.S.?

Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!

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*Amazon Echo image (edited) courtesy of Fabian Hurnaus via Pexels and Creative Commons