Ever felt like someone’s stalking you through your Alexa device?
It’s the stuff of nightmares, right?
And it’s why many would rather switch off Alexa’s Drop In feature.
But is it really that bad, though?
Well, I’ve got the answers for you. So dive right in and…
Continue reading to find out:
- How to easily turn off Alexa’s Drop In feature.
- How to set or remove drop in permissions for your contacts.
- What indicators will let you know that someone’s dropping in.
- And much, much more…
Can you drop in on Alexa without them knowing
You can’t drop in on Alexa without them knowing. If you want to drop in with someone who isn’t from your household, you’ll need permission first. And when you drop in, the other person will see a spinning green light on their device. In addition, they’ll also hear a notification sound.
Alexa drop in feature: what is it?
Alexa’s Drop In feature allows you to connect instantly with others from your household.
It basically turns your Echo device into an intercom.
Say you’re in the kitchen. And you’re done preparing food.
If you want to call your family for dinner, no need to yell.
You can simply drop in via Alexa. And your family will hear your message in every room with an Echo. And they’ll be able to communicate back.
In addition, you may also drop in using the Alexa mobile app.
This is great if you’re outside. And you want to check in on the people in your house.
Setting it up is really easy. It’ll only take a few taps on your mobile phone.
How to set up Alexa’s Drop In feature?
Step #1: On your mobile phone, tap the Alexa app.
Step #2: Select Devices. You can find it on the bottom right of your screen.
Step #3: Select Echo & Alexa. It’s on the top left of your screen.
Step #4: You’ll now see a list of all Echo devices in your household. Click one of them.
Step #5: Scroll down to Communications and tap it.
Step #6: Select Announcements and enable it. This is if you’d prefer a one-way communication. You can drop in with a message, but the other person won’t be able to reply.
Step #7: After enabling Announcements, click the back arrow.
Step #8: Select Drop In.
Here, you’ll see 3 options:
- On.
- Off.
- My Household.
Only devices from your account can drop in if you select My Household.
So if you have an Echo in your bedroom, only Echo devices from other rooms in your house can drop in.
If you select On, then your permitted contacts can drop in.
And when is it ideal to select this?
If you’d like friends and family from other areas to be able to drop in on your Echo devices at home. If you select this option, you’ll need to permit them as well.
I’ll provide the steps for that in a bit.
Step #9: Go back to the Echo and Alexa menu.
You’re already done with one device. Wait for about 30 seconds so that Alexa can establish a connection. After that, it’s now ready for drop ins.
Simply repeat steps 4 to 9 for other Echo devices in your household.
Note: If there are multiple Echo devices in one room, it’s best to activate Drop In on only one of them. This is to avoid audio feedback when someone drops in.
How to grant Drop In permission to your contacts
Now I did mention just mention drop in options.
If you selected On, you’d need to permit your contacts.
This is how you can do it:
- Open the Alexa app on your mobile phone.
- Select Communicate. It’s on the bottom left of your screen.
- Tap the Contacts icon in the upper right corner.
- Select the contact that you’d like to grant permission to.
- Select My Communication Settings.
- Select Allow Drop In.
They may now be able to drop in on your home Echo devices using the app.
Alexa drop in feature: what happens when you drop in?
When you drop in, the other people’s Echo devices will light up. They’ll see a spinning green light indicating that someone’s dropping in. They’ll also hear a notification sound. And you’ll also be able to hear each other.
You may communicate for as long as you’d like. And since multiple devices are allowed on drop ins, you may even do a group talk.
The drop in will only end if you or someone says some of the following:
- “Alexa, stop.”
- “Alexa, end call.”
- “Alexa, end drop in.”
Any variation of those phrases should do.
And if you’re dropping in from the app, you may simply press the Hang Up button.
How to turn off drop in on Alexa?
If you’d like to turn off the drop in on a particular Echo device:
- Launch the Alexa app on your phone.
- Select Devices.
- Select Echo & Alexa.
- Select the device from the list.
- Scroll down to Communications and tap it.
- Select Drop In.
- Tap the Off option.
Repeat the steps for all other devices where you don’t want drop ins.
Are there different ways to drop in on Alexa?
There are 2 different ways to drop in on Alexa. One is to drop in using voice commands on your Echo. The other is to drop in using the Alexa mobile app.
How to drop in via voice command
- Say “Alexa, drop in *the name of the room you’d like to drop in*.”
- Wait for Alexa to say, “Okay, dropping in.”
- Wait for the light indicator on Echo to start spinning and turn green.
You may now begin to talk.
Just make sure that the name of the room you mention is the same in your app.
Otherwise, Alexa wouldn’t know where to drop in.
“What if I want to drop in on all of the rooms in my house?”
In that case, just say, “Alexa, drop in on all devices.”
Now if you’re outside the house, you may drop in via the app. The steps are also simple.
How to drop in using the Alexa app
- Open the Alexa app on your mobile phone.
- Tap the Communicate option.
- Tap the Drop In option at the top of your screen.
- Select the Echo device you’d like to drop in.
You should see an indicator that the other device is now ready. You may then start speaking.
In addition to dropping in, you may also just announce. This is ideal if you’re not planning to chat. And you just want to say something quickly.
How to announce via voice command
- Say “Alexa, announce.”
- Say your announcement.
- Wait for Alexa to say “Announcing.”
Your message will then be played on all Echo devices in your household.
If you’d like to see how to drop in and announce, watch this video below:
People also ask:
Can you silently drop in on Alexa?
You can’t silently drop in on Alexa. If you try to drop in, the other person will see a spinning green light indicator on their Echo. They’ll also be able to hear a notification sound. So even if you mute your Echo, they’ll still know.
Privacy has always been a common concern with Alexa devices. Some are worried that their Alexa might be hacked. And it’s why many would rather not use features like Drop In.
However, Amazon is already aware of these concerns. And they’ve added safeguards for their users’ peace of mind.
In addition, you may always choose to switch off features. You can also just mute, unplug, or move your Alexa device to another room.
And it pays to be aware of the meaning of Alexa’s lights. They’ll help alert you to what’s going on.
How do you know if someone drops in on your Alexa?
You’ll know if someone drops in on your Alexa through the light indicator. Your Echo device will have a green spinning light. And it’ll keep doing that until one of you ends the drop in. You’ll also hear a bell-like sound indicator.
But don’t worry. No outsider can drop in on your Alexa without your permission.
And if you previously granted someone permission but you’d like to change it…
These are the steps:
- Launch the Alexa app on your phone.
- Tap Communicate.
- Select the Contacts icon.
- Select the contact from the list.
- Tap My Communication Settings.
- Toggle the Allow Drop In option to Off.
Does Alexa show when you drop in?
Alexa doesn’t show when you drop in. But the spinning green light indicator should let the other person know. They’ll also hear a notification bell. And if you didn’t press mute on your Echo, they’ll also hear sounds coming from you.
You might also want to check out: 3 Steps To Turn Off Green Light On Alexa