Adding to the wide variety of tasks users can complete with Alexa on Amazon’s Echo products is the Alexa to do list. Alexa is Amazon’s virtual assistant that helps Echo product owners check the weather, set a timer, or even control their smart home devices. There are even Amazon Alexa hacks that allow consumers to get a wider variety of usability out of the devices. There are a few kinds of to do lists Alexa can create for users, including the Alexa Shopping List, lists created by third-party developers, and Alexa Skill lists.
Alexa To Do List
The most common and easiest to use of the Alexa to do lists is the Alexa Shopping List. Users can create a shopping list or to do list with up to 100 items, with 256 characters per item. Although Alexa will add items to the list regardless of whose voice says the item, she currently cannot create separate shopping or to-do lists for each person. Because of this, users may want to add a different list through a third-party of skill to keep independent shopping lists and to-do lists for various household members. The different commands to access and add to the Alexa shopping/to do lists are “Alexa, add cat food to my shopping list”, “Alexa, add go to gym to my to do list”, and “Alexa, what’s on my to do list?”
Lists can also be easily accessed from the Amazon Alexa app. To see or edit a list, go to the main menu and tap Lists. From there users can choose to view a shopping list or to do list. Items in the lists can be deleted or completed, and new items can be added. On Echo Show (and the soon to be released Echo Spot), users can ask Alexa to show the list (“Alexa, show me my shopping list”), where edits and additions can be made. It seems that items can only be deleted using verbal commands on the Echo Show, not on other Echo devices.
For users who prefer to have a physical list on hand while shopping, the list can also be printed. Users just need to go to the Amazon website on their computer, open up the Alexa to do list, and press print.
Third-Party Alexa To Do List Apps
There are currently two third-party lists that Alexa can utilize: Any.do and Todoist. Users must first have an account with either of the sites. Both are free, but provide premium services at prices ranging from $2 – $3 per month. Linking the services to Alexa provides an easy way for users to verbally add to and modify their lists. Amazon warns that not all functions are supported through Alexa. To connect the list app to Alexa, open the Alexa app and choose settings. Then tap lists, and tap link to link the app. Here users can either log in with their information or create a new account. The account can be unlinked by selecting unlink in the same list settings. The commands to use are the same as Alexa’s shopping and to do lists (“Alexa, add milk to my shopping list.”)
Alexa Skills List
Alexa is also capable of adding items to lists that are created through Skills. Skills are created by third-party developers and allow Alexa to complete a variety of tasks like providing specialized information or setting up a special trivia game. Some developers have created additional lists that Alexa can contribute to. To have Alexa utilize one of these lists, users can say, “Alexa, tell Grocery Bag to add bread to my list” or “Alexa, ask Cozi Lists to add go to store to my to do list”. There are also skills that allow users to take notes or set reminders, so they can keep these items separate from their shopping or to do lists.
Amazon Shopping Cart
Another feature of Alexa is that she can place orders for users through Amazon. She can reorder an item or check to see when an item will be delivered. She can also add items to a user’s cart for their review later, which can act as a kind of list. Since many people are moving to receive groceries through Amazon Fresh, their Amazon cart can act as their shopping list. Users who utilize Alexa can often get deals on food items when they use her to order their groceries.