FEBRUARY 2019 PCWorld 101either send a custom
notification to the
Alexa app, or
broadcast a custom
message to Echo and
Fire TV devices.
Music will play a
song, artist, or playlist
from your choice of
Amazon Music, Spotify,
iHeartRadio, Pandora,
or TuneIn. (If you don’t
see all these options,
sign in first through
Settings > Music in the
Alexa app.) You can also set a timer to make
the music stop automatically after a while.
News will have Alexa read your Flash
briefing, which itself can be customized
through Settings > Flash Briefing in the
Alexa app.
Smart Home can control your smart
lights, locks, thermostat, and more,
assuming you’ve set them up with Alexa
already (go.pcworld.com/smhm). (If you’ve
created any Groups under the Devices tab of
the Alexa app, you can also control
everthing in a group at once.)
Traffic will have Alexa read a traffic
report, assuming you’ve set up commute
details through Settings > Traffic in the
Alexa app.
Wait will make Alexa pause for a given
amount of time between actions.
Weather will make Alexa announce the
local forecast.
Once you’ve set up an action, you’ll
head to an Edit Routine menu, where you
can further customize the Routine. To make
more things happen, hit the + button next
to Add Action, and then select another
action from the menu. You can then press
and drag the = button next to any action to
rearrange its order, or tap on the action itself
to modify it.
For certain trigger types, you can also
specify which Alexa device will provide the
audio output under the From section. Either
choose a specific device, or select “the
device you speak to,” which even works with
the Alexa app on your phone.
Finally, take note of the Enabled toggle at
the top of the screen. Switching this off willSpecify which Alexa device provides the audio output in the From section.