Echo & Alexa Forums
General Category => Amazon Echo Discussion => Topic started by: StevenR on December 08, 2017, 11:48:33 am
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Has anybody else tried the new "Alexa says" action which has been added to Routines?
It allows you to select from a range of categorised phrases for Alexa to speak when triggering the routine. Unfortunately you are limited to that selection of phrases, you cannot create custom phrases. Also, behind the scenes, it appears to use the "Simon Says" functionality.
This means it is subject to the same issue as "Simon Says" (may only be an issue in the UK) where Alexa will randomly say "I heard phrase" rather than just repeating the phrase.
I tested a routine which starts of by saying "Good morning", triggering it several times, and it randomly says "I heard good morning" instead which spoils the effect somewhat.
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I'm in Canada, I think it may be a UK issue.
I have no problems creating custom commands and have yet to have Alexa reply with the "I heard phrase"
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This is a prime example of user error. I checked it out and the OP is using the feature wrong. You were not supposed to say the phrase to trigger the routine. But rather you schedule it like an alarm to trigger alexa says.
Example. The bday phrase. You set a time on your bday like an alarm for alexa to greet you on your bday first thing in the morning, capicé?
Haven't used any routine yet but pretty sure I am right on the concept of Alexa says.
And no, it definitely does not work like simon says, LOL.
Don't blame the AI, blame the user. LOL.
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Actualy you can trigger by time or by saying the phrase. I do this every nite.
I Say Alexa Go to sleep and she sends a off command to everything. In the morning I say Alexa good morning and she turns on my TV and cable box as well as speaks my flash briefings ;)
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This is a prime example of user error. I checked it out and the OP is using the feature wrong. You were not supposed to say the phrase to trigger the routine. But rather you schedule it like an alarm to trigger alexa says.
Example. The bday phrase. You set a time on your bday like an alarm for alexa to greet you on your bday first thing in the morning, capicé?
Haven't used any routine yet but pretty sure I am right on the concept of Alexa says.
And no, it definitely does not work like simon says, LOL.
Don't blame the AI, blame the user. LOL.
I know how routines work, you can create them either triggered by saying a phrase or on a schedule.
I just created a routine as a test, containing just an Alexa Says action of "Welcome home!" and set it to go off on a schedule. It said "Welcome home!" as expected. I then edited the routine to change the time it goes off. When it went off again it said "I heard welcome home!". This is exactly what I would get here in the UK if I said "Alexa, Simon says Welcome home!". So, as I said, it would appear that the Alexa Says action is internally using the same functionality as is used if you use "Simon says" (it is effectively saying "Simon says phrase" to itself).
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Actualy you can trigger by time or by saying the phrase. I do this every nite.
I Say Alexa Go to sleep and she sends a off command to everything. In the morning I say Alexa good morning and she turns on my TV and cable box as well as speaks my flash briefings ;)
Yes. But we are talking about alexa says. Which is not meant to be voice activated.
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Actualy you can trigger by time or by saying the phrase. I do this every nite.
I Say Alexa Go to sleep and she sends a off command to everything. In the morning I say Alexa good morning and she turns on my TV and cable box as well as speaks my flash briefings ;)
Yes. But we are talking about alexa says. Which is not meant to be voice activated.
The "Alexa says" action in routine scan be used in any Routine, not just time-scheduled ones.
And, if you read my reply, this is happening for me with routines triggered by time schedule not just those triggered by voice (the first time it was triggered on the schedule it said the phrase as expected and the second time it said "I heard" before the phrase).
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This is a prime example of user error. I checked it out and the OP is using the feature wrong. You were not supposed to say the phrase to trigger the routine. But rather you schedule it like an alarm to trigger alexa says.
Example. The bday phrase. You set a time on your bday like an alarm for alexa to greet you on your bday first thing in the morning, capicé?
Haven't used any routine yet but pretty sure I am right on the concept of Alexa says.
And no, it definitely does not work like simon says, LOL.
Don't blame the AI, blame the user. LOL.
I know how routines work, you can create them either triggered by saying a phrase or on a schedule.
I just created a routine as a test, containing just an Alexa Says action of "Welcome home!" and set it to go off on a schedule. It said "Welcome home!" as expected. I then edited the routine to change the time it goes off. When it went off again it said "I heard welcome home!". This is exactly what I would get here in the UK if I said "Alexa, Simon says Welcome home!". So, as I said, it would appear that the Alexa Says action is internally using the same functionality as is used if you use "Simon says" (it is effectively saying "Simon says phrase" to itself).
So I am right. The bolded proves I am right on the concept of Alexa says. Now for the I heard welcome home. I just tried it. I am in the US but my language is UK. When I said "Alexa, Simon says Welcome home!" I got the same response.
Now, when I changed my language back to US and use the same simon says command. Alexa just said welcome home. Not - I heard welcome home.
I therefore conclude being in UK sucks coz you don't enjoy the FULL feature of alexa AS IT SHOULD BE. And so maybe that's why you got the same - I heard welcome home. On the alexa says feature. Pretty sure US users won't have that problem if they edited the schedule like you did.
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Yes. But we are talking about alexa says. Which is not meant to be voice activated.
You can add the alexa says to any routine even voice activated ones. I just retested and dont get the issue StevenR reported.
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Yes. But we are talking about alexa says. Which is not meant to be voice activated.
You can add the alexa says to any routine even voice activated ones. I just retested and dont get the issue StevenR reported.
Like I said, never used routines before so....
But as for OP's problem ... Are you in US? If you read my last reply it's coz he is not in US.
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Yes. But we are talking about alexa says. Which is not meant to be voice activated.
You can add the alexa says to any routine even voice activated ones. I just retested and dont get the issue StevenR reported.
Like I said, never used routines before so....
But as for OP's problem ... Are you in US? If you read my last reply it's coz he is not in US.
As I originally stated a UK issue. ;)
I'm in Canada, I think it may be a UK issue.
I have no problems creating custom commands and have yet to have Alexa reply with the "I heard phrase"
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Yes. But we are talking about alexa says. Which is not meant to be voice activated.
You can add the alexa says to any routine even voice activated ones. I just retested and dont get the issue StevenR reported.
LOL, ok. Guess I should have said alexa says is not meant to be voice activated by itself. And of course you can add it on any voice routine you make.
And I actually tested exactly what the OP did, edit the time on just the alexa says routine, and did not have his problem. So yap UK users, anyone want to trade countries with me? coz I love your accent and want to die there for serious. Really don't care if Alexa won't work right in there.
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Yes, I'm sure this is only a problem in the UK as just about the only other thing I can find in a Google search reporting this issue with "Simon Says" (apart from another post by me on these forums from last year) is this YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS_Cm31B5S8) (also from last year) demonstrating the issue by somebody else in the UK. I've submitted feedback to Amazon via the Alexa app regarding this, so hopefully they will fix this.
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Has anybody else tried the new "Alexa says" action which has been added to Routines?
It allows you to select from a range of categorised phrases for Alexa to speak when triggering the routine. Unfortunately you are limited to that selection of phrases, you cannot create custom phrases. Also, behind the scenes, it appears to use the "Simon Says" functionality.
This means it is subject to the same issue as "Simon Says" (may only be an issue in the UK) where Alexa will randomly say "I heard phrase" rather than just repeating the phrase.
I tested a routine which starts of by saying "Good morning", triggering it several times, and it randomly says "I heard good morning" instead which spoils the effect somewhat.
I have this exact same issue. I'm also in the UK (if relevant). Did you ever find a cure?
My Echo has a routine triggered when I say 'good morning' it says good morning, turns on a couple of lights and reads the weather.
Like yours, mine also says "I heard good morning" which as you say, is just ridiculous.
Same with 'good night', it turns a load of TP-Link plugs and lights off, then says "I heard good night" !?
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FYI, mine does this ALL the time, it's not random like yours, it says it every time :(
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Interestingly I switched my language to English (United Kingdom) and I get the same results so the issue appears it may be related to the language setting.
If I set the language to English (United states) or English (Canada) I don't get the "I heard" at the start of the responce
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I have this exact same issue. I'm also in the UK (if relevant). Did you ever find a cure?
I've not found a workaround with the "Alexa Says" action of Routines but I did find one with "Simon Says" (I was using this as part of an alarm clock app to make Alexa say things when the alarm went off) by enabling a skill called "Repeat After Me". But this has the disadvantage that you need to say "Alexa, ask Repeat After Me to say phrase" and obviously won't work with Routines.
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Interestingly I switched my language to English (United Kingdom) and I get the same results so the issue appears it may be related to the language setting.
Looking more and more like a bug then :(
I've not found a workaround with the "Alexa Says" action of Routines but I did find one with "Simon Says" (I was using this as part of an alarm clock app to make Alexa say things when the alarm went off) by enabling a skill called "Repeat After Me". But this has the disadvantage that you need to say "Alexa, ask Repeat After Me to say phrase" and obviously won't work with Routines.
Hmmm... that's not much good is it?
Before the 'Alexa says' addition, when I'd say 'good morning' it would run the routine and say 'ok' which is just as bad :-\
Not sure what else we can do now?
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Hmmm... that's not much good is it?
Before the 'Alexa says' addition, when I'd say 'good morning' it would run the routine and say 'ok' which is just as bad :-\
Not sure what else we can do now?
I'd suggest sending feedback through the Alexa app. I've already done this but, the more of us in the UK with this issue who report it, the more chance it has of being fixed.
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Done.
Not sure they'll fix it though so for now I have to go back to it replying with "ok" when I say goodnight :(
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Interestingly I switched my language to English (United Kingdom) and I get the same results so the issue appears it may be related to the language setting.
If I set the language to English (United states) or English (Canada) I don't get the "I heard" at the start of the responce
Although... thinking about it now... are there any downsides to me doing this?
If I'm in the UK and set the language to English (United States) is it likely to affect anything?
I'm not sure what that setting actually does?!
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Interestingly I switched my language to English (United Kingdom) and I get the same results so the issue appears it may be related to the language setting.
If I set the language to English (United states) or English (Canada) I don't get the "I heard" at the start of the responce
Although... thinking about it now... are there any downsides to me doing this?
If I'm in the UK and set the language to English (United States) is it likely to affect anything?
I'm not sure what that setting actually does?!
when you switch languages it will throw a warning and describes issues you may encounter.
However you can always switch back if you find the issues are unacceptable ;)
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Done.
Not sure they'll fix it though so for now I have to go back to it replying with "ok" when I say goodnight :(
I've just tried my routines and a few "Simon Says" and even, even after multiple tries, it has never said "I heard". Can you try it yourself and confirm this. If so, it looks like they may have finally fixed this!
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I've just tried my routines and a few "Simon Says" and even, even after multiple tries, it has never said "I heard". Can you try it yourself and confirm this. If so, it looks like they may have finally fixed this!
I got this reply from Amazon earlier:
Hello,
I'm sorry to know that Alexa responded with "I heard good morning"? instead of wishing good morning.
This might have happened due to an intermittent technical glitch. I request you to restart the device and try the same command.
Further, If the issue is not resolved I suggest you to reset the device. If you reset the device, any residual technical bugs or issues will get removed.
To reset your Echo device:
1. Press and hold the Microphone Off and Volume Down buttons at the same time until the light ring turns orange (about 12 seconds.) Then the light ring turns blue.
2. Wait for the light ring to turn off and on again. The light ring then turns orange again and your Echo device enters setup mode.
3. Open the Alexa app to connect your device to a Wi-Fi network and register it to your Amazon account.
After you reset the device, try accessing Alexa with your commands and check if she replies as usually.
If the problem still persists after resetting the device, please write back to us so that we will escalate this to our technical team.
I don't really want to factory reset ALL my Echo devices, that's ridiculous.
However, I will reboot them all tonight and try again.
Will let you know :)
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Success!!
Rebooted all three Echos, then last night when I said "good night" it replied with "nite nite sleep tight".
Same this morning too, replied with "good morning" correctly!
I guess they fixed it after all :)