Echo & Alexa Forums

General Category => Echo Technical Support => Topic started by: icemanfred on March 09, 2016, 06:54:14 pm

Title: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: icemanfred on March 09, 2016, 06:54:14 pm
alexa used to say "Okay" after a command to turn on/off lights.

she doesn't do that anymore.
not sure what or how it changed .
but i would like to change it back.
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: George Jetson on March 09, 2016, 07:54:47 pm
This happened to me as well.  Now after the command she just beeps vs saying OK.

I kind of liked her saying "OK"  wish I could turn it back on.  Any ideas
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: George Jetson on March 09, 2016, 08:11:40 pm
More information regarding this new "feature"  When you ask her to turn ON the lights you will hear 2 Tones. (Low Tone and High Tone)  When you ask her to turn OFF the lights you will hear 2 tones (High Tone and Low Tone)  very subtle.  I guess I'm OK with it but question why Echo developers changed it to tones vs verbal confirmation.  The echo's core feature is that she talks to you.  Having tones to me seems silly I too wish I could turn verbal confirmations back on.  Wish there was a list of "enhancements" as they come in vs having to discover these on our own.  Glad that this forum is here to help discover the "enhancements"
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: icemanfred on March 10, 2016, 06:34:04 am
you are correct George jetson. part of the charm of interacting with echo is that you are having a conversation with it.

if anything I would rather her speak a variety of phrases to enhance this aspect like....Okay , im on it,. you got it... etc etc.

unintelligible tones is a definite step backwards and detracts from the experience.

they really need to turn it back on or allow the user to choose this  method of interaction.



Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: Deane Johnson on March 10, 2016, 02:11:51 pm
I'd like to see them make it selectable, either tones or voice.

icemanfred's suggestion for a variety of responses in addition to "OK" would be really cool.   She does it with "Alexa, Thank You", so it's likely it could be done.
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: renegade600 on March 10, 2016, 02:19:31 pm
The chime is harder to hear when across the room when there is other sound.  Everyone who dont like it should go to alexa feedback and tell them what you think of the new chime.  I personally hate it too but I know some wanted it.  I would like to see a choice. 
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: JohninCT on March 10, 2016, 06:52:19 pm
For lights, the chime is OK because I see the lights go on or off but for other commands, the OK would be better. So is the OK gone for everything? Would be nice if Amazon emailed us about updates to the Echo OS.

Also, where can you go to see these changes? Are they on some Amazon website?
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: jwlv on March 10, 2016, 10:43:54 pm
I don't like it. Quite often I am in another room and I tell Alexa to turn something on or off. A cryptic low or high pitched sound doesn't tell me much, unless I'm paying attention. An "OK" or "I cannot find that device" would be much more helpful.
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: renegade600 on March 11, 2016, 11:09:57 pm
what amazon forgets when the echo says "okay" it could be a conversation starter and a possible sale if someone hears it and asks.  A chime is nothing, just about everything chimes these days so another person would not give it a second thought.  Oh well, my microwave just chimed so my dinner is ready....gotta go
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: GadgetGirl on March 13, 2016, 12:21:50 pm
Another vote for "ok"!

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: spotlizard on March 14, 2016, 12:19:36 pm
+1 for "OK". As others have noted, the tones are almost inaudible beyond a certain distance. The verbal confirmation was useful for these functions.
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: renegade600 on March 14, 2016, 05:01:08 pm
I hope everyone who wants the ok back send feedback through the app asking for it back. 
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: icemanfred on March 15, 2016, 05:20:55 am
renegade600 is correct, please leave feedback via the alexa app. maybe they will bring back this feature.
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: corztoy1 on March 15, 2016, 05:26:24 pm
 :(  Really the neatest thing about the echo and they changed it. Just good back from vacation and asked Alexa to turn on my lights and I didn't hear it say anything. Thought it was broke till I realized my lights were on. Then I spent a lot oif time trying to see what setting might have been changed so I could change it back.  I WANT "OK" BACK!!!
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: DParker on March 18, 2016, 07:02:00 pm
For lights, the chime is OK because I see the lights go on or off but for other commands, the OK would be better.

Sometimes it's preferable for lights as well.  We have a 2-story house with 1 Echo downstairs in the family room and the other upstairs in the master bedroom.  When my wife is the last to come upstairs at night she prefers to use the MB Echo to turn off all the downstairs lights (6 of them, which are grouped so they're addressable via a single command) so that the lights don't go out while she's still downstairs.  If I have the bedroom TV on something else is making noise then the "OK" is much easier to hear.
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: Maff on March 21, 2016, 07:35:43 pm
Looks like it worked.. (all the requests to Amazon).. Sometime in the last 3 hours my 2 echos started saying "OK" again instead of the beeps!
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: DParker on March 21, 2016, 09:21:06 pm
Looks like it worked.. (all the requests to Amazon).. Sometime in the last 3 hours my 2 echos started saying "OK" again instead of the beeps!

That's the first thing my wife informed me of when I got home from work.  I guess it really is the little things in life, eh?
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: vegasguy on March 21, 2016, 09:32:20 pm
I wrote feedback thru the app asking them to bring back the "ok" confirmation about 2 weeks ago.

Today they brought it back. Glad to know that they listened to what people want.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: RadYOacTiVe on March 22, 2016, 05:43:46 pm
I wrote feedback thru the app asking them to bring back the "ok" confirmation about 2 weeks ago.

Today they brought it back. Glad to know that they listened to what people want.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Just confirmed on my echo.   Glad to have it back!

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk

Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: fstbusa on March 22, 2016, 09:34:15 pm
Back on mine also.  I also wrote to them and asked to have it back!  I was  pleasantly surprised when she responded "OK" when I asked her to turn on the lamp tonight!
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: icemanfred on March 24, 2016, 05:45:55 am
Very Happy that the Okay " is back.
Even happier that our requests were heard and acted on. Kudos to the echo team.
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: Ginger on March 19, 2018, 01:12:29 pm
I guess it's all a matter of 'Be careful what you wish for...'
I used to want to hush Alexa when she said Okay after I requested lights on/off, but now that we have this (too) subtle ping instead of her friendly voice saying okay, I'd rather have the okay back.
or why not a choice? I have heard of some people complaining about the okay while others like it. Shouldn't that indicate to the creators that the general public needs a choice here?
When my husband travels & I'm home alone, sometimes Alexa's voice is the only one I hear, having a convo or requesting a joke. Or saying okay when I ask her to turn off the bedroom light.
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: dragon123 on March 19, 2018, 01:47:25 pm
I'd rather have the okay back.
or why not a choice?

I don't see this option yet and my alexa still says 'OK'. But according to this thread if you're in the US, there should be an option for Alexa Voice Responses in the settings (at least on the webpage, not sure about the app):
http://www.echotalk.org/index.php?topic=3755.0
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: renegade600 on March 19, 2018, 03:58:45 pm
I guess it's all a matter of 'Be careful what you wish for...'
I used to want to hush Alexa when she said Okay after I requested lights on/off, but now that we have this (too) subtle ping instead of her friendly voice saying okay, I'd rather have the okay back.
or why not a choice? I have heard of some people complaining about the okay while others like it. Shouldn't that indicate to the creators that the general public needs a choice here?
When my husband travels & I'm home alone, sometimes Alexa's voice is the only one I hear, having a convo or requesting a joke. Or saying okay when I ask her to turn off the bedroom light.

did you not see the other threads about this???  You dug out this two year old thread instead of a newer one that gave the answer. 

  just go to settings, click on the device and scroll down.  you can change it there to give the okay again.  the thing is, the default is to say okay so you or someone must have change it. 
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: merlec on March 19, 2018, 05:33:37 pm
In the Alexa App go to Settings > General > Aleza Voice Responses and switch "Brief Mode" off
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: Jerome on March 21, 2018, 10:37:02 am
Yep, apparently "Brief Mode is not controlled on a per-device basis, but rather, as an account-wide setting."
Source : http://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-disable-alexas-new-brief-mode-in-order-to-bring-back-okay-responses/
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: renegade600 on March 21, 2018, 01:31:10 pm
yea you are right, I was thinking about the other new feature that was per device when I posted.  me bad... I do think it should be per device.  you may want the full response when in living room but not in bedroom. 
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: malliekm on March 21, 2018, 02:53:15 pm
Which other feature?
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: renegade600 on March 21, 2018, 03:17:15 pm
Which other feature?

be honest at the time of my post, I could not remember either  :-)  getting old but it was the multiple command one. 
Title: Re: alexa stopped confirming requests to turn on/off lights
Post by: Jerome on March 21, 2018, 03:47:29 pm
Which other feature?

be honest at the time of my post, I could not remember either  :-)  getting old but it was the multiple command one.
I think you mixed up with the follow-up mode which is per device.
And I agree : the brief mode should be per device too.