Echo & Alexa Forums

General Category => Amazon Echo Discussion => Topic started by: RobertinHerts on April 10, 2017, 02:14:24 pm

Title: Alexa's shopping list
Post by: RobertinHerts on April 10, 2017, 02:14:24 pm
Alexa's shopping list is very useful but assumes the Alexa app is online when you're actually doing the shopping. How do you overcome a lack of signal at the store so that it's still effective?
Title: Re: Alexa's shopping list
Post by: malliekm on April 10, 2017, 02:40:53 pm
I haven't had a signal problem at the store while using Alexa's shopping list. 
Title: Re: Alexa's shopping list
Post by: mike27oct on April 10, 2017, 03:02:55 pm
Use either a cell or wi-fi signal; whichever works best.  If you are in the center of e.g. a Costco where there is not a signal of any kind, well, you are out of luck unless you find a signal somewhere near an open door.  Of course, this has nothing to do with Alexa app, and everything to do with radio reception issues.
Title: Re: Alexa's shopping list
Post by: renegade600 on April 10, 2017, 05:54:04 pm
Alexa's shopping list is very useful but assumes the Alexa app is online when you're actually doing the shopping. How do you overcome a lack of signal at the store so that it's still effective?

even if you are not getting a signal, you should still be able to look at your shopping list.   if you added to the shopping list just before leaving the house you may not get the full list.  In addition you can use ifttt and have the shopping list email or text to your phone.   

one item on my wish list for the echo app is a widget for the shopping list and todolist. 
Title: Re: Alexa's shopping list
Post by: malliekm on April 11, 2017, 01:30:35 am
renegade, that's what I thought...you didn't need a signal to access your shopping list.  In fact I beleive my wifi has been down and I get a notice from Alexa that I can still access my shopping list.
Title: Re: Alexa's shopping list
Post by: mike27oct on April 11, 2017, 03:11:28 am
Right, you can see the list, but without signal you cannot add to it.
Title: Re: Alexa's shopping list
Post by: coyote on April 11, 2017, 12:17:13 pm
Right, you can see the list, but without signal you cannot add to it.
That's not correct. I just tested it. I turned off wifi on my iPad (no cell connection) and added beer to the Alexa app shopping list. No problem. When I re-enabled wifi, beer showed up on my Todoist shopping list.
Title: Re: Alexa's shopping list
Post by: renegade600 on April 11, 2017, 04:08:52 pm
Right, you can see the list, but without signal you cannot add to it.
That's not correct. I just tested it. I turned off wifi on my iPad (no cell connection) and added beer to the Alexa app shopping list. No problem. When I re-enabled wifi, beer showed up on my Todoist shopping list.

I was NOT talking about the Todoist app!!!  And note I said - "may not"  NOT "will not"  - big difference.

too many times I added to the shopping list just before leaving the house, get to the store and realize it was not updated for whatever reason. 
Title: Re: Alexa's shopping list
Post by: coyote on April 11, 2017, 04:21:00 pm
Right, you can see the list, but without signal you cannot add to it.
That's not correct. I just tested it. I turned off wifi on my iPad (no cell connection) and added beer to the Alexa app shopping list. No problem. When I re-enabled wifi, beer showed up on my Todoist shopping list.

I was NOT talking about the Todoist app!!!  And note I said - "may not"  NOT "will not"  - big difference.

too many times I added to the shopping list just before leaving the house, get to the store and realize it was not updated for whatever reason.

I know you were not talking about Todoist. I used that to illustrate that indeed, you can add to the list while the app is not connected to a network.

What we do of course is to treat Alexa like a stenographer. We don't make our shopping lists just before going out' we make them on the fly, along the course of life. Making toast, and notice butter is running low? "ALexa, add butter to the shopping list" and the Dot in the kitchen does that. I virtually never run into your scenario any more... and if I do, I simply open either the Alexa app or Todoist on the phone and add the item there.
Title: Re: Alexa's shopping list
Post by: renegade600 on April 11, 2017, 04:48:30 pm
Right, you can see the list, but without signal you cannot add to it.
That's not correct. I just tested it. I turned off wifi on my iPad (no cell connection) and added beer to the Alexa app shopping list. No problem. When I re-enabled wifi, beer showed up on my Todoist shopping list.

I was NOT talking about the Todoist app!!!  And note I said - "may not"  NOT "will not"  - big difference.

too many times I added to the shopping list just before leaving the house, get to the store and realize it was not updated for whatever reason.

I know you were not talking about Todoist. I used that to illustrate that indeed, you can add to the list while the app is not connected to a network.

What we do of course is to treat Alexa like a stenographer. We don't make our shopping lists just before going out' we make them on the fly, along the course of life. Making toast, and notice butter is running low? "ALexa, add butter to the shopping list" and the Dot in the kitchen does that. I virtually never run into your scenario any more... and if I do, I simply open either the Alexa app or Todoist on the phone and add the item there.

most of the time it is on the fly but most still check if anything was missed or something was needed that is not normally bought before leaving the house. 

Title: Re: Alexa's shopping list
Post by: mike27oct on April 11, 2017, 08:13:25 pm
Well, I was referring to updating it with no RF signal, and in that case it MAY or may not show in app (until reconnected to RF).  Takeaway, get shopping list done before getting into an RF "black hole".