We can all agree that Alexa is a powerhouse in terms of the functionality it brings to the table, especially considering that it can integrate with almost any hardware or software you use at your home on top of the native features that it already offers out of the box.
That being said, there is also no denying that the sheer number of features that Alexa offers can make it challenging to navigate the application and find what you need in some cases, especially if you have picked your Alexa up recently.
In today’s article, we will be diving into the process of adding contacts to Alexa, in particular, which is an essential step that you will need to take before you can utilize your Alexa to make phone calls to your family and friends by using voice commands.
So, how can you add contacts to Alexa?
To add contacts to Alexa, all you will need to do is to navigate to the Contacts menu (in the Communication section) on either the Alexa smartphone application or your Echo Show speaker, press the Add Contact (or Add New) button, fill in the information for your new contact, and submit the form.
In the upcoming sections, we will go through the process of adding contacts to Alexa in greater detail, find out how to edit a contact that has been added to Alexa, and finally, learn about a technique that allows you to directly import the contacts you have on your smartphone into Alexa.
How to Add Contacts to Alexa?
Adding your contacts to the Alexa system is a prerequisite to being able to make calls by using Alexa voice commands, as this is how your Alexa becomes capable of calling the correct person once it hears you say the name.
Below, you can find sub-sections for the two different techniques you can utilize to add contacts directly to Alexa, in which you will find detailed step-by-step guides that will take you through the entirety of the process from start to finish.
Add Contacts to Alexa with the Alexa App
Adding contacts to Alexa by using the Alexa application is the most common way of performing this task, as every Alexa user should already have the Alexa application installed on their smartphone.
Below, you can find a step-by-step guide that you can follow to add contacts to Alexa by using the smartphone application:
- Open the Alexa application on your smartphone.
- Navigate to the Communication section by pressing the corresponding button on the bottom menu.
- Press the icon on the top-right corner (it looks like a person or two people side-to-side) to bring up the Contacts section.
- Press the Add Contact (or Add New) button.
- Enter details such as your contact’s name and phone number into the corresponding input boxes.
- Press the Save button on the top-right corner.
Once you add your contact by following the steps above, you can verify that the contact is indeed added to Alexa by navigating to the Contacts menu and searching for the contact you have added by their name.
Add Contacts to Alexa with an Echo Show
If you’re the owner of an Echo Show speaker, you have another option that doesn’t involve using the Alexa application on your smartphone, as the screen of the Echo Show makes it possible to perform the task of adding contacts.
Below, you can find a step-by-step guide that will take you through the process of adding contacts to Alexa by using an Echo Show speaker:
- Swipe down from the top of your Echo Show’s screen to bring up the quick-access menu.
- Press the Communicate button.
- Press the Show Contacts button.
- (Optional) Choose the profile you would like to add the contact to if you have more than one profile on your Echo Show.
- Press the Add New button on the top-right corner of the screen.
- Enter the contact details into the corresponding input boxes.
- Press the Save button.
To verify that your contact has been added successfully, you can navigate to the Show Contacts section again and look for your contact in the list.
How to Edit Your Alexa Contacts?
Editing one of your Alexa contacts can become necessary for various reasons, whether it’s due to an input mistake during the initial add or due to your contact having some new information that you would like to update.
Below, you can find the steps we recommend taking to edit an Alexa contact as quickly as possible:
- Open the Alexa application on your smartphone.
- Press the Communication button that is located on the bottom menu.
- Press the icon on the top-right corner (person or two people side-to-side) to bring up the Contacts screen.
- Press the contact you would like to edit from the list.
- Press the Edit button.
- Make the necessary modifications and press the Save button in the top-right corner.
Alternatively, if you would like to delete a contact from Alexa, you can follow the guide above until step 5 and press the Delete Contact button instead.
How to Import Contacts Into Alexa From Your Smartphone?
While adding a contact to Alexa is a pretty straightforward process that shouldn’t take a lot of your time, adding a large list of contacts is a whole different story that can cause the process to become quite hectic.
Fortunately, Alexa makes it possible to import contacts automatically from your smartphone, meaning that you can copy all your smartphone contacts to Alexa with the press of a button whenever necessary.
Below, you can find a step-by-step guide that will take you through the process of importing contacts into Alexa directly from your smartphone:
- Open the Alexa application on your smartphone.
- Navigate to the Communicate section by pressing the button on the bottom menu.
- Press the icon (a person or two people side-to-side) on the top-right corner of the screen to navigate to the Contacts section.
- Press the three dots icon on the top-right corner of the screen to bring up the Manage Contacts menu.
- Press the Import Contacts option from the list.
- Switch the Import Contacts slider on by pressing on it, which should turn the slider blue.
Once you import your contacts by following the steps above, you can verify that your contacts are added to Alexa by navigating to the Contacts section in the Alexa app.
Please note that the importing process can take a few minutes based on conditions such as the number of contacts you have.
Conclusion
Even though finding out how to do so can seem complicated at first, adding contacts to your Alexa is one of the simplest tasks to perform once you know where to look.
To quickly recap, you can quickly add a contact to your Alexa by navigating to the Contacts section in the application and pressing the Add New button, which you can find by pressing the Communicate button on the bottom menu and pressing the icon on the top-right corner afterward.
On the other hand, if you already have all the contacts you would like to add to Alexa on your smartphone, we highly recommend using the Import Contacts feature instead, as this will save you from the hassle of adding each contact one by one.
Mark’s first real encounter with tech was when he had to format his computer with Windows 98 around the age of 6 to quickly get back to playing Heroes of Might and Magic III without having to send the computer in for a repair, which he strangely found to be rather enjoyable since it was a new challenge for him at the time.
While he has always been particularly interested in the software side of things, which eventually led to him becoming a software developer, he enjoys keeping up with the advancements in consumer electronics and smart home technology when he’s not busy coding.