Alexa

Setting up Alexa

Note: The Alexa set up can vary slightly as the process improves. As a result, it is important to listen carefully and follow the instructions Alexa tells you.

Things you’ll need

• Wi-Fi password
• Amazon account email and password
• Smartphone or tablet

Download the Alexa App

The Echo Dot is setup using the Amazon Alexa app via a smartphone or tablet. This app acts as a screen and keyboard for the Echo Dot, so you can set it up and make any changes. Download the Amazon Alexa app from the Google play Store or Apple App Store.

Amazon Sign in

You will be required to sign into an Amazon account to use the Alexa app. Setting up an account is free, and you do not require any form of payment. Having an account is how Alexa can remember your settings and details. You can set up an account by going to www.amazon.com.au.

Follow the Prompts

There will be a few questions that you will be asked the first time you use the app. Read through them carefully and select the options you want. These questions may include…

• Confirming your name.
• Confirming the pronunciation of your name.
• Confirming your location.
• Asking permission to access your contacts.
• Asking permission to send you notifications.
• Asking permission to access your microphone.
• Adding other users so your device can understand family and friends.

Note: These options can be changed later.

You will then reach a brief tutorial about using the Alexa features in the app. In this tutorial you will try the ‘tap button for Alexa.’

Put the Echo Dot in Setup Mode

The Echo Dot will announce it is in setup mode when plugged in the first time. Visually there is an orange light flashing to indicate it is in setup mode.

You can put the device into setup mode by pressing the action button (the circle button) for 5 seconds.

Setting up the Device

In the Alexa app, select the Devices button and then select the plus sign to add the device. Follow the instructions, if a pop-up message comes up about your new device being detected. Select Echo Dot from the list of devices.

Set Wi-Fi Network

You will be prompted to connect to your Wi-Fi. From a list of available Wi-Fi networks, select the one you want to connect to. Enter your Wi-Fi password.

Optional Settings

You will then be prompted to answer a few optional settings. For example, it may ask you about your address details, so it can give you accurate weather information. Listen to the prompts and select the options you want. These options can be changed later.

Setup complete

Your device should now be setup. Now the setup is complete you use the Echo Dot without the need for the Amazon Alexa companion app.

If you have any issues contact the Blind Low Vision NZ Contact Centre on 0800 24 33 33

 

 

 

 

 

Guide to the Blind Low Vision NZ Alexa Skill

Enabling the BLVNZ Alexa Skill

• Call Blind Low Vision NZ on 0800 24 33 33 to verify your Amazon email address so you can access the BLVNZ Library. This is required to meet our copyright obligations.
• You can ask Alexa to enable the skill
• “Alexa, enable Blind Low Vision Skill”
• You will then be prompted to go to skill settings and change the email permission.

You can enable the BLVNZ skill using the Amazon Alexa App.

• Open the Amazon Alexa App on your phone or tablet
• Select > More (bottom right-hand corner)
• Select > Skills & Games
• Type > Blind Low Vision (search bar)
• Select > Blind Low Vision
• Select > Settings
• Select > Manage account permissions
• Email Address checkbox should be checked
• Select > Save Permissions
• Start by saying > “Alexa, Start Blind Low Vision”

If this doesn’t work call the Blind Low Vision NZ call centre 0800 24 33 33.

“Alexa, Blind Low Vision”

Launch the skill by saying “Alexa, Blind Low Vision.” The first time you use the skill, you will be guided through a tutorial that teaches you the basics of talking to Alexa. The top-level menu in our skill includes information about services available from Blind Low Vision NZ. The five choices on the menu are:

1 Services: To find out more about personalised services and support available from Blind Low Vision NZ, you can say “Alexa, services.” The choices are personalised rehabilitation. information and technology, emotional support, work ready, sport and leisure and accessible library.

2 Events: You can browse a calendar of local events for Blind Low Vision NZ members, volunteers, and supporters, by saying “Alexa, events.” To find information about Blind Low Vision NZ events in your town or city, first select your region: upper North Island, lower North Island, or South Island.

3 Blind Low Vision News: Blind Low Vision NZ also publishes current news items and priority updates from the organisation to the Alexa skill. This option is number 3 from the main menu.

4 Library: To go to the library service in our skill, say “Alexa, Library”, or “Alexa, four.”

5 Contact Information: Say “Alexa, contact” to find out more about our office locations and how to contact us.

 

Finding Books

There are many ways to find books with the BLVNZ Alexa Skill. If you know some information about a book, you can use the following commands to find it. If you need some suggestions, there are commands to recommend books. You can also list books by different subjects.

After you have given a command, you will hear a numbered list. You can either wait, or interrupt by saying “Alexa, [number]”. For example, “Alexa, two” to select the option you want.

“Alexa, find [title] by [author]”.

Say “Alexa, find [title] by [author]”, to get a list of books matching your request. For example, “Alexa, find The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.” You can also search for all books by a particular author in the library.  Saying “Alexa, list books by [author]”. For example, “Alexa, list books by Margaret Atwood.”

You will be given two sets of results. Option one is results from the Blind Low Vision Library, and option two are the results from Accessible Books Consortium (ABC). Once you have selected the book from the ABC results list, you will need to download the book. Once downloaded it will be available to read in a new area in the Alexa skill called the bookshelf. You will hear a ‘beep beep’ sound when it’s available to be read.  This process is necessary for you to have the best experience of listening to the ABC DAISY books.

The Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) is a public-private partnership led by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It includes organizations that represent people with print disabilities such as the World Blind Union (WBU); libraries for the blind; standards bodies, and organizations representing authors, publishers and collective management organizations. Their goal is to increase the number of books worldwide in accessible formats – such as braille, audio, e-text, large print – and to make them available to people who are blind, have low vision or are otherwise print disabled. By partnering with organisations like ours, ABC helps break down barriers to reading and education worldwide.

“Alexa, Bookshelf.”

Say Alexa “Bookshelf” to access the books you have downloaded from the ABC Catalogue. From the results select the number of the book to listen to. Say “Alexa, Start” to read the book. You can also remove books from your bookshelf once you have finished the book. Reading and navigating the books are the same as books from the Blind Low Vision NZ catalogue.

“Alexa, recommend a book”.

You can say “Alexa, recommend a book” to get a list of ten book titles suggested by Alexa, based on the books you’ve been reading before.

This list will include other books in the same subject, books by similar authors, and some surprises as well.

“Alexa, new books”.

To hear about the latest books added to our collection, say “Alexa, new books”. You can then listen to a brief description of each title.

“Alexa, list popular books”.

To find the most popular books recommended by our membership, say “Alexa, list popular books.” Our library skill includes a rating feature that lets people recommend individual books from our collection to other readers.

“Alexa, read [book number]”.

You can also find books by book number, by saying “Alexa, read [book number]”. For example, “Alexa, read 1 0 2 5 1 8” will take you to the book Deep Beyond the Reef by Owen Scott. This can be useful if Alexa has trouble understanding a complicated title or author. It can also be used to go straight to a book promoted in the library publications Sound and Touch and Bookmarks.

“Alexa, list [subjects]”

You can ask Alexa to list the latest books in a particular subject by saying “Alexa, list [subjects]”. For example, “Alexa, list Romance.” If there are several similar genres available, such as light romance and historical romance, you will hear a numbered list of genres to choose from.

“Alexa, surprise me”

You can ask Alexa to surprise you with a random book from our collection by saying “Alexa, surprise me.” You can also browse our collection by subject, by saying “Alexa, surprise me with [subject]”. For example, “Alexa, surprise me with romance.” Subject terms include fiction and literature (such as thrillers, romance, or fantasy) and non-fiction (such as biographies, history, or travel).

“Alexa, reading lists”

Alexa can remember the books and magazines you have been reading recently. To review your recent titles, you can ask for these reading lists by saying, “Alexa, reading list.” This is the best way to switch between books and magazines if you are reading several things at once.

Listening to Books

When you have selected a book, Alexa will tell you more details about it. You will then have an option to start the book, hear a synopsis, select a chapter from the table of contents, or rate the book. The following is a list of commands you can use while listening to a book.

“Alexa, start”

To start playing the book, simply say “Alexa, Start.”

“Alexa, pause”

To pause the book, say “Alexa, Pause”.

“Alexa, continue”

To continue playing after you have paused, say “Alexa, continue”.

“Alexa, forward”

To move to the next chapter, say “Alexa, forward”.

“Alexa, back”

To move to the previous chapter, say “Alexa, back”.

“Alexa, cancel”

To go back one step in the Alexa skill say “Alexa, Cancel”.

“Alexa, stop”

To exit the Blind Low Vision skill, say “Alexa Stop”

“Alexa, change skip level”

If a book, magazine or newspaper has more than one heading level, you can change the navigation settings. For example, if you change the setting to 3, saying skip will go to the next heading level 3.

“Alexa, set sleep timer for [time interval]”

You can tell Alexa to stop automatically after a certain period. While you are reading, say, “Alexa, set sleep timer for [time interval]” For example, “Alexa, set sleep timer for one hour.”

Newspapers

The BLVNZ library has over 60 newspaper titles, many are updated daily. Some popular newspaper titles include The Herald, Otago Daily Times, The Press, The Post, and Taupo Weekender

“Alexa, list newspapers”

You can browse all available magazine titles by saying “Alexa, list newspapers.”

“Alexa, find [newspaper title]”

You can search for a magazine by saying “Alexa, find [newspaper title]”. For example, “Alexa, find Otago Daily Times.”

“Alexa, next”

To move to the next article, say “Alexa, next”.

“Alexa, back”

To move to the previous article, say “Alexa. back”.

Magazines

The BLVNZ library includes a variety of magazines titles. We also have previous editions available of most titles. There are over 90 magazine titles in our collection, some of our popular magazine titles include NZ Gardener, New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, Listener, TIME, and Delicious.

“Alexa, list magazines”

You can browse all available magazine titles by saying “Alexa, list magazines.”

If you have selected a magazine, saying “Alexa, list magazines” will list the previous editions.

“Alexa, find [magazine title]”

You can search for a magazine by saying “Alexa, find [magazine title]”. For example, “Alexa, find New Zealand Gardener.”

“Alexa, start”

Say “Alexa, start” to read the magazine from the beginning, or “Alexa, table of contents” to choose an article from a numbered list.

Online Safety Using Alexa

Voice Purchasing

Voice purchasing is a feature that uses your voice as identification to make purchases. This is only available if you have set up a form of payment with your Amazon account. This feature can be switched off.

In the Alexa App

• Select the More button
• Select Settings
• Select Account settings
• Select Voice Purchasing
• Switch the Voice Purchasing to off

You may get a an “are you sure?” pop up. Read the message an select the option you want.

Mute Button

The mute button is on top of the Alexa. It has a raised circle with a line through it. Visually, Alexa glows red when muted.

Do Not Disturb

Do not disturb mode blocks messages and calls. Simply say “Alexa, do not disturb.” To receive messages and calls when do not disturb mode is on, say “Alexa, turn off do not disturb.

Privacy

Voice recordings are kept to better understand your voice. You can learn more about privacy in the Alexa app.

• Select the More button
• Select Settings
• Select Alexa Privacy

Manage Content for Minors

If you are a parent or guardian, it is your responsibility to ensure that children using the Alexa device are not exposed to inappropriate content. Monitor when and how minors are interacting with the device to ensure they do not access inappropriate content or accidentally make purchases.

Reference Documents

Alexa and BLVNZ Skill Setup Large Print March 2025 (docx, 41KB)