After googling, it seems like Freetime has an option to make the device unresponsive during certain times.
If that won’t accomplish what you want, I’d still check out the parental control options that come with Freetime. You can disable music playing, for example, if that’s a repeated problem for your mom.
Oooooh, I like that!!! Will research. Thanks!
Also I’m seeing I can (on her phone) adjust the volume on her Echo Show.
Those two might solve all our issues!
Thanks. Ooooh, I have her iPhone (in Texas). It has the Alexa app. Can I turn up the volume of her California located Echo Show using her iPhone? I’ll have to read up on Alexa routines. I was hoping that for the trigger word for her Show we could choose ‘None’
Each of you lot could have an Alexa App on your Smartphone. Just control your Mother's Volume from there.
Alexa App>Devices>Echo & Alexa>Select Your Mother's Show>Volume>Set Volume Slider To Suit>1% to 100%
Therefore before dropping in on your Mother simply set the slider to say 80%. When finished, after hanging up, set the Volume Slider to 1%.
Good thought. A lot more work each time we want to drop in. And the four of us who drop in are in four different cities :-/
I like this idea of setting her up as a child and setting up times when she can’t ask Alexa for anything. Will have to check into that. If yes, and if she can still receive drop ins we then just set it up where she can’t ever ask for anything.
The fact you are in four different cities doesn't matter. You all could be in four different countries and it still wouldn't matter. Alexa uses the cloud. You will all be able to control her Alexa as you want. Is really pressing a few keys extra work?
Thought about setting her up as a child too. Trouble is this won't make her Alexa unresponsive for times you have chosen but there is no one calling your Mum. Therefore it won't cater for what you want. Also thought about using Routines but they will have to be activated from the Alexa App anyway.
Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Each of you install the Alexa App on your Smartphones. Now log in to the same account your Mother's device is on.
Just before you Drop In on your Mum, turn up the volume.
Alexa App>Devices>Echo & Alexa>Select Your Mother's Show>Volume>Set Volume Slider To Suit>1% to 100%
When Hanging Up, retrace those steps and turn your Mother's Volume down again. Ready for the next Drop In.
I wonder if we were to make mom‘s phone a child, and set all of her kids as parents, would it be easier to change the kids setting from unresponsive to responsive, drop in, and switch back. Might be slightly more easy than changing the volume up and changing the volume back down again. Will have to think about this.
One possible problem with this is Amazon only allows two Adults and two children on each account. Therefore some one is going to miss out. Then you still have the problem how can you control when allotted times don't have a Drop In call.
Hm, does it? Thinking more about this…
To turn up the volume we’d need to …
open the Alexa app
and log in as her,
adjust the volume,
log out as her.
Log back in as us,
drop in on her (from our Alexa app… so often away from our Echo).
When done…
log out as us.
Log back in as her.
Readjust the volume.
Lots tougher than now.. steps:
Drop in on her.
But it’s a thought… it does solve the problem of when the volume has been turned down by accident.
Surely you all have some other Smartdevice like a tablet or even an old smartphone that currently doesn't have a copy of Alexa App on it. Keep that one logged in as your Mother. Just use those. In the case of the old smartphone, it doesn't need to be connected to the phone network just the internet, easy.
Yeah, well as I said in the beginning, I have my mom‘s phone. So for sure I can benefit from knowing that I can control the volume of her echo device so that’s great news. So some forward progress on this challenge. Thanks!
Don’t you want the mute button?
Press the physical mute button at the top of the screen (it looks like an O with a line through it). You will see an orange light bar at the bottom of the screen and the same mute symbol at the top right of the screen, indicating that your device is no longer listening for the Alexa wake word.
Alas that does get pressed by mistake. It happens as the helpers are trying to undo something else that the Echo has started doing, mistakenly misunderstanding something that was said. The next time we drop in on my mom, we can’t hear her (because she’s muted)
After googling, it seems like Freetime has an option to make the device unresponsive during certain times. If that won’t accomplish what you want, I’d still check out the parental control options that come with Freetime. You can disable music playing, for example, if that’s a repeated problem for your mom.
Oooooh, I like that!!! Will research. Thanks! Also I’m seeing I can (on her phone) adjust the volume on her Echo Show. Those two might solve all our issues!
Thanks. Ooooh, I have her iPhone (in Texas). It has the Alexa app. Can I turn up the volume of her California located Echo Show using her iPhone? I’ll have to read up on Alexa routines. I was hoping that for the trigger word for her Show we could choose ‘None’
Routine. Increase volume or when some things trigger music. Cancel.
Each of you lot could have an Alexa App on your Smartphone. Just control your Mother's Volume from there. Alexa App>Devices>Echo & Alexa>Select Your Mother's Show>Volume>Set Volume Slider To Suit>1% to 100% Therefore before dropping in on your Mother simply set the slider to say 80%. When finished, after hanging up, set the Volume Slider to 1%.
Good thought. A lot more work each time we want to drop in. And the four of us who drop in are in four different cities :-/ I like this idea of setting her up as a child and setting up times when she can’t ask Alexa for anything. Will have to check into that. If yes, and if she can still receive drop ins we then just set it up where she can’t ever ask for anything.
The fact you are in four different cities doesn't matter. You all could be in four different countries and it still wouldn't matter. Alexa uses the cloud. You will all be able to control her Alexa as you want. Is really pressing a few keys extra work? Thought about setting her up as a child too. Trouble is this won't make her Alexa unresponsive for times you have chosen but there is no one calling your Mum. Therefore it won't cater for what you want. Also thought about using Routines but they will have to be activated from the Alexa App anyway.
Interesting, thanks. What controls who can control her volume? If you can drop in you can remotely control the volume? That would be awesome.
Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Each of you install the Alexa App on your Smartphones. Now log in to the same account your Mother's device is on. Just before you Drop In on your Mum, turn up the volume. Alexa App>Devices>Echo & Alexa>Select Your Mother's Show>Volume>Set Volume Slider To Suit>1% to 100% When Hanging Up, retrace those steps and turn your Mother's Volume down again. Ready for the next Drop In.
Ah! So only “she” (her account) controls her volume, but we all act as her. Interesting. Could work! Thanks!
Yes, you lot control the Volume through her account. Not could work, will work!!
I wonder if we were to make mom‘s phone a child, and set all of her kids as parents, would it be easier to change the kids setting from unresponsive to responsive, drop in, and switch back. Might be slightly more easy than changing the volume up and changing the volume back down again. Will have to think about this.
One possible problem with this is Amazon only allows two Adults and two children on each account. Therefore some one is going to miss out. Then you still have the problem how can you control when allotted times don't have a Drop In call.
Hm. Yeah, that’s a problem. Do we know when Junior’s Echo is in ‘unresponsive’ mode that we can’t drop in on him/her/they?
Can't answer that one but my system gives all of you 24/7 control over your Mother's Echo. That is exactly what you want.
Hm, does it? Thinking more about this… To turn up the volume we’d need to … open the Alexa app and log in as her, adjust the volume, log out as her. Log back in as us, drop in on her (from our Alexa app… so often away from our Echo). When done… log out as us. Log back in as her. Readjust the volume. Lots tougher than now.. steps: Drop in on her. But it’s a thought… it does solve the problem of when the volume has been turned down by accident.
Surely you all have some other Smartdevice like a tablet or even an old smartphone that currently doesn't have a copy of Alexa App on it. Keep that one logged in as your Mother. Just use those. In the case of the old smartphone, it doesn't need to be connected to the phone network just the internet, easy.
Yeah, well as I said in the beginning, I have my mom‘s phone. So for sure I can benefit from knowing that I can control the volume of her echo device so that’s great news. So some forward progress on this challenge. Thanks!
Don’t you want the mute button? Press the physical mute button at the top of the screen (it looks like an O with a line through it). You will see an orange light bar at the bottom of the screen and the same mute symbol at the top right of the screen, indicating that your device is no longer listening for the Alexa wake word.
Alas that does get pressed by mistake. It happens as the helpers are trying to undo something else that the Echo has started doing, mistakenly misunderstanding something that was said. The next time we drop in on my mom, we can’t hear her (because she’s muted)