Everyone knows Amazon's Alexa ecosystem, and it isn't an exaggeration to say Amazon makes some of the best smart speakers money can buy. Alexa's deep integration with smart home hardware only continues to improve, especially with the new Matter protocol. But sometimes, controlling your Amazon Echo's speakers feels a bit one-note if you haven't explored the possibilities.
You can manually turn your Amazon Echo volume buttons up or down, but Alexa's sound settings offer more than basic controls for your music listening, alarms, and notifications. Here are all the ways you can manage your Amazon Echo's sound settings.
How to adjust the volume on your Amazon Echo speaker
The easiest way to raise or lower the volume on your Echo speaker is to use the physical buttons at the top of the device. Another option is to ask it orally, which doesn't require physical contact with the speaker. But sometimes Alexa doesn't understand you if you're far away, and using the Alexa app is a better option. For example, you might be away from the speaker and prefer the convenient option of remotely lowering or raising the volume from your phone. You can even play with your speakers' volume when you're not home, as the app doesn't require you to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your speakers. However, it may not be apparent where the volume slider is, so here's how to find it:
- On your phone, open the Alexa app.
- In most cases, if your device is playing music, a bar showing the song title and artist name appears at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap the speaker icon in the lower-right corner.
- Adjust the slider to the volume level of your choice.
If the bottom bar doesn't appear, or if you're not currently listening to music, you can still adjust the sound settings on your speakers:
- Tap Devices in the bar located at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap Echo and Alexa.
- Tap the device name for which you'd like to control the volume level.
- Tap Volume.
- Adjust the slider to control the volume level.
How to tweak your Amazon Echo equalizer settings
Echo speakers also let you customize the equalizer settings to match your preferences and music tastes. This only takes a few seconds, and you'll repeat the process for every Echo speaker and smart display.
- On your phone, open the Alexa app.
- Tap Devices in the bar located at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap Echo and Alexa.
- Tap the device name for which you'd like to adjust the equalizer settings.
- Tap the cogwheel icon in the upper-right corner.
- Tap Audio settings.
- Adjust the sliders for each item according to your preferences. You may want to do this while the music plays to preview your changes live.
- Tap the back arrow in the upper-left corner to save your settings.
- Repeat the process for all your devices if you have several Echo speakers or smart displays.
How to change the alarm and notification volume and sound on your Amazon Echo speaker
In addition to the audio volume and equalizer settings, you can control the notification and alarm volume independently on your Echo speakers. This means you don't have to worry about your alarm not being loud enough after you turn down the music volume. You can customize the alarm and notification tones to further personalize your speaker according to your preferences.
- On your phone, open the Alexa app.
- Tap Devices in the bar located at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap Echo and Alexa.
- Tap the device name for which you'd like to adjust the alarm, timer, and notification sound settings.
- Tap the cogwheel icon in the upper-right corner.
- Scroll down and tap Sounds.
- Adjust the volume for alarms, timers, and notifications using the slider at the top. You can also use the option to gradually increase the alarm volume, which lets you wake up smoothly in the morning.
- To change the alarm and notification sound, tap Alarm or Notification under the Custom Sounds section and select the tone your speaker should play for these events.
- Repeat the process for all your devices if you have several Echo speakers or smart displays.
How to turn on request sounds on your Amazon Echo speaker
When you talk to your Echo device, a blue light pulsates to let you know it's listening. However, you can have it play a chime when it starts or stops listening, helping you know whether it heard you and is still listening without taking a peek at it. This is easy to configure.
- On your phone, open the Alexa app.
- Tap Devices in the bar located at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap Echo and Alexa.
- Tap the device name for which you'd like to adjust the alarm, timer, and notification sound settings.
- Tap the cogwheel icon in the upper-right corner.
- Scroll down and tap Sounds.
- Under Request Sounds, activate the Start and End options according to your preferences.
- Repeat the process for all your devices if you have several Echo speakers or smart displays.
Get acquainted with Alexa and all the things it can do
While you may be used to turning your Amazon Echo speakers up and down manually, customizing your audio settings gives you more control over notifications, music equalizing preferences, and how Alexa notifies you when it's listening. It's easy to personalize your speaker from the Alexa app, and when you know how, you can tweak the settings on each of your smart speakers.
If you're a proud new Echo smart speaker or display owner, take a moment to check out our favorite Alexa tips and tricks to get an idea of all the interesting it can do.