Amazon's Alexa is causing hell for people actually named Alexa — but there's a little-known solution

pulse

February 6, 2018 7:57 PM

Amazon Echo devices can respond to a number of commands, not just "Alexa."

It's resulted in jokes and awkward situations for Alexas everywhere.
There's an easy way to fix it, however.

When Alexa —a PR professional living in London — got an Amazon Echo in her home, it didn't take long for the jokes to start.

"My husband thought it was hilarious when he was given one for Xmas in 2016 and could say 'Alexa, volume down' or 'Alexa, off' and joke that he was actually talking to me, not the Amazon Alexa," the London-based Alexa, who asked that her last name not be used, said in an email to Business Insider.

This Alexa isn't the only one who's had issues with sharing a given name with the virtual voice assistant. Numerous real-life Alexas have shared their stories with news outlets as the popularity of Amazon's voice assistant grows. Alexa-enabled devices can set timers, play music, and tell people the weather after receiving a voice command.

Amazon sold millions of Alexa-equipped devices last year, and the smart speakers are invading homes at an ever-increasing rate. Alexa dominates the smart-speaker market, according to Quartz. Google Home is catching up, but it's still a distant second. That only adds up to life becoming more stressful for people named Alexa.

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