Amazon Echo Club

[wodin]

I'm not sure, but I think the intercom feature has not yet been rolled out (according to the Verge article). There will prolly be a firmware update in the next few days.

Okay, I found why it didn't work for me, I haven't signed up for Alexa Calling and Messaging. This is from their Alexa support page:

Before you can use Drop In, you need to:

• Sign up for Alexa Calling and Messaging
• Enable Drop In for yourself or a contact
• Have a contact enable Drop In for you

Here is the general Alexa Support page, you have to fish through this mess to find much information.

Wodin might be correct as this might not be rolled out yet even though the apps have been updated for it. The Amazon servers might not be accepting this skill set yet.

Well I just turned Drop In to OFF on all my devices. I refuse to sign up for Calling and Messaging as I can think of only one friend/family member that even has the ability to do it too, and I won't be asking him to jump through hoops to set this garbage up when we would rarely, if ever, use it. Major fail IMO. I live alone so the intercom feature wasn't something I could use, other than to occasionally annoy the cats. I think having to sign up for Amazon Calling and Messaging just to use the intercom is stupid, but hey we are talking about Amazon, and apparently we cannot fix stupid in their case.

I was going to set up for intercom to help others, but it just isn't worth the Amazon hassle.

ETA: IMO, intercom means talking between various rooms within a building. I've never seen nor heard of an intercom system that could target only specific people. Intercoms are room to room, not specific person to specific person. As such, why would Amazon link the intercom skill with the Calling and Messaging skill. That is totally different. Calling and Messaging needs wide area coverage and is intended for specific person to specific person communication. Amazon really needs to think things through and pull their head out of their backside. These two skills should be totally separate.

[DreamWriter]

Originally Posted by wodin

I'm not sure, but I think the intercom feature has not yet been rolled out (according to the Verge article). There will prolly be a firmware update in the next few days.

Yeah, I know that roll-out is gradual and just started yesterday. Does the intercom feature work for you yet? I know you've been wanting that.

Originally Posted by jswinden

Okay, I found why it didn't work for me, I haven't signed up for Alexa Calling and Messaging. This is from their Alexa support page:

Here is the genera Alexa Support pages, you have to fish through this mess to find much information.

Thanks. I did read those pages earlier. I suspect that intercom just won't work for me since I don't have a cell phone number. Which really pisses me off!

From About Alexa-to-Alexa Calling and Messaging (emphasis mine):

Alexa-to-Alexa calling and messaging helps you keep in touch with friends and family who also have supported Echo devices or the Alexa app. This free feature provides calling and messaging between supported Echo devices and the Alexa app on compatible iOS and Android phones:

Android 5.0 or higher
iOS 9.0 or higher

This feature is available to Alexa customers in the United States. All you need to sign up is an Amazon account, the Alexa app (installed on a compatible iOS or Android phone), and a cell phone number.

You can use this feature with:

Echo
Echo Dot (1st Generation)
Echo Dot (2nd Generation)
Echo Show

Alexa app (installed on a compatible iOS or Android phone)

After you verify your phone number through SMS, this feature can use phone data but doesn't use text messages and minutes from your cell phone plan.

Since you have to sign up for Alexa Calling and Messaging according to this page in order to use Drop In (including the intercom feature?), I guess it won't work for me.

[DreamWriter]

Originally Posted by jswinden

ETA: IMO, intercom means talking between various rooms within a building. I've never seen nor heard of an intercom system that could target only specific people. Intercoms are room to room, not specific person to specific person. As such, why would Amazon link the intercom skill with the Calling and Messaging skill. That is totally different. Calling and Messaging needs wide area coverage and is intended for specific person to specific person communication. Amazon really needs to think things through and pull their head out of their backside. These two skills should be totally separate.

I agree!!!

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by jswinden

I think that is a new feature. However, I once had XM/Sirius and I remember they charged extra for the internet version, so I doubt a single radio subscription will work. I keep hoping XM/Sirius will feel the heat from all the streaming services and lower their prices, but I doubt they will any time soon. Most streaming music services have a $10/month premium service that is usable on multiple devices. XM/Sirius charges way more than that just for a single radio. I do like the XM radio stations though.

You have to call them and dicker. I got the full deal, including internet radio, for under $10 a month (including tax and fees) for 1 year (paid up front). When the year is over, I'll be calling to try and get the same deal.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by DreamWriter

Yeah, I know that roll-out is gradual and just started yesterday. Does the intercom feature work for you yet? I know you've been wanting that.

...(

My situation is such that I won't really need it for a few weeks, so I'm standing by for a while to let Jeff's kids work out the details.

Originally Posted by booklover6

You have to call them and dicker. I got the full deal, including internet radio, for under $10 a month (including tax and fees) for 1 year (paid up front). When the year is over, I'll be calling to try and get the same deal.

Sometimes that works, and sometimes not. They were getting picky with me toward the end. I no longer have a car with a satellite radio, so I cancelled my subscription about two years ago. I just looked up their streaming subscription price and it is a whopping $16/month. No thanks! I suspect that will only work on WiFi as they surely wouldn't want us to use cellular and connect our phones to the car radio via BT. I do like their radio stations, but not that much. For $10/month I can listen to Spotify or any other premium service anywhere I want, and even download the songs I want (up to 3333 songs). Plus I can cancel Spotify anytime I want without penalty. SiriusXM needs to realize their days of being the only good option for automobiles is long over.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Sometimes that works, and sometimes not. They were getting picky with me toward the end. I no longer have a car with a satellite radio, so I cancelled my subscription about two years ago. I just looked up their streaming subscription price and it is a whopping $16/month. No thanks! I suspect that will only work on WiFi as they surely wouldn't want us to use cellular and connect our phones to the car radio via BT. I do like their radio stations, but not that much. For $10/month I can listen to Spotify or any other premium service anywhere I want, and even download the songs I want (up to 3333 songs). Plus I can cancel Spotify anytime I want without penalty. SiriusXM needs to realize their days of being the only good option for automobiles is long over.

I got rid of the Sirius callers when I pointed out you could set your watch by the music. Some stations are looped.

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I got rid of the Sirius callers when I pointed out you could set your watch by the music. Some stations are looped.

That seems to be a very common problem with SiriusXM and most of the streaming services I've tried. Most of the premium streaming music services allow you to download hundreds or even thousands of songs to your device, so you don't even need to stream while on the road anymore. I could drive from my area to your area, which is about 300 miles one way, and back again and never hear a repeat of any of my downloaded Spotify music. That saves on cellular data and certainly is better than dead air from out of service areas, and there would be lots of those out in West Texas. Plus you can skip songs with Spotify, Pandora, Apple, etc. I can't remember if SiriusXM allowed you to skip, or even had a way to do it. They never allowed you to download songs though. Not sure if they do now. For some people though, SiriusXM might be the best solution if they want to drive around listening to sports stations and talk show stations. I don't listen to either of those though.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Well I just turned Drop In to OFF on all my devices. I refuse to sign up for Calling and Messaging as I can think of only one friend/family member that even has the ability to do it too, and I won't be asking him to jump through hoops to set this garbage up when we would rarely, if ever, use it. Major fail IMO. I live alone so the intercom feature wasn't something I could use, other than to occasionally annoy the cats. I think having to sign up for Amazon Calling and Messaging just to use the intercom is stupid, but hey we are talking about Amazon, and apparently we cannot fix stupid in their case.

I'm totally confused, AGAIN. Am I following you that you aren't signed up for calling and messaging, but you do see Drop-In in the app and turned it off.

I am not signed up for calling and messaging either, but I don't see Drop-In at all, or anything remotely like drop in. If it's hidden someplace and on, I want it off, in an abundance of caution. I'm not interested in using the intercom feature.

My only Alexa app is on my Fire tablet--could that be why I don't see Drop-In; is it only on the smartphone app, where the device is capable of calling and messaging? Thanks.

Originally Posted by Catlady

I'm totally confused, AGAIN. Am I following you that you aren't signed up for calling and messaging, but you do see Drop-In in the app and turned it off.

I am not signed up for calling and messaging either, but I don't see Drop-In at all, or anything remotely like drop in. If it's hidden someplace and on, I want it off, in an abundance of caution. I'm not interested in using the intercom feature.

My only Alexa app is on my Fire tablet--could that be why I don't see Drop-In; is it only on the smartphone app, where the device is capable of calling and messaging? Thanks.

You are reading correctly, I never signed up for Calling and Messaging, yet I had the Drop In option show up in my Alexa app and it was defaulted to ON. Creepy. The option is located here:

Settings --> [Select your Echo device] --> [scroll down to the General section] Drop In --> On/Only my Household/Off.

This was the Alexa app on my iPhone 7. The Alexa app on a Fire tablet might be different.

Make sure you set the Drop In option for every Alexa device you own. Also note that the Drop In option will only appear for devices that are compatible with the Intercom feature. For example, the Drop In option does NOT appear for my Fire TV.

ETA: Just saw the last question you asked. The Drop In option also appears in the Alexa app on my iPad Pro 9.7 which is WiFi only, no cellular, so apparently it does not require a phone to appear as an option under Settings.

[DreamWriter]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I'm totally confused, AGAIN. Am I following you that you aren't signed up for calling and messaging, but you do see Drop-In in the app and turned it off.

I am not signed up for calling and messaging either, but I don't see Drop-In at all, or anything remotely like drop in. If it's hidden someplace and on, I want it off, in an abundance of caution. I'm not interested in using the intercom feature.

My only Alexa app is on my Fire tablet--could that be why I don't see Drop-In; is it only on the smartphone app, where the device is capable of calling and messaging? Thanks.

Well, you're not the only one who is confused!

Yes, it's only on the smartphone app. The Alexa app on my Fire 6" tablet doesn't have the Drop-In option, and I don't think it ever will. I suppose that's because the Fire tablet isn't a phone capable of calling/messaging.

As I mentioned earlier, I was able to change the Drop-In settings by installing the Alexa app on the cheap non-activated phone I use only for music (the phone must have Android 5.0+ or iOS 9.0+). For now, Drop In (and therefore, the intercom feature) is turned off for all my Echo devices.

Edit: Drop-In settings are also available in the Alexa app installed on my Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet. How dumb that Drop-In settings can be accessed on phones/tablets without calling capability but not on Amazon's own Fire tablets!

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by jswinden

That seems to be a very common problem with SiriusXM and most of the streaming services I've tried. Most of the premium streaming music services allow you to download hundreds or even thousands of songs to your device, so you don't even need to stream while on the road anymore. I could drive from my area to your area, which is about 300 miles one way, and back again and never hear a repeat of any of my downloaded Spotify music. That saves on cellular data and certainly is better than dead air from out of service areas, and there would be lots of those out in West Texas. Plus you can skip songs with Spotify, Pandora, Apple, etc. I can't remember if SiriusXM allowed you to skip, or even had a way to do it. They never allowed you to download songs though. Not sure if they do now. For some people though, SiriusXM might be the best solution if they want to drive around listening to sports stations and talk show stations. I don't listen to either of those though.

Hey Jack, unless you detour through Brownwood with Verizon you would actually have cell service all the way from your place to mine. Now beyond Pecos is where there is nothing.
Seriously folks, if you see a sign saying last gas for 100+ miles, it means it.

Originally Posted by DreamWriter

Well, you're not the only one who is confused!

Yes, it's only on the smartphone app. The Alexa app on my Fire 6" tablet doesn't have the Drop-In option, and I don't think it ever will. I suppose that's because the Fire tablet isn't a phone capable of calling/messaging.

As I mentioned earlier, I was able to change the Drop-In settings by installing the Alexa app on the cheap non-activated phone I use only for music (the phone must have Android 5.0+ or iOS 9.0+). For now, Drop In is turned off for all my Echo devices.

The Drop In option appears in my Alexa app on my non-cellular iPad Pro 9.7. So apparently it can show up on devices other than phones. I don't think the actual Intercom feature will work on my iPad though, just to add to the confusion. "Houston, we have a problem...."