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Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa is already present in many apartments, where she provides music, jokes and quick orders via voice control. However, Alexa is rarely found in the car, although the smart voice control system could make it possible to take your hands off the steering wheel much less often.
Amazon wants to change this with Echo Auto*. It is a device that was created especially for the car.
You are wondering if it is possible to use the Echo loudspeaker with the Alexa voice assistant in your car? With the help of the Echo Auto, this is no problem. The small device uses the car’s speakers and can be connected to the car radio either via Bluetooth or Aux connection.
To make things a little easier for you, we will not only explain the technical requirements in this article but also guide you step by step through the setup.
In the end, thanks to Echo Auto, your Alexa should work as well as in your own home and you can use both generic and special Alexa skills for the car. To save you a lot of frustration, you should read the article until the end, because at the end we will go into more detailed questions and possible problems.
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Table of Contents
What is Amazon Echo Auto?
Echo Auto* is an echo loudspeaker designed specifically for the car. The term “echo loudspeaker” is a bit misleading, because there is no loudspeaker built-in. Instead, Echo Auto uses the speakers of the built-in car audio system.
This makes it possible to use the echo on a conventional USB port or with the included car charger. The device is approx. 85 mm wide and 47 mm long, has 8 microphones, a micro USB connection and an audio output via 3.5 mm jack. For operation, there is an action button and a microphone off button, which should be pressed as little as possible in the best case. The light bar tells the user whether Echo Auto is currently active or whether a command may not be understood.
The microphones were developed especially for the conditions in cars and use far-field technology. This makes it no problem for Alexa to hear and understand the user even in the presence of traffic noise, running air conditioning or music from the radio. If you are concerned about your privacy, all you have to do is press the microphone button.
Then the power supply to the microphones is cut off and the echo is unable to make further recordings. Furthermore, any recordings can be downloaded from the Internet and deleted if necessary.
Technical Requirements
In general, the Echo Auto is compatible with all car radios that have a Bluetooth connection. This also applies to the smartphone. Without a smartphone with an active mobile Internet connection, the Echo Auto cannot function because – unlike other Alexa products – it does not have its own WLAN connection.
The smartphone used must have at least Android 6.0 or iOS version 12. The hardware uses a Mediatek MT7697 and a Dual DSP from Intel with interference engine.
The protocols of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are supported. Bluetooth connectivity is provided via the Audio/Video Remote Control Profile, the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile and the Hands-Free Profile. For Android the Serial Port Profile and for iOS the iPod Accessory Protocol is also used.
Some smartphones are not supported. These include, but are not limited to: The Samsung Galaxy S8 as well as the S10 and S10+, all Generation 1, 3, 4 and 5 iPhones, Google Nexus 4 and 6 and the Honor 4C, 7C, 7X and 8X. A complete list can be found on the official Amazon website. There you can also find a list of incompatible vehicles, with a special focus on the Bluetooth connection. With an AUX connection, the Echo Auto can usually still be connected to the car radio.
The Echo Auto has no display and therefore occasionally uses the smartphone’s display to show information or confirm commands. Therefore, it is necessary to have a suitable cradle for this purpose, which allows it to be operated while driving. A cradle for the smartphone is not included and should be mounted in advance of the actual setup.
Step-by-step Instructions – Installing Amazon Echo Auto
- Find a suitable place for the devices: This applies to the Echo Auto as well as to your cell phone. Follow the laws: Your cell phone may only be used while driving if it is in a suitable holder. If not already installed, you should mount it first. Follow the instructions of the manufacturer of the cell phone cradle. Different laws apply to different countries. Using a smartphone while driving is not only very dangerous but can be expensive!
- The Amazon Echo Auto comes with an assembly device for the air vents: But this is only suitable for cars with nearly square air vents. Cars with round or curved vents are usually incompatible. In this case, an alternative assembly strategy must be considered. It is also possible to place the Echo Auto in the center console because the two buttons have to be pressed very rarely.
- Before you get into the car: log into your Amazon account on your PC with a browser. Call up your profile and select “My devices and content”. Go to “Settings” and make sure that your country is set as the current region under “Country/Region Settings”. This is important because otherwise many of the Alexa skills will not work properly.
- Start your smartphone, make sure you have an active Internet connection and an active Bluetooth connection, and download the Amazon Alexa app from either the Google Play Store, the iOS Store, or Amazon itself. After installation, you will be asked to log in with your account. Follow the on-screen instructions for initial setup until you reach the main screen. Here you will find the button for “Devices” in the lower area.
- Now you can start the Amazon Echo Auto. The device will automatically enter “setup mode” the first time you start it and will prompt you with a voice message to register a new device in your Amazon Alexa app. In this mode, the light bar will blink in red from left to right.
- If you have opened the “Devices” section of the app, you can register a new device by pressing the “Plus” button in the upper right corner. In the following screens first select “Amazon Echo” as device type and then “Echo Auto” as a device. A warning follows that the Echo Auto should not be set up while driving. It also reminds you to follow the traffic regulations of your country regarding the control of devices while driving. You need to confirm this to continue.
- On the next screen, the Amazon Echo Auto should appear as “Echo Auto” and a randomized number (example: “Echo Auto C150”). If the device does not appear here, this could be due to an insufficient Bluetooth connection. In this case, it may be worthwhile to put the Amazon Echo Auto back into pairing mode by pressing the action button for at least 10 seconds. On iOS devices, it may take up to 2 minutes to display the device.
- In the next step, a few questions have to be answered. The first question is: “Are you able to connect your car via Bluetooth to play music? If this is the case, you should of course answer with “Yes”. If you answered yes, follow step no. 9, otherwise continue with step no. 10.
- If you answered with Yes, the Bluetooth connection will be tested now. To do this, switch your car radio to Bluetooth mode. If not already done, you have to connect your Smartphone with your car radio. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions, which are normally found in the car’s manual. A test tone will be played over the loudspeakers of your car. If everything was successful, you can continue with step 11.
- If you answered with No, the connection via AUX cable is tested now. Set your car radio as input to the aux connection. A test sound will be played over the loudspeakers of your car. If everything was successful, you can continue with step no. 11.
- Alexa will ask you if you are the main user of the account or a possible additional user. If the latter is the case, you can create a new profile for yourself by selecting “I am another user”.
- This step completes the setup process. Amazon Alexa will confirm this with an audible voice message. From this point on, the light bar will also light up in blue. In the Amazon Alexa App, the new device will be listed in the “all devices” list and will connect automatically to the smartphone and the car radio in the future.
Alexa Skills for the Car
The Echo Auto* can help you with many things. Of course, you can also complete your shopping lists in the car or order your dinner from your favorite Chinese restaurant on the way home.
Alexa will probably be used most often for the appropriate entertainment in the car because it allows the control of various streaming services such as Spotify and Amazon music even without additional software.
Making calls and sending SMS is also no problem, but currently only if the contact is stored in the cell phone. Numbers cannot yet be entered via voice control. Possibly this will be patched by Amazon.
In addition, Amazon also offers specific skills that are directly tailored to motorists. To download them, you have to go to the Amazon site after the setup of Echo Auto and can find them under “Alexa Skills: Networked Car”.
Then it is possible, for example, to ask Alexa for the current gasoline prices and drive directly to the cheapest gas station. Or one is interested in where the person in front is coming from. Furthermore, there are skills for certain manufacturers like “Mercedes Me” or “Skoda Connect”. You can find out about the necessary requirements and the possible functionalities directly from the respective car manufacturers or on the Amazon website.
Interesting Alexa skills for the car at a glance:
- AutoGuru:
AutoGuru is a comprehensive compendium of car-related questions. With the skill, you can query license plates and learn a lot of facts about cars. But all in all the information content is less than the entertainment value. - Petrol prices/petrol station:
Two skills with the same functionality, namely the ability to check petrol prices in the region and to find the nearest and cheapest petrol station. A skill that every user of Echo Auto should install. - Traffic News:
For freeways you can download Alexa Skills, which will announce traffic jams and current traffic news or react to calls. If you are often on these roads, you don’t need to turn on the radio on the way and still get the latest news. - Car games:
Especially with children, a long car trip can quickly become tantalizingly boring. To prevent this, Amazon offers the Alexa skill “car games”. With 12 smaller games you can entertain the children (or yourself) at least for a few minutes. - Logbook/Fleet management:
Alexa can also help users in the business area and offers two skills with the logbook or fleet management, which allow to document driving times and routes or manage other vehicles from the pool. - My Alfa/My Jeep/My Fiat/My Car etc.:
For almost every car manufacturer there is a special Alexa skill, which allows the respective drivers to control some functions of the car directly via Alexa. Depending on the manufacturer, there can be huge differences in functionality, technical requirements and operation, so these are only mentioned here as examples without going into detail. If you need more information about this, you can ask the manufacturer of your car directly.
Related Questions
Do I need an internet connection for Echo Auto?
Since the Echo Auto does not have its own Internet connectivity, an Internet connection on the paired device is mandatory for operation. This should ideally be a 4G connection or better.
Can I unpair the devices?
This is easily done by calling the appropriate menu (paired devices) in the Amazon Alexa application. Here you can manage all devices and remove them if necessary using the menu item “Discard Device”.
Can I use Alexa as a navigation device?
The route assistant is a built-in Alexa skill, but map navigation must be started manually on the smartphone. For this reason, it is strongly recommended to do this before driving while the car is stationary. If the route assistant is activated, Alexa will announce all necessary maneuvers.
Troubleshooting / Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting Bluetooth connection errors
In most cases, it already helps to restart the Amazon Alexa app on the smartphone. If this is not successful, you can disconnect the Echo Auto for 30 seconds to reinitialize the connection. Other possible solutions are to switch off the Bluetooth connection on the smartphone for at least 30 seconds (Android: airplane mode) and to restart the smartphone completely.
In rare cases it is necessary to pair the Amazon Echo with the smartphone again. To do so, the pairing must first be unpaired and the Echo Auto must be disconnected from the power supply for at least 30 seconds.
Troubleshooting Audio Command Processing
If the voice recognition does not work as desired and Alexa often answers with “I didn’t understand you”, this can possibly be solved by adjusting the response time.
To do so, open the device manager in the Amazon Alexa App and select “Echo Auto”. Here you can activate the response time and the option “Fix truncated voice commands” under “Audio error handling”. In most cases a response time of 500 ms is ok, but in some cases an increase can help Alexa to understand voice commands better.
Reset Echo Auto
If you want to sell the Echo Auto or use it in another car, the device has to be reset first. This is done by holding down the “Microphone off” button while pressing the “Action” button for 15 seconds.
The device will first confirm the process by lighting up from left to right in orange, which changes to a flashing light when the sequence is completed. At this point Amazon Echo Auto has forgotten all paired devices and is ready to be used in a new vehicle.
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Attention: When installing electronic equipment, please be sure to observe the manufacturer’s safety instructions. You have to take care of your own safety. The information on this site only helps you to learn.
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