25 Voice Commands You Didn't Know Your Smart Speaker Could Do

You bought a smart speaker. You use it to set timers, play music, and maybe check the weather. That's about 10% of what these things can actually do. I've been collecting non-obvious voice commands for years, and most people I show these to have the same reaction: "Wait, it can do THAT?"

Here are 25 commands you can try right now, organized by category. I've tested all of these as of late 2023.

Finding Lost Things

1. "Alexa, find my phone." This one blows people's minds. If you have the Alexa app installed on your phone, Alexa will call your phone at full volume — even if it's on silent. No setup required beyond having the app. It just works.

2. "Hey Google, find my phone." Same concept, but Google's version works through Find My Device. It'll ring your phone at full volume for 5 minutes or until you find it. Works on Android phones linked to your Google account.

3. "Hey Siri, where's my iPhone?" If you have a HomePod, this triggers Find My and plays a sound on your missing device. Works for AirPods and Apple Watch too.

Broadcasting and Communication

4. "Hey Google, broadcast dinner's ready." This announces your message on every Google speaker and display in your house simultaneously. Game-changer for families. You can also say "broadcast I'm home" or record a custom message. Way better than yelling up the stairs.

5. "Alexa, announce that it's time to leave." Amazon's version of the same feature. Works across all Echo devices. The voice sounds a little robotic but it gets the job done.

6. "Alexa, drop in on the kitchen." Turns your Echo into a two-way intercom with another Echo in your home. You have to enable Drop In in the Alexa app first, but once it's set up, it's incredibly useful.

Entertainment Tricks

7. "Alexa, play the song that goes..." Then hum, sing, or say a few lyrics. Alexa will attempt to identify the song and play it. It's surprisingly good with popular songs. Works best if you can remember at least a line or two of lyrics.

8. "Hey Google, tell me a dad joke." Different from "tell me a joke." Google has a dedicated library of groan-worthy dad jokes that are perfect for family gatherings. Try it at Thanksgiving — you won't regret it. Or maybe you will.

9. "Alexa, play ambient sounds." There are dozens of built-in ambient sounds: rain, thunderstorm, fireplace, ocean waves, city sounds, birds, babbling brook, fan noise, and more. They loop automatically and you can set a sleep timer. "Alexa, play fireplace sounds for one hour" is my go-to on winter evenings.

10. "Hey Google, play relaxing sounds." Google has 14 ambient sounds built in. Say "play white noise," "play nature sounds," or "play running water." They loop for 12 hours by default.

Smart Home Deep Cuts

11. "Alexa, set the living room to warm white." If you have smart bulbs that support color temperature, this sets them to a warm, cozy tone without having to specify a Kelvin value or percentage. You can also say "cool white" or "daylight."

12. "Hey Google, turn on all the lights." Turns on every light assigned to any room. You can also say "turn off all lights downstairs" if you've organized your rooms into a "Downstairs" home area. Room and zone controls are more powerful than most people realize.

13. "Alexa, set a guard." Activates Alexa Guard, which uses your Echo's microphone to listen for breaking glass, smoke alarms, or carbon monoxide detectors while you're away. It'll send you a notification if it hears something. Free feature, no subscription needed.

14. "Hey Google, gentle wake up at 7 AM." If you have smart lights connected, Google will gradually brighten them over 30 minutes before your alarm goes off, simulating a sunrise. Works with Philips Hue, LIFX, and other compatible bulbs.

Productivity and Memory

15. "Alexa, add milk to my shopping list." Creates and manages a shopping list that syncs to the Alexa app on your phone. When you're at the store, open the app and your list is right there. You can also say "Alexa, what's on my shopping list?" before heading out.

16. "Hey Google, remember that my passport is in the top drawer." Google will store this information and recall it when you ask "Hey Google, where's my passport?" I use this for storing spare key locations, WiFi passwords for guests, and where I put seasonal decorations.

17. "Hey Siri, remind me about this when I get home." If you're looking at something on your iPhone, Siri creates a location-based reminder that fires when you arrive home. The reminder includes a link back to whatever you were looking at. Incredibly useful for articles you want to finish reading.

18. "Alexa, set a timer for pasta for 12 minutes." Named timers! You can have multiple running simultaneously. "How much time is left on my pasta timer?" works exactly as you'd expect. You can also say "set a timer for laundry for 45 minutes." Absolute kitchen essential.

Information and Utility

19. "Alexa, track my package." If you order from Amazon (and who doesn't), Alexa knows your delivery status. It'll tell you what's arriving today, what's on its way, and estimated delivery dates. Works without any setup if your Alexa and Amazon accounts are linked.

20. "Hey Google, what does a [animal] sound like?" Google has sounds for hundreds of animals. Great for entertaining kids or settling bar bets about what a fox actually sounds like. Try "what does a lyrebird sound like" for something truly wild.

21. "Alexa, how do you say hello in Japanese?" Real-time translation across dozens of languages. You can also say "Alexa, translate 'where is the bathroom' to French." Handy for travel prep or helping kids with language homework.

Routines and Automation

22. "Alexa, good morning." If you haven't customized this, Alexa gives you a weather briefing, news, and your calendar. But the real power is in the Alexa app where you can customize exactly what "good morning" triggers — lights on, thermostat up, coffee maker on, briefing, and more.

23. "Hey Google, bedtime." Similar concept. You can customize this routine in the Google Home app to lock doors, turn off lights, set the thermostat, and start sleep sounds. Building a "goodnight" routine that handles everything in one command is the single best smart home quality-of-life upgrade.

24. "Alexa, whisper mode." If you whisper to Alexa, she'll whisper back. Perfect for late-night commands when someone's sleeping nearby. You need to enable this in Settings > Voice Responses > Whisper Mode. Once on, it activates automatically when you whisper.

25. "Hey Google, schedule lights on at sunset." You can create basic scheduled automations by voice without opening the app. "Turn on the porch light at sunset" or "turn off the bedroom light at 11 PM" creates a recurring schedule right from a voice command.

Go Try These Right Now

Seriously, pick three of these and try them today. The named timers and shopping list alone have changed how I use my kitchen Echo. The "find my phone" command has saved me at least a dozen panicked searches. And if you haven't set up a bedtime routine yet, tonight's the night.

Smart speakers get better the more you use them, and most of these features have been sitting there waiting for you to discover them. No extra hardware, no subscriptions, no setup required for most of these — just say the words.