Which Fire Tablets Support Alexa?
You can see which generation Fire tablet you have by going to Settings > Device Options and looking under Device Model.
Your Fire tablet’s generation refers to the year it was made. The first generation of the Kindle Fire came out in 2011, so Fire tablets made in 2018 are part of the eighth generation. The number in your tablet’s name (e.g. Fire 7 or Fire HD 10) refers to the screen size.
How to Enable Alexa on Your Fire Tablet
To enable Alexa on your Fire tablet:
If you have an older Kindle Fire, you can download the Alexa app, but you’ll be unable to use it.
How to Use Your Fire Tablet With Alexa
To control Alexa with your voice, hold down the Home icon (the circle at the bottom-center of your screen) and wait for a blue line to appear. You can then give a command or ask a question.
From your Home screen, swipe right until you get to the Apps page and then search for “Alexa.”
Enter your name and tap Continue.
Set up phone verification by entering your phone number and confirming the code sent to you.
Alternatively, you can tap SKIP and set up phone verification later; just tap the speech bubble at the bottom of the Alexa app home screen.
What Can Alexa Do on Fire?
With Alexa enabled, you can now do all of the following using voice commands:
If you have parental controls enabled, Alexa is disabled by default. Alexa is unavailable on child profiles, secondary adult profiles, and Fire Kid’s Edition tablets.
From the Alexa app home screen, you can tap the hamburger menu in the upper left corner to open the options menu. From there, tap Things to Try, then tap a topic to learn how Alexa can help. To discover new Alexa skills, tap Skills & Games or simply say, “Alexa, suggest new skills.”
Most Alexa actions require your device to be connected to a Wi-Fi network. Some features are not supported in every country.
Use Alexa on Fire HD 10 Hands-Free
Sometimes Alexa responds with visual information. To dismiss these visuals, tap the back icon.
To use Alexa without touching the Fire’s screen:
Use Alexa to Read Your Kindle Books
If you have Audible audiobooks, you can listen to them by saying, “Alexa, play the audiobook” followed by the title.
Tap the gear icon on your Home screen to open the Settings.
Tap Alexa under the Device section.
Tap Hands-Free Mode if it’s not already enabled.
Alexa can also read your books aloud if you don’t have an Audible account. To have Alexa read to you in her digitized voice, just say, “Alexa, play the Kindle book” followed by the title.
You can then ask Alexa to pause, resume, or stop your Kindle book. Examples of other commands you can use include:
- “Alexa, read louder.““Alexa, stop reading in 30 minutes.““Alexa, next chapter.”
Use Alexa in Show Mode
To turn on Show Mode, simply say “Alexa, turn on Show Mode.” Alternatively, you can toggle Show Mode on and off from the quick action menu.
Enabling Show Mode makes it easier to control your device from afar with voice commands. When Show Mode is active, text appears larger, bolder, and formatted for reading at a distance. Your device will also suggest actions Alexa can perform while in Show Mode, making it handy for learning what the voice assistant can do for you.
Show Mode is only available for 7th and 8th Generation Fire HD 8 and Fire HD 10 tablets.
Troubleshooting Alexa on the Fire Tablet
Alexa can get confused if you ask her to do something while using your Fire tablet manually. For example, if you ask Alexa to play an Audible audiobook, then you try to stop it using the Audible app, your book might start playing again from the beginning. As a general rule, any time you start an action using Alexa, you should stop the action using Alexa.
To make Alexa stop any action, simply say, “Alexa, stop.” Alternatively, you can force Alexa to stop by swiping down to open the Quick Action menu, then tap the play/pause icon. You can also toggle Alexa on and off by going to Settings > Alexa.
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