How To Drop In On Alexa Without Them Knowing In 2023?

Can You Drop In On Alexa Without Them Knowing

Did you know?

Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg tapes his computer’s camera and microphone.

I heard it’s because he doesn’t want hackers to watch him.

And while you aren’t as high-profile as him…

You value your privacy, too.

And that’s why you’re wondering…

Does Alexa allow people to spy on others? Like, using Drop In without anyone knowing?

Keep reading to find out:

3 must-know ways to use the drop in feature.

7 easy steps to turn off the drop in feature on Alexa.
A beginner-friendly guide to the Alexa drop in feature.
Whether you can spy on someone using the drop in feature.

And this is just the beginning…

Can you drop in on Alexa without them knowing

You can’t drop in on Alexa without them knowing. That’s because you need permission if you want to drop in for the first time. Plus, there are indicators to let them know if you’ve dropped in. Specifically, they’ll see a flashing green light and hear an audio chime. And you can’t turn those off.

What is the Alexa drop in feature?

The Alexa Drop In feature lets you connect with your Alexa contacts and devices.

However, remember that you’ll need permission when using the feature for the first time.

But once they permit you…

You can just instantly drop in randomly to any of them.

And they won’t be able to accept nor reject the drop-in.

It’s like when you’re with a friend, so you just talk to them directly.

Only this time, you get to do that even if you’re not physically together.

And that’s all thanks to Alexa and the Internet.

But wait, that’s not all there is to it….

I tell you, we’re only getting to the exciting part.

That’s because, with the Drop In feature, you can:

Communicate with your Alexa contacts.
Connect either to one device or a device group.

Broadcast messages to your Alexa-enabled devices.
Have a group conversation with people under your Amazon household.

So basically, it’s like an intercom.

But I reckon it’s gotten a whole lot better.

“Why do you think so?”

I know so.

But if you need some more convincing…

Then picture the following scenario:

Let’s say that you’re cooking dinner in the kitchen. And you’re about to finish in a few minutes.

But your whole family’s upstairs in their own rooms.

And you want them to come down without having to go there.

You know, because you don’t feel like taking the stairs at all.

So you use the Alexa Drop In to tell your family to come downstairs since dinner is about to be ready.

On top of that, you can also use this feature to check in on your family members.

Pretty convenient, right?

And that’s only one scenario…

Imagine all the possibilities you could do with all your Alexa devices and the Drop In feature.

And whatever it is you’re thinking about right now, I’m sure it’ll be fantastic.

All that’s left now is to turn that imagination into reality.

With that said…

If you don’t have an Alexa-enabled household yet…

Then I highly suggest you make your home one.

And all you need to do is add more Alexa devices.

Looking for some?

Then here’s what I strongly recommend:

And if there are kids in your home, I highly suggest:

Amazon Echo Show 5 2nd Gen Kids.

Now, are you excited to use the Drop in feature?

I totally get you.

But here’s the thing:

The Drop In feature is disabled by default.

So before you can use it, you need to enable and set it up on your device first.

That said, here’s…

How to set up Alexa’s Drop In on your device:

Download the Alexa app (iOS and Android).
Open the Alexa app.

Tap Communicate.
Press the Contacts icon at the top-right corner.
Select My Communication Settings.

Toggle Allow Drop In ON.

But aside from that, you also need to permit others so you can actually connect with them.

So, here’s…

How to grant Drop In permission on your Alexa contacts:

Open the Alexa app.
Tap Communicate icon on the bar at the bottom.
Press the Contacts icon in the top-right corner.

Choose the contact you’d like to give permission to.
Click My Communication Settings.
Toggle Allow Drop In ON.

Note: If you permit others to drop in on you or vice versa. Then, you’d be able to connect instantly. And either of you won’t be able to accept nor reject the drop-in.

You might be interested: How to play SoundCloud on Alexa

How does the drop in feature work?

The Drop In feature works like an intercom. That said, users can directly converse with another Alexa device or device groups. And communicate with Alexa contacts. Also, they can broadcast messages via the Alexa app. Plus, they could hold group calls with people under their Amazon household.

Note: Whenever you want to use the Drop In feature, remember the following:

Wait for Alexa to acknowledge that you’re dropping in.
After you deliver your message, say, “Alexa, end drop in.”

Only start talking when you see a green light on your device and hear an audio chime.

#1: Direct conversation with another Alexa device

If you have another Alexa device in the house…

Using the Drop In feature, you can have a two-way conversation with another person.

And here’s how you can do that:

Let’s say the other Alexa device’s name is “Cute one.”

To call it, say, “Alexa, drop in on ‘Cute one.’”

Note: Make sure that you say the correct name of the device, so Alexa can successfully connect to it.

Pro tip: Name your device a simple one. For example, if it’s near your computer, you can name it “Computer.” In that way, you won’t mix up names.

#2: Connect to a particular device group

With Alexa, you can group your devices through the Smart Home Group function.

And by doing so, you can control those devices even with just one command.

That said, you could use the Drop In feature to connect with all the devices in the group.

And that’s pretty convenient if you want to ensure everyone in the group gets your message.

“How do I create a device group?”

Open Alexa App.
Tap the Devices icon.
Press the + icon.

Click Add group.
Choose the name of the group.
Tap Next.

Select the devices you want to add to the group.
Hit Save.

Now that you’ve created a group…

It’s time to use the Drop In feature to connect to that group.

And all you have to do is:

Say, “Alexa, drop in on [Device Group Name].”

Note: Even if you connect to a device group, you’ll only drop in on one device. If this happens, don’t worry. Its purpose is to reduce audio feedback.

#3: Broadcast messages to other Alexa devices

Want to send a message to all the other Alexa devices in your home?

But you don’t want a two-way conversation?

Then I’ve got some great news for you:

With Alexa’s Drop In feature, you can opt to broadcast your message to them.

And what’s even better is that you get to do that in two ways:

Broadcast via Echo device:

Have your Echo device near you.
Say, “Alexa, announce [insert announcement].”

And…

Broadcast via Alexa app:

Open the Alexa app.
Go to Communicate.
Tap the Announce button.

Use the microphone button to record an audio message.

Pro tip: Instead of an audio announcement, you could opt to write a text announcement. This is especially helpful when you’re in a loud place.

#4: Communicate with an Alexa contact

Using the Drop In feature, you can also communicate with one of your Alexa contacts.

But before you can do that…

You need to add contacts to your Alexa app or import contacts from your device.

“How do I do that?”

It’s simple. Here’s…

How to add an Alexa contact:

Open the Alexa app.
Tap Communicate icon on the bar at the bottom.

Press the Contacts icon in the top-right corner.
Select the menu icon (3 dots).
Click Add Contact to add people manually.

Or Tap Import Contacts to import from your device.

Note: You can only add a person to your Alexa contact list if they also use Alexa.

Are you ready?

Good. Then all that’s left to do is:

Say “Alexa, call [contact name].”

So if you want to call your dad, you can simply say, “Alexa, call Dad.”

Note: That’ll only work if you put “Dad” on your contact list. If it’s your actual dad’s name, then use his real name.

#5: Group call with devices under Amazon Household

With the Drop In feature, you can start a group call with all the Alexa devices under your Amazon Household.

And remember that you can do this even if they don’t live under the same roof as you.

“How do I add devices under Amazon Household?”

Go to Amazon Household.
Sign in to your Amazon account.
Locate Create your Household now.

Tap Add adult or Add teen or Add child.
Enter the name and email address of the person you want to invite.

Note: Adults need a separate Amazon account to add them to the Household. But, you only need to follow on-screen instructions if you want to add teens or children.

And now that’s all set up…

All you need to do is:

Say, “Alexa, Drop In everywhere.”

After that, you can start talking with people under your Amazon Household.

Want to see the Drop In feature in action?

Then check out this video below:

How to turn off drop in on Alexa?

To turn off drop in on Alexa, open the Alexa app first. Next, tap the Devices tab. And press Echo & Alexa. Select a device. Then, click Communications and press Drop In. Lastly, Tap the OFF option. Repeat the steps for every device you’d like to turn off the feature.

Are there different ways to drop in on Alexa?

There are 2 different ways to drop in on Alexa. The first one is through a voice command on your Echo device. The other is to drop in manually using the Alexa app.

#1: Voice command

To drop in using your voice, follow these steps:

Place your Echo device near you.
Say, “Alexa, Drop In on [Device/Contact Name].”
Wait for indicators green light and audio chime.
Start talking.
Say, “Alexa, end Drop In.” if you want to stop the Drop In.

#2: Alexa app

You could also drop in through the Alexa app.

And here’s how to do that:

Open the Alexa app.
Click Communicate.
Tap Drop In.
Select the Alexa-enabled device you want to drop in to.