# Can Alexa take typed instructions via the app? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 17, 2023, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alexa-take-typed-instructions-via-the-app/991688 "2023-10-17T03:31:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alexa-take-typed-instructions-via-the-app/991688/1 "2023-10-17T03:31:23Z")
Often, my Alexa Echo device can’t seem to understand my song requests, esp if the title is in a different language. This happens even whan she’s understood that same request in the past. Is there some way via the app I can type in the title/artist? In particular, today I tried to get her to play “Un Musicien Parmi Tant D’Autres” by Harmonium, which she’s managed to play before many times. No luck after numerous attempts. It seems like there should be a way to type in a request - what about people (including at least one poster here) who cannot speak? Anyone have any idea? ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alexa-take-typed-instructions-via-the-app/991688/2 "2023-10-17T09:59:44Z")
Yes you can. I have the same argument with Siri trying to get her to play Autour du Rocher by Jimmy Buffett when I’m in the car. In my Alexa app on iOS you can tap the Alexa button and then click on the keyboard button and type your request. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alexa-take-typed-instructions-via-the-app/991688/3 "2023-10-17T11:21:14Z")
I don’t use voice command anything, so I have no clue to _the_ answer to your strict question. But I have an idea that _might_ help you find a different solution to your underlying problem. Once you do get Alexa (or any of the others) to properly select the song, can you get it to say the name back to you? I’m thinking that maybe, just maybe, the way it pronounces words is connected to how it recognizes words. e.g. If it says the title with the accent in the wrong place, you might find that if you say the title the same way it’ll recognize that. At work back in the day we listened to a lot of early synthesized computer speech. We called it “the Mad Hungarian” for its very pronounced “accent”. But it was (of course) very consistent. Once you learned to recognize how it always butchered a particular word it was actually pretty easy to understand. But it did make a good way to tell newbies from veterans. I’m thinking a similar process may be at work here. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alexa-take-typed-instructions-via-the-app/991688/4 "2023-10-17T12:52:36Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Once you do get Alexa (or any of the others) to properly select the song, can you get it to say the name back to you? I’m thinking that maybe, just maybe, the way it pronounces words is connected to how it recognizes words. e.g. If it says the title with the accent in the wrong place, you might find that if you say the title the same way it’ll recognize that. Unfortunately not. I have a device called a Nanoleaf Shapes in my office. I can say “Alexa Fins Shapes On” and it will turn them on. I can say “Alex Fins Shapes Off” and she helpfully responds “I can’t find a device named Fins Shapes. Do you mean water heater outlet?” Sometimes I think voice recognition is not ready for prime time. [Nanoleaf Shapes | Smart LED | Shapes Color Changing Light Panels (Canada)](https://nanoleaf.me/en-CA/products/nanoleaf-shapes/?category=mini-triangles) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alexa-take-typed-instructions-via-the-app/991688/5 "2023-10-17T13:04:16Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Is there some way via the app I can type in the title/artist? Maybe I’m missing a nuance in your question… but surely you have Alexa installed on your phone? Because you can use Alexa without even owning an Amazon Echo-- on your phone or kindle. You can also install Alexa on your computer but it’s (she’s?) not as functional there. On your phone you can certainly key in whatever requests you can address to the device with your voice, from lists and reminders to searches. I often add items to my Alexa shopping list by _talking_ to the device, but just as often I open Alexa on my phone and _type_ in the stuff. When you install Alexa on your phone, at the bottom of the home screen there is a row of icons. In the middle (on mine anyway) is the word “play” with the symbol for playing sometime (the triangle in a circle). Choose that and you’ll go to a screen where you can direct Alexa to play music, podcasts, radio stations, etc. This seems so obvious to me that I think I must be missing the essence of your question… so if that’s the case, I apologize, and please do correct me. I truly don’t think you need any third party apps. The Alexa app is set up to do exactly what you want to do. ETA: On your phone you have to option to speak to Alexa OR key in your request. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alexa-take-typed-instructions-via-the-app/991688/6 "2023-10-17T16:52:09Z")
Okay, thanks, it worked. Somehow I didn’t have the app fully configured yet. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alexa-take-typed-instructions-via-the-app/991688/7 "2023-10-17T16:56:32Z")
👍🏽… ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alexa-take-typed-instructions-via-the-app/991688/8 "2023-10-17T17:09:37Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Once you do get Alexa (or any of the others) to properly select the song, can you get it to say the name back to you? I’m thinking that maybe, just maybe, the way it pronounces words is connected to how it recognizes words. e.g. If it says the title with the accent in the wrong place, you might find that if you say the title the same way it’ll recognize that. You can and it sometimes works to get it to play the song, sometimes doesn’t. With foreign language stuff, forget it. Also, Amazon seems to change things up every once in awhile. I used to have to say “Alexa, play BBC Radio 6 Music” to get it to play that station. Three months ago, that stopped working. Through trial and error, I’ve found a carefully enunciated “play BBC 6” works. When I ask it what it’s playing, it say “BBC Radio 6 Music.” But if I now ask it for that, it just says “sorry, I don’t know that one” (or similar.) The voice recognition really is annoying. ---
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alexa-take-typed-instructions-via-the-app/991688/9 "2023-10-17T17:24:52Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > 👍🏽… so this triggers the question - can Alexa read sign language? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alexa-take-typed-instructions-via-the-app/991688/10 "2023-10-17T18:10:37Z")
God, I hope not! ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alexa-take-typed-instructions-via-the-app/991688/11 "2023-10-17T18:20:28Z")
A side note as well, if you want to play music that’s specifically from Amazon Prime / Unlimited Music, you can select said music from the App interface (App, Kindle) and choose to have it play on a connected Alexa device (or multiples). I do this for certain songs that defy the speech recognition, or to send a wake up to my wife if she’s napping upstairs on an occasion where I think it’ll be fun. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alexa-take-typed-instructions-via-the-app/991688/12 "2023-10-17T18:24:46Z")
So…you wake her up with the end of the 1812 Overture, cannons and all? That must go over well. 😴 🧨 🎆 ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alexa-take-typed-instructions-via-the-app/991688/13 "2023-10-17T18:30:39Z")
Heh, but no. One of her favorite songs/bands, which is often appropriate as to why I’m waking her up anyway! > **[They Might Be Giants - Dinner Bell](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8PWHOVYhI8%2F)** > > Experimental dog, salivating dog, good dog. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alexa-take-typed-instructions-via-the-app/991688/14 "2023-10-17T18:34:14Z")
Very catchy!