As blind and visually impaired people, we’ve all lost something in the house at one point or another.
It’s all too easy to forget where you put your keys, cane, guide dog or phone. Whatever the case, you spend way too long trying to find misplaced items when you could simply ask your Amazon Echo to help you find them.
If you’re putting something important in a new, different or unusual spot, you can tell Alexa to remember exactly where you placed it. Then just ask Alexa again when you’re ready to find it.
This feature is useful if you’re constantly in a rush and always drawing a blank on where you left your keys, glasses or phone. The catch is that you have to actually remember to tell Alexa where you put your things.
Here’s how it works.
First, tell Alexa to remember where you’ve placed something that you’ll need to find again.
All you have to say is something like “Alexa, remember I put my keys on the kitchen counter.” Your Amazon Echo will then confirm what you’d like to remember. This works for absolutely any item. You can try it with your cane, TV remote, wallet, keys, phone and so on.
When you’re looking for the item that you misplaced, just say, “Alexa, where did I put my keys?” Alexa will then repeat exactly where you said your item would be, so you can grab it and go.
So what do you do if you forget to ask Alexa to remember?
Unfortunately, the Amazon Echo can’t remember what you don’t tell it to. But if you’re not organized or forgetful, there are RFID devices you can attach to your keychain, wallet, coffee mug or anything else. And Alexa can help you find those too.
For example, I use a tracker called Tile Mate which attaches to your wallet, backpack, keys or anything else you misplace often. Once you have the tracker, open your Alexa app > Menu > Skills & Games > search for Tile > select Enable to Use. You’ll have to create a Tile account to begin using the skill. Once you’re all set up, you can say, “Alexa, ask Tile to find my keys” or “Alexa, ask Tile for the location of my wallet.”
