Few people realize Alexa can send a virtual hug. It’s a neat little feature, a surprise that can improve someone’s day. If you own an Echo device, consider trying it out. It’s quick, fun, and may even make you smile.
Why Send a Virtual Hug?
Sometimes you just want to show someone extra care as you go through your daily routine. Perhaps your best friend is having a bad day, or you wish to remind your grandma you are thinking of her. A virtual hug offers a simple, easy way to do this. It’s a cute little gesture.
This is also a good option when distance prevents real hugs. If you have family in another country or even nearby, this can be a sweet way to stay connected. It’s fully hands-free, so you can send a hug while you cook, work or can’t find your phone.
What Is a Virtual Hug?
A virtual hug is exactly what it sounds like—Alexa sends a virtual hug on your behalf to another Echo device. When you say “Alexa, send a hug,” she will ask whom you want to send it to. The receiver then gets a notification on their Echo or Alexa app, to inform them you sent a virtual hug.
If your contacts don’t show up on Alexa, don’t worry—she can guide you through setting it up, which can be done in a breeze.
How to Set It Up
If you get notified that you need to get this setup, you’ll need to open your Alexa app and sync your contacts.
To do this, open the app and start selecting the hamburger menu located in the lower menu bar, and “Communicate.”
Next, select the contacts icon in the upper right corner. You’ll get a message asking if you’d like to allow access to your contacts. Select “Yes” and “Allow:” After that, you’re good to go! Alexa will show you your synced contact lists with everyone already connected with Alexa.
All your contacts that have blue checkmarks next to their name can receive calls, messages, and hugs from you from their app on their Echo devices.
There’s More to Alexa
There’s a lot more to Alexa than just finding out about the weather or sending virtual hugs. Alexa has a ton of hidden commands that you may not even know about. You can also ask Alexa other things (she can be surprisingly wholesome), such as:
“Alexa, drop a beat.”
I tried out this command with Alexa, and it made me realize that a bot can beatbox better than me! You’ll be pleasantly surprised when you ask Alex to drop a beat, and it can definitely be a quick one to entertain your friends and family.
If you enjoy hearing her voice, you can also use the command “Alexa, sing for me.” After listening to her sing, you can’t say she doesn’t have a good sense of rhythm—Alexa seems to be a pro at rhyming. Turns out, Alexa also has a Santa Claus voice.
“Alexa, flatter me.”
If you want a little ego boost, you can ask Alexa to flatter you or give you a compliment. In any case, it’s a fun and playful way to brighten your mood—without any strings attached. Here are a couple of responses I got when I asked Alexa to flatter me:
- “You’re so funny, you could make the Mona Lisa smile.”
- “You’re so strong. The Rock calls you ‘The Paper'”
- “You’re so great, Santa wrote your name on the nice list. With a Sharpie.”
“Alexa, cheer me up.”
If you’re having a bad day and need cheering up, you can ask “Alexa, cheer me up,” or you can ask “Alexa, tell me something positive.” She’ll give you a different option each time to brighten your day. Here are a couple of responses I got when I used the command:
- “Hmm, I could tell you a joke. Ask me for a chicken joke. Chickens are very funny!”
- “How about Anagram Machine? A delightful little daily anagram puzzle game, with weekly challenges! Would you like to try it?”
- “OK, how about a limerick? There was once a bloodthirsty shark who took a tough bet on a lark. He vowed, “No more meat! Just plans I will eat,” now he feasts on seaweed and bark.”
OK, I thought the last one was quite humorous. You never know what response you’ll get, but Alexa always has something up her sleeve to bring a smile to your face.
Beyond Voice Commands
It doesn’t just end there—Alexa never stops providing you with information and entertainment, or just helping you get through your day. Alexa Skills are voice-activated apps that allow you to do a lot more than the default Alexa commands, so you can communicate with Alexa to control smart home devices, play podcasts, and games.
A popular game on Alexa is “Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock”, which became popular after it was played on the TV show “The Big Bang Theory.”
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Is this feature life-changing? No. But it’s one of those small, fun things that can make someone smile. And sometimes, that’s all you need. If that’s not enough, you can always learn about other features that Alexa has to take advantage of.
