Household accounts: If you are sharing your Alexa devices with other people, here’s how to set up Amazon Household, and the benefits it offers.
As useful as smart home technology is when you are alone, many people share Echo speakers with other Alexa devices with colleagues, family, or roommates. The official solution for this is to use multiple profiles under Amazon Households. So how do you set up Alexa-ready Household accounts, and what benefits do they offer?
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Amazon Household allows two adults and a few children to share Amazon content and rights. When using Alexa devices, that may include calling, messaging, photos, notifications, main media, and payment methods. You set up adult family profiles by creating individual Amazon accounts, then linking them to the Amazon Households web tool.
How do you set up Alexa Household accounts?
The first step is for two adults to create an Amazon account if they do not already have one. Families can continue to consolidate up to four new accounts and / or four children. But those profiles have limited rights and dependence on adults – young people between the ages of 13 and 17, for example, should have their purchases approved by the parent, while children 12 and under may not make purchases at all. Unfortunately, if there are more than two adults, they will have to use their accounts independently or join a different Family.
The next step is for one of the adults to visit the Amazon Household website. Once logged in, you will immediately see the buttons to add an adult, teenager, or child. Adults can send each other email invitations or sign up together. Teens can only accept the invitation to set login, and children can not control the process.
Once the Family is created, you will be asked to update the content sharing settings in the related Family Library. Check or uncheck any of your options. After that, all Alexa devices attached to the adult account (s) will automatically receive extended options.
What can Alexa do in Amazon Households?
With a family in the area, Alexa can do any of the following:
Use payment methods associated with each adult account when shopping on Amazon.
Display shared content of Amazon photos on any display Echo device, such as the Echo Show.
Play audio notifications for all connected Amazon accounts. This may place notifications on Alexa devices connected to another Amazon Family member account.
Send and receive SMS and SMS messages for all connected Amazon accounts, as long as the Alexa device you are using is compatible with the delivered content. Echo Dot cannot display video, for example.
View and listen to media from Prime adult accounts, such as audiobooks and Prime Video. Teens and children can limit their content in a variety of ways, such as Your Family Library or Prime Video PIN-based Parental Controls.
Amazon used to allow adults in the Family to share calendars, but this is no longer the case.
