How To Leave A Message For Someone On Alexa? – Complete Guide

How to leave a message for someone on Alexa is one of the first things you might be thinking about right after you acquire your first Echo device.

Fortunately, leaving a message for any contact on Alexa is very easy. 

You need to let Alexa view your contacts to tell you who is available on the app. Then you send them a voice or text message.

If you need more guidance on how to do that, keep reading. We will help you step by step and clear common doubts about the procedure and Alexa itself.

How To Leave A Message For Someone On Alexa?

Amazon Echo, Amazon Echo Dot, and Amazon Echo Show allow you to send messages via voice commands to other users with access to the service. 

The function is available through the Alexa assistant, and contacts are available through the app for Android and iPhone (iOS). 

In addition to audio, the feature shows messages to the recipient in text form.

That way, the contact can choose to hear your voice speaking or just read content that has been recognized and shared by the Amazon assistant. 

Check below all you need to know before leaving a message for someone on Alexa.

Finding Out Who Can Receive A Message From You Via Alexa

The Alexa app imports phone contacts. However, as mentioned earlier, message exchange occurs between voice assistant users. 

For this, the application system can identify other people with access to the Amazon service among your contacts.

To learn who among your contacts can receive messages via Alexa, follow the steps:

1. Open the Alexa app. 
2. Go to “Communicate” 
3. Tap on the speech bubble icon;
4. Check the list that appears.

How To Access Sent And Received Messages

Accessing your sent and received messages on Alexa is straightforward.

1. Open the Alexa app from the “Communicate” tab. 
2. Then tap on the chat with your contacts.
3. You can tap on any contact to see messages.

Note: The chat records the message's text and can play the audio by sending it. 

To do so, tap on the message and wait for the content to play.

Done! Use the tip to communicate with friends using the messaging features of your Amazon Echo box.

Different Ways Of Sending Messages Through Alexa

Alexa allows you to send messages in different ways. You can either send a voicemail or leave an SMS.

Moreover, the Drop In feature allows for more dynamic messaging.

Method #1: Sending Voice Messages with Alexa

After learning who your Alexa contacts are, use voice commands to create your messages.

To do this, follow the steps:

1.  Say, “Alexa, send a message.” 
2. The assistant will ask, “For whom?“. 
3. At this point, say the name of one of your contacts. 
4. At this point, you will hear, “What’s the message?”.
5. Once this is done, dictate the message.
6. Confirm the sending when you hear the confirmation request.

Method #2: Sending Text Messages With Alexa

Amazon introduced the ability to send and receive text messages with the Amazon Echo and Echo Dot.

You must enable the functionality on an Android device (there is no iOS option yet).

Only then will you be able to use your voice to send SMS messages.

Setting Up

First, you need to set up:

1. Go to the Alexa app on your phone.
2. Go to Conversations.
3. Click Contacts.
4. Find My Profile.
5. Activate “send SMS messages.”

Sending The Message

Now that it’s set up and you want to send someone a message, follow the steps:

1. Say, “Alexa, send a text.” 
2. Alexa will ask who you want to message.
3. Once you choose someone, you can dictate their message.
4. Just send it, and Alexa should do the rest.

Before delving too far into the feature, certain important limitations exist. For starters, the capability is exclusive to Android smartphones.

Therefore, if you activate the Amazon Alexa app on your iPhone, you will find that the ability to send SMS texts is unavailable.

SMS messages will only function on Android phones.

Therefore, if you send an SMS voice message using your Echo, you will only be able to send it to recipients using Android smartphones.

That also implies that only individuals using Android smartphones can answer you.

Note: Amazon says that Apple does not allow third parties to meddle with their messaging API.

Method #3: Using Drop In

Drop-In allows you to check users via a voice or video call, and they don’t need to answer. 

However, Amazon has also implemented an intercom feature that allows you to send a short voice message to a specific Alexa-enabled device in the house. 

You can even send a voice message to all the Echo speakers in the home through Announcements.

How to Configure Drop In?

Drop In is different from a voice call in a few ways. First, people you invite to drop in can do so whenever they want.

When you drop in, the person on the other end doesn’t have to answer. Instead, you automatically connect, and it works like an intercom.

You can start talking right away, and you can hear what’s going on near the person you’re talking to.

If you join an Echo Show from the Alexa app or another Echo Show, you and your contact will see a video that looks like it’s made of glass but isn’t. 

Once you’re connected, the video will become clear.

Setting Up

For Drop In to work, you will need an Echo device and the Alexa app on your phone. 

You can sign in to Drop In with the app but can’t get a call there. Alexa can, however, call you and talk to you.

To use Drop In, follow the steps:

1. First, sign in to Alexa Calling and Messaging. 
2. Then, open Alexa and click the Conversations icon.
3. Follow the instructions

While Drop-In is usually on by default, the following steps must be taken to establish it for a given speaker:

1. Open Alexa and tap the hamburger icon.
2. Tap on Settings
3. Choose the speaker from the list. 
4. In General, confirm that it says On under Drop In. 

To limit Drop In calls to your house, click Drop In and Only my home.

Allow Contacts In Drop In

Amazon does not let anybody contact you using Drop In without permission since it is a potentially intrusive function that might create major privacy problems.

Instead, you must activate Drop In for each contact you want to include in your list. Then, you need to activate them to access them.

To enable Drop In, do the following:

1. Open the Alexa app
2. Click the Conversations tab.
3. Tap the contact;
4. Select a name from the contact list.
5. Tap the button next to Contact.

Do Not Disturb Mode

If you don’t want to use Drop In temporarily, you can enable the Do Not Disturb option.

To Drop In, say, “Alexa, drop in on [contact name].”

You can also manually sign in to Drop In from the Alexa app when you open the conversations tab and do the following:

1. Select your conversation with a contact who has allowed you to access 
2. Then tap Drop In in the blue bar at the top.

Or: 

1. Touch the Contacts button. 
2. Select a contact 
3. Tap the Drop In logo.

What We Learned

How to leave a message for someone on Alexa? Sending messages via Alexa is very easy as long as your contacts also have access to Alexa. 

There are many ways to send a message to your friends and family. You can do it via voice or text (although the latter is only available for Android users).

Moreover, the Drop In feature is very practical and respects your boundaries since you need to allow your contacts to use the feature.