Amazon Adds Alexa Voice and Personality Options for Eligible Users
Amazon now offers eligible Alexa+ or Prime members eight regional voice types and five personality styles, including Sassy, Chill, Sweet, Brief and Original, according to Engadget. The settings are device-specific and do not change the wake word.
The voice settings are separate from personality styles and apply only to the specific device being used. For a simple voice change, users can say, “Alexa, change your voice,” and Alexa will offer the currently available options. They can also open the Alexa app and go to Devices > Your Device > Device Settings > Alexa's Voice. Because the settings are device-specific, users who want the same voice across multiple Echo devices must repeat the process for each one.
Personality styles change how Alexa responds without changing what it can do, according to Engadget. Brief is intended for quick, concise answers; Chill is casual and conversational; Sweet is warmer and more encouraging; and Sassy adds a playful, witty edge. Sassy carries an “adults only” warning that users must tap to proceed, and Alexa may make fun of a question or use colorful pejoratives. Original returns Alexa to its standard style.
To change personality, users can say, “Alexa, change your personality style,” and follow Alexa’s prompts. In the Alexa app, the path is Devices > Your Device > Device Settings > Alexa's Personality Style. From there, users can swipe through the available personalities from left to right and return to the original style at any time. Like voice settings, personality styles are device-specific and must be changed individually on each Echo device for a consistent experience at home.
The current voice and personality options are not the same as the celebrity voices that Amazon previously offered. Engadget reported that older instructions for activating voices from Samuel L. Jackson, Melissa McCarthy and Shaquille O'Neal are no longer available. For child-friendly options, Amazon offers animal voices on compatible kid-mode Alexa devices, but that requires an active Amazon Kids+ subscription and the device language must be set to English.
The new customization options change how the assistant’s responses sound, but they do not alter other settings, including the wake word. To change the wake word from “Alexa” to something else, users can open the Echo device’s settings in the Alexa app and look for “Wake Word.” Engadget noted that changing the wake word is not new, but said it may be appropriate to apply an all-new wake word as well once a new personality is in use.