To do it, simply say, “Alexa, enable Hey Santa”. Unlike changing Alexa’s voice, Hey Santa is a Alexa ‘Skill’, and works alongside Alexa’s voice. The Skill is free, so there’s no charge for using it. Alexa will tell you it’ll take a moment to “get things set up” but after that you can decide whether to say “Alexa…” or “Hey Santa….” each time you talk to your Echo or whichever device has Alexa on it. This is helpful if you forget you need to say “Hey Santa” and say Alexa instead. Santa can respond to most of the things you’d usually ask Alexa, such as setting timers, weather reports, maths problems and more. He can’t do everything: he won’t set reminders or add ‘turkey’ to your shopping list. (You can just ask Alexa to do those things instead.) But Santa will tell you jokes, the names of his reindeer and many other Christmas-related things, which you can find in our separate article on the funny things to ask Alexa at Christmas. Here are a couple to get started, though:
Hey Santa, am I naughty or nice?Hey Santa, help me get started with the holidayHey Santa, sing your duet with Meghan Trainor
Related articles for further reading
How to change Alexa’s voice, language, speed & wake word How to use Alexa like an intercom How to control lights with Alexa
Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.
