Amazon’s new ‘adaptive volume’ will make Alexa speak louder when it’s noisy. So, Alexa, talk over the dishwasher, please.
Amazon is solving a frustration with smart home speakers by introducing a feature called Adaptive Volume, which will make Alexa respond louder if it detects that you’re in a noisy environment.
According to the company, the mode is meant to make sure that you can still hear Alexa’s responses over any background noise (like the sound of a dishwasher, people talking, or music playing on another device). Amazon says that the feature is currently available to US customers and that you can activate it by saying, “Alexa, turn on the adaptive volume.”
Amazon doesn’t mention adaptive volume working in the opposite direction, becoming quieter if there’s no background noise, but there are other ways to reduce the volume dynamically. One of them is Whisper Mode, where Alexa will whisper its response if you talk to it quietly. As this relaxing video points out, you can activate the mode by asking Alexa to “turn on whisper mode.”
Amazon’s new ‘adaptive volume’ is out now.
Amazon could auto-adjust speakers with a new "adaptive volume" feature that increases volume when the device is in a noisy setting. Amazon is now solving quite a frustrating occurrence with the smart home speakers by introducing a new feature called Adaptive Volume.
Amazon Alexa Gets Volume Adjustment Feature
According to the story by The Verge, Amazon is trying to fix a common problem most Alexa owners are experiencing through the Adaptive Volume feature. The new feature will make Alexa respond louder if it can detect that users are in a noisy environment.
The company notes that the mode is meant to make sure that users can still hear Alexa's response no matter the background noise, like the sound of a dishwasher, music playing on yet another device, or the more common people talking. Amazon says that the feature is currently available to customers in the United States.
Alexa, Turn on Adaptive Volume
Users can now finally activate the device by saying, "Alexa, turn on the adaptive volume." Amazon, however, does not mention that the adaptive volume would work in the opposite direction and become quieter whenever there is no more background noise. Thus, Amazon Alexa and Google Assist were actually in a chess match before, and the battle of the AI was quite intriguing.
There are, however, other ways for users to be able to reduce the volume quite dynamically. One of them is the Whisper Mode. This is where Alexa will whisper its response to users that want the device to talk quietly. For those that don't know, Alexa devices have a male voice called Ziggy for those that want to switch things up.
Alexa 'Set Volume' Action
A relaxing video on YouTube points out that users will be able to activate the mode by asking Alexa to "turn on whisper mode." For those looking to adjust the volume depending on what time it actually is, Alexa enthusiasts on Reddit recommend that users do this by adding the "set volume" action towards a custom route which then activates at just a certain number of times. This could also be included as part of the bedroom routine, according to CNet.
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The article by The verge notes that after giving the Adaptive Volume a quick test using the Echo Dot that sat just next to a desktop PC along with a spinning fan. It reportedly seemed a bit inconsistent, and several of Alexa's responses turned out to be louder than usual, while others still went back to their original volume.
The Bottom Line
If you’re instead looking to adjust the volume depending on what time it is, Alexa enthusiasts recommend doing so by adding a “set volume” action to a custom routine that activates at a certain time or making it part of your bedtime routine.
We just gave Adaptive Volume a quick test with an Echo Dot sitting next to a desktop PC with a spinning fan. It seems a little bit inconsistent; some of Alexa’s responses were louder than usual, but others went back to the original volume.
It’s worth noting that the Adaptive Volume feature isn’t the same as the spherical Echo fourth gen’s adaptive sound, which uses the device’s microphones to tune music to sound better in your specific room. This also isn’t the first time we’ve seen a smart assistant try to adapt its volume to the user’s environment — Google Nest’s Ambient IQ promises to do something similar for spoken word content or assistant responses.
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