How to change Alexa’s voice

What would life be without our ultra-handy Alexa devices? Amazon’s powerful Internet of Things controller and friendly voice assistant has changed the way we interact with the web, our homes, and our friends and families (especially those with Amazon devices of their own). Need a controller for your smart lights? No problem. Want to blast your favorite music? You got it. Order something on Amazon? Alexa will notify you when the package is delivered to your front door. Looking for a quick dinner recipe? Ask away. Want to make phone calls without your phone? Your Alexa speaker can do that too.

With developers adding and tweaking Alexa functions and skills on the daily, the sky is truly the limit for Amazon’s virtual assistant. But let’s be frank: Alexa’s default speaking voice sounds pretty monotone.

Fortunately, you can change the assistant’s voice to a celebrity voice. You can also change Alexa’s settings and have her speak in another language or regional accent.

Want to change Amazon Alexa’s voice? Here’s how.

How to change Alexa’s accent or language

1. Open the Alexa app

Grab the device you use to control Alexa’s settings, whether it’s your smartphone or tablet. Tap on the Alexa app icon to open up the app. Tap the three-barred menu icon at the top left of the home page, then tap Settings > Device Settings. Wait until the list of connected devices pops up on the screen, then choose the device for which you’d like to change Alexa’s voice.

2. Select your language

Once you’ve chosen the device you want to configure, scroll down until you see Language, and give that word a tap. You’ll see a drop-down box featuring a mixed list of English accent options, including Canadian, United Kingdom, Australian, French, and a few others.

If you live in a country where English is not the primary language, or you’re learning a second language and want to practice, you can change Alexa’s default language to German, Spanish, Japanese, Italian, Portuguese, or French.

Do note that not all language choices will support all of Alexa’s capabilities. Things like music streaming and other skills may not be compatible with your language changes.

3. Confirm changes

When you’ve made your accent or language choice, the app will ask you to confirm your selection. Now, go ahead and ask Alexa a whole bunch of questions to test your device’s new language preferences.

How to enable skills for celebrity voices

Did you know you can converse with celebrities using Alexa? Thanks to Alexa Skills, you can have folks like Gordon Ramsay, the famously foul-mouthed TV chef, speaking to you from your Alexa device.

Do note that Ramsay’s voice won’t be replacing your Alexa’s default voice. Instead, there will be predetermined phrases spoken by the chef, featuring his penchant for harshly criticizing perfectly edible food. Here’s how to get Ramsay to criticize your cooking skills. You can use these steps to enable skills for other celebrities, too, including Samuel L. Jackson, Deadpool, and Pikachu.

1. Open the Alexa app

Once again, open up the Alexa app, and tap Menu.

2. Add the skill in the Alexa app

Select the Skills button. From there, type in Gordon Ramsay to search for his voice. Select the first skill that pops up (it should be from Ground Control, otherwise it’s probably not the one you want). Then, sit back and enjoy being mocked by one of the most famous chefs on the planet. Ask him what he thinks of your scrambled eggs or to try your french toast.

3. Add the skill with voice commands

You can also add voice skills to your Alexa simply by asking her to enable them. Before you issue the command, just make sure you know exactly what the voice skill is called. Alexa works best when you’re as specific as possible with new skill commands. In the case of Gordon Ramsay, say “Alexa, enable Gordon Ramsay skill.” Your device should respond with “Here’s the skill Gordon Ramsay from Ground Control.” This indicates that the skill has been added to your Alexa app, after which your self-deprecating conversation with Chef Ramsay can begin.