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How to Secure Your Alexa Device

Keep personal information stored with Alexa safe from hackers

By Daniel Anglin Seitz Daniel Anglin Seitz Writer University of Vermont, Emerson College Dan Seitz is a tech writer with 10 years of experience writing about apps, gaming, and more. His work has appeared on Uproxx.com and other outlets. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on July 28, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

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Expand Jump to a Section Alexa Security and Privacy Choose Alexa Skills Carefully Remove Amazon's Data Access Enable a Voice PIN for Alexa Delete Recordings Change Wake Words for Alexa Alexa-enabled devices are proliferating, in part because they're useful when your hands are full or you need to do something else. But as they keep appearing in homes, businesses, and everywhere else, people are beginning to worry about security. Here's how to manage your Alexa security.

General Alexa Security and Privacy

First, focus on the basics. Make sure your Amazon account, Wi-Fi network, and other internet networks have strong, secure passwords hackers won't be able to easily guess. Regularly update the firmware of your router and other physical internet infrastructure to protect against exploits, too. In terms of privacy, place your Alexa away from areas you'd rather it not potentially overhear conversations, such as bedrooms or bathrooms. Keep it in public areas, and when you're discussing something sensitive in these areas, disable the microphone by pressing the Mute button on top of the device. You'll know an Amazon Echo device is muted when the ring is red, and with other devices, like the Sonos One, an LED under a microphone icon will be off. To disable the camera on devices like the Echo Spot and the Echo Show, swipe down from the top of the screen and tap Settings > Device Options, then tap the Enable Camera toggle to off.

Choose Alexa Skills Carefully

Just like you shouldn't download apps to your phone without looking at what the app wants to get access to, you shouldn't download skills to Alexa you don't trust. Unfortunately, Amazon doesn't require developers to fully disclose what information a skill will access, instead, including links to the developer's overall privacy policy and terms of use. While this can be useful for telling you what information a developer might access, there's no way to know for sure. So, if a skill needs to access data you don't want to share, leave it be. For the skills you've already downloaded, you can see what permissions they've accessed. Open your Alexa app and tap Settings > Alexa Privacy > Manage Skill Permissions. You'll see a menu of permissions skills can request. Tap the permission and you'll see a list of skills that use it. Turn this permission off with the toggle to the right of the skill. For any skills you no longer want to collect data, ask Alexa to disable them. For example, if you wanted to shut off Lyft, you would say "Alexa, disable Lyft."

Removing Amazon' s Data Access From Alexa

Another way to manage Alexa security is to prevent your device from sending data to Amazon. You do this from the same menu you check Alexa skill permissions on. Tap Manage How Your Data Improves Alexa and disable Use Voice Recordings To Help Develop New Features and Use Messages To Improve Transcriptions. This will limit what data and recordings your Alexa sends to Amazon directly.

Enabling a Voice PIN for Alexa

If you want to limit the ability of others in your household to buy items using their voice from Alexa, you can enable a voice PIN. Go to Settings > Alexa Account > Voice Purchasing. If you want to disable voice purchasing completely, turn off Purchase by voice. If you don't have 1-Click enabled on Amazon, voice purchasing won't function. Consider disabling 1-Click as well if you're concerned about unwanted purchases. Enable Voice Code and set a PIN. The PIN will be visible in the app's settings. Be sure your phone is secured and not physically accessible. Tap Kid Skills Purchasing and disable it, if you're concerned about children adding skills without your permission.

How to Delete Recordings From Your Alexa

Alexa offers two tools with recordings. One lets you delete the recording, but the other is just as important, as it lets you tell Alexa what to listen to and what not to. A little time spent refining this will limit false recordings and improve your privacy. Open your Alexa app, then select Settings > Alexa Account > History. This will open a menu with all the information Alexa has recorded. There's no delete-all function, so you'll need to delete each command individually. Tap on the little arrow to the right of the recording, then Delete Recording. Before you delete the recording, answer the question "Did Alexa Do What You Want?" Tap Yes to train your Alexa to pay attention to these requests, or tap No to teach it to ignore those requests. This will help limit unnecessary recordings.

Changing Wake Words for Alexa

If you don't want your device to react to the word "Alexa," say "Alexa, change the wake word." You'll be able to choose from "Alexa," "Amazon," "Computer," "Echo," and "Ziggy." This may limit other people's ability to interact with your device. Changing the wake word shouldn't be considered a strong security feature. The list of words is widely accessible online and someone can simply go down the list until the device reacts. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Connect Alexa to Your Computer How to Set up the Amazon Echo Show Can Alexa Record Conversations in a Room? How to Use Alexa and Cortana Together How to Connect Your Android Phone to Alexa How to Make Alexa the Center of Your Smart Home How to Play SiriusXM On Alexa Can I Call Alexa From My Phone? How to Play Podcasts on Alexa How to Fix 8 Common Alexa and Amazon Echo Issues Is Alexa Safe to Use? How to Change Alexa's Voice to Shaquille O'Neal How to Fix It When Your Alexa Alarm Isn’t Going Off How to Set Alexa Parental Controls How to Travel With Alexa What Is Alexa? Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies