How to stop Alexa from spoiling your holiday surprises

Rachel Murphy, Reviewed
·3 min read
Don't let your smart devices spoil your surprises.
Don't let your smart devices spoil your surprises.

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'Tis the season for package deliveries! With the holiday shopping season in full swing, chances are you may have an Amazon package or two show up at your door in the next several weeks. If you have an Amazon Echo speaker or smart display in your home, you may have noticed that Alexa announces when an Amazon Prime delivery arrives (including what’s inside).

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This can ruin the surprise if the present is for someone who is within earshot of your Echo speaker or happens to see the package delivery notification on the screen of a nearby Echo Show (and we don't want that).

If you’ve been wondering how to stop Alexa from announcing deliveries, the good news is that it can easily be done in a few simple steps. This way, Alexa won’t spoil that special gift you ordered on Amazon.

Here’s how to stop Alexa from announcing packages.

How to stop Alexa from announcing deliveries

Here's how to adjust your Amazon Shopping notifications in the Amazon Alexa app to keep Alexa from ruining your holiday surprises.
Here's how to adjust your Amazon Shopping notifications in the Amazon Alexa app to keep Alexa from ruining your holiday surprises.

Step 1: Download and open the Alexa app. Log in with your Amazon account credentials.

Step 2:. Tap More in the bottom right corner >Settings > Notifications > Amazon Shopping.

Step 3: Under the section titled “Say or show item titles,” tap to toggle the “For items in delivery updates” to off.

Step 4: For an extra layer of protection, you can turn off package alerts in the Delivery Notifications section right below.

Following these steps will help Alexa turn off shipping notifications for all of your Echo devices. Yes, this means you can be confident that Alexa will not announce your upcoming deliveries—or show them on your Alexa smart display.

Disabling this will keep Alexa from letting you know when a certain gift is out for delivery or when it gets delivered. Finally, scroll down and turn off “order updates.”

Am I doing this right?

These settings keep the specifics of your Amazon orders from appearing on an Echo Show smart display like the Show 10 (pictured).
These settings keep the specifics of your Amazon orders from appearing on an Echo Show smart display like the Show 10 (pictured).

The second best thing you can do to safeguard against Alexa spoiling any surprises this holiday season is to make sure your new settings work as they should.

To test it out, say, “Alexa, where’s my stuff?” Typically, she would announce the name of the product you ordered. But, if you’ve turned off the above settings, she will only tell you when the shipment will arrive.

Usually, the base of your Echo speaker flashes yellow, alerting you that your order is on its way. When you turn off delivery notifications, the light will no longer blink yellow.

Now you can rest easy knowing that your Echo speaker or Echo Showwon’t ruin any gifts you’ve ordered on Amazon.

Make sure to go back in and adjust the settings after the holidays are over, so you can quickly and easily keep track of your Amazon orders and when they will arrive.

Finally, if you're used to getting Alexa delivery notifications, don't forget to sweep your porch for packages each day to ensure you don't miss anything.

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This article originally appeared on Reviewed: How to stop Alexa from announcing packages

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