This underrated Amazon Echo feature turns your smart speaker into an intercom – here’s why I love it

Having an Amazon Echo smart speaker or display around your house is a real game changer for every day tasks. I’ve tested many Echo devices as Home Editor for T3, and when I have to give them back, I really notice their absence as I can no longer shout at it to set timers, tell me the weather, and so on.

With its Alexa voice commands, Amazon Echo Dot or Show devices unlock many handy features, but I recently found this underrated feature that I think more people should know about – and that’s Amazon Echo Drop In.

What is Amazon Echo Drop In?

Amazon Echo Drop In is a feature that allows compatible Alexa-enabled devices to turn into an intercom for two-way audio or video conversations. It’s important to note that Drop In is actually different from Announce as the former works with specific devices within your home or contacts, while Announce is a one-way broadcast that sends recorded messages to Echo devices in your home.

There are two types of Drop In: Household and Contact. Household Drop In connects you to Alexa devices in your Amazon household. For example, if you have an Echo device in your living room and another in your bedroom, you can say “Alexa, Drop In on the bedroom” to talk to your partner who’s gone up to bed.

Contact Drop In is where this underrated feature really shines, and I feel like not enough people know about it. How it works is Contact Drop In connects you to an Alexa device using an Alexa contact.

Both you and your contact have to give Drop In permission to do this, but once you do, you can speak to friends and family outside your home with your Echo device without having to use your phone. Simply say “Alexa, Drop In on (contact name)” and your mum’s voice will come through the speaker!

How do I set up Amazon Echo Drop In?

To use Amazon Echo Drop In, go into your Alexa app, select Devices, then Echo & Alexa and Select Your Device. From there, your device will have its own Settings icon which is where you can select Communications and then Drop In.

The Drop In setting allows you to turn the feature on or off, and set permissions like Household Only or Device Only. Once you’ve sorted out your settings, you can say “Alexa, Drop In on…” or you can do it manually through the app. Your light on your Echo device will also pulse green when you receive a Drop In.

Why should I use Amazon Echo Drop In?

Amazon Echo Drop In is one of my favourite underrated smart home features that I think everyone should be using, if they’re not already. During my testing of Amazon Echo devices, I liked being able to use it to tell my husband when dinner was instead of having to shout up the stairs.

But my favourite part of Amazon Echo Drop In is the Contact Drop In, as it means you can quickly connect with family and friends without having to use your phone. I did this in the lead-up to Christmas as I had the fun job of making all the desserts. But as I’d never made a Christmas cake before and was covered in muck, I quickly used Amazon Echo’s Contact Drop In to call my mum so she could help me!

For more Amazon Echo tricks, check out these 8 Alexa commands you probably didn’t know about.