One of the great things about ordering products online is that it can be easy to keep track of their progress as they make their way to your home. If you have an Amazon Echo or Alexa-enabled device, tracking your deliveries is even easier. I'll show you a few simple ways that you can use Alexa to know where your delivery is and when you can expect it.
Products used in this guide
- Keep an eye out: Amazon Echo Show 8 ($100 at Amazon)
- What brown can do for you: UPS Alexa Skill (Free at Amazon)
- U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Postal Service Informed Delivery Alexa Skill (Free at Amazon)
- Or ship it: Ship.com Alexa Skill (Free at Amazon)
How to enable Amazon delivery notifications in-app
- Open the Alexa app and tap on the menu in the top left corner (looks like three lines).
- Tap on Settings.
- Tap on Notifications.Source: Jeramy Johnson / Android Central
- Tap on Amazon Shopping.
- Here you can adjust the sliders to have Alexa notifiy you if/when a package is Out for Delivery or Delivered. You can also decide if you want Alexa to say what is in the delivery, or if you'd rather keep that private (under Say or show item titles).
- If you scroll further down you can toggle a switch to have Alexa notify you if there are any updates to your order (such as a delay or cancelation).Source: Jeramy Johnson / Android Central
And that's it! Now you know where these settings are, you can modify them at will or leave them be and just ask Alexa for updates.
How to enable Amazon delivery notifications on the web
- In your web browser of choice, login to your Amazon account.
- Under your name at the top right of the web page, click on Account & Lists.
- Click on Your Account.
- Under Communication and content click on Alexa shopping notifications.
- Here you can toggle switches to tell Alexa what kind of delivery notifications you'd like to be notified about. These should be similar to the toggles referenced above in the Alexa app.
How to enable Amazon delivery notifications with your voice
This one's simple. All you have to do is call out "Alexa, where's my stuff?" If you have any open orders, Alexa will let you know the status of those orders.
How to enable third-party delivery notifications with Alexa skills
Let's face it, you don't order everything from Amazon, right? The good news is that you can still use Alexa to help you keep track of orders that are not from Amazon via Alexa skills. Major delivery services such as UPS and the United States Postal Service (USPS) have Alexa skills that allow you to check on the status of an order, find shipping costs, and learn about other shipping news. In addition, there are third-party companies like Ship.com that have Alexa skills to help you track all kinds of orders.
You can search, view, and enable Alexa skills from the web, or from your Alexa app. The process is pretty much the same, but we'll quickly walk you through doing it in the app.
- Open the Alexa app and tap on the menu in the top left corner.
- Tap on Skills & Games.Source: Jeramy Johnson / Android Central
- Search for one of the following: UPS, USPS, or Ship.com
- Tap on the skill you want.
- Tap on Enable to use.Source: Jeramy Johnson / Android Central
- You will be prompted to log-in and link your accounts.
Now you can ask questions like "Alexa, ask UPS if I have any packages coming," and be able to plan for your deliveries!
Our top equipment picks
Tracking your packages has never been easier, thanks to Amazon's Alexa voice assistant and products like the Echo Show 8.
Your digital life at a glance
The Echo Show 8 is just about the perfect size for any household surface and is great at showing you notifications, like where your package is, or who is at the front door.
Echo Show devices are a great tool to have around the house. Not only can you check on your order statuses, but you can keep tabs on your front porch and security cameras, manage your smart home, sing along to song lyrics, and follow recipes step-by-step.
Additional Equipment
It's easy to track your Amazon deliveries with Alexa, but for those coming from other sources, you might want to enable a third-party skill like the following:
UPS Alexa Skill (Free at Amazon)
Track your UPS packages, find a UPS Store location, or get shipping quotes with Alexa.
U.S. Postal Service Informed Delivery Alexa Skill (Free at Amazon)
With this skill, Alexa can tell you when your packages were delivered, where they are, or what the ZIP Code is for Bend, Ore.
Ship.com Alexa Skill (Free at Amazon)
Create a Ship account and track all of your online orders, with the help of Alexa of course.
