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Automate Joining a Zoom Meeting with Alexa

By:  Frank Engelman   |  Posted: April 2, 2021   |  Updated: April 27, 2023

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The Problem to be Solved

Need Help Making Alexa Useful

Need Help Making Alexa Useful

I am setting up Alexa for my parent who lives at a distance. I am unsure what features to include, or how to set it up so it is as useful as possible.

View the problem

Solution Details

 

In a previous article, I described how to set up a Zoom meeting in your loved one’s calendar for their Echo Show. Using that setup, they can say “Alexa, join the meeting” and later “Yes” to confirm that they want to join.

 

What if my loved one has trouble joining the Zoom meeting

Your loved one might have trouble remembering that a meeting was scheduled or remembering what commands to speak to the Echo Show to join the meeting.

 

Here is a video of a solution

 

 

Question 1- How do they know it’s time for a meeting?

There is a way to make the Echo Show speak the calendar event notification. You will need to log into your loved one’s account in Alexa app on your mobile device.

To log out of the Alexa app on your mobile device:

  • Tap More
  • Tap Settings
  • Scroll down and sign out.

While logged in as your loved one:

  • Tap More
  • Tap Settings
  • Tap Calendar & Email
  • Be sure to enable Calendar Notifications.

Note that you can choose only ONE device where the Notification will be announced.

If you feel that a single notification won’t be sufficient, you can create an Alexa Routine described in this article to provide additional Notifications. Using “Send Announcement” will play your Notification on all devices in their account.

 

Question 2- What if they can’t correctly say the commands?

You could create an Alexa Routine trigged by a button to join the meeting using a custom action.

If they can’t say the “Yes” response to an Alexa request for confirmation, you could add a Routine with the same trigger to speak “YES” to an Echo Dot you have placed near their Echo Show. The Echo Dot is required as Alex Routine Custom Actions don’t work during a confirmation.

As an alternative, if you feel the button would be too hard to use or may get lost, just trigger the same Routines using a timed-event just after the start time of the Zoom meeting

Here are some sample Alexa Routines. Remember that you can only view these within the Alexa App:

 

 

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Author

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Frank Engelman

Retired Intel Engineer wanting to share DIY technology tips for the children of parents wanting to remain living independently. I like posting ideas and answering technical questions. If a product or software has an issue making it hard for seniors to use, I try to offer workarounds and also try to contact the manufacturer for solutions. I write a column for this website in the Innovation- Homebrew Solutions & Ideas section

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