Virtual assistants are very convenient. In fact, Alexa has proven to be an integral part of my smart home system. The fact that I can walk into my home and say "Alexa, turn on bedroom" and my bedroom light will turn on is certainly convenient. But there's a dark side to these virtual assistants, and we're not talking about them spying on you—sometimes they just don't know when to shut up.
If you've ever used Alexa, you've probably found yourself hearing "By the way, did you know..." from time to time. This is helpful if you're asking your assistant a question or trying to figure out all the things you can do with Alexa. But often this is just an attempt to promote other services or "plug-ins" that Alexa offers, such as playing rain sounds. I don't want to hear ads when I want to turn off the lights and go to sleep, thank you.
These suggestions can be difficult to stop. Telling Alexa not to make suggestions doesn't work for me. But if you know the magic words, there's actually an easy way to stop Alexa from making suggestions.
How to Stop Alexa’s “By the Way” Suggestions
To stop Alexa's BTW suggestions, just say "Alexa, BTW suggestions" or "Alexa, BTW." It's that simple. I know because I tested it and sure enough, Alexa responded by telling me it wouldn't send any more suggestions (you never know with these virtual assistants).
Want to equip your smart home with Amazon Alexa? Follow our guide to learn how to create the best Alexa setup for your home. As of this writing, Amazon is also running sales on devices like the Echo Dot, Echo Pop, and Echo Show 8.
New Echo Dot (fifth generation, released in 2022)
