Customize What You Have
In the Alexa app on your mobile device or the web version, head to Settings. Scroll down to Flash Briefing and see what’s already there. Everything will be turned on, and you’ll get just the basics unless you’ve configured it.
If you think you’d like a briefing in the future, but not now, just toggle it off. If you want to permanently disable a Flash Briefing skill, you’ll need to head to the Skills section in the app and tap Your Skills. Find the skill you want to disable and then tap Disable Skill. You don’t delete the skill, which makes sense since nothing installs on your Alexa device. When I’m going to be listening to the Flash Briefing for a while (maybe I’m doing laundry or cooking), I’ll turn on a few more briefings to keep me company. That’s a quick toggle in the app rather than heading over to the Skills section and enabling a skill.
Flash Briefings are Account Specific
Unlike Google Home, Alexa lets you switch accounts. That means you don’t have to share news stories. I share my Echo and Dot with other members of the house. To get just my stuff, I always ask it to switch to my account before she starts the briefing. If you aren’t sure whose account you are in, just ask Alexa, “Who am I?”
Finding New Flash Briefings
Change the Order Of Your Briefings
Since some briefings are longer than others, I put the most important briefings first. These are usually the shorter ones. From the same Settings » Flash Briefing area in the app, tap Edit Order to organize the sequence of briefings. You’ll need to tap the hamburger icon on the right-hand side and drag each briefing to the position you want. When you’re finished, don’t forget to tap Done.
Skip the Briefings While Listening
Some briefings change hourly, while others change daily or weekly. Instead of wasting your time listening to a story you’ve already heard, just tell Alexa to skip that briefing. She’ll go to the next one on your list. Sometimes she won’t hear you because she’s talking. Either speak louder or just tap the listen button on the top of your device.
My Briefings
Just to give you someplace to start, here are my briefings and the order: I’m constantly changing the order and the briefings depending on what’s new and my whim. All this takes about 20-25 minutes. That’s enough time for me to let the dog out, make my morning coffee, and empty the dishwasher. Comment Name * Email *
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