You've got an Amazon Echo or other Alexa device that you've been using yourself. But now other family members want in on the action. Can you add and juggle multiple accounts on your Alexa device? You can to a certain degree, though it does involve a few steps.

Another family member who wants to access your Echo needs to have their own Amazon account. Once you've added that person to the device, each of you can jump from one account to another just by talking to Alexa.

How Many Accounts Can Be on 1 Device?

With an Amazon Household, you and other members of the family can share the benefits of an Amazon Prime account along with access to Kindle ebooks and other digital content from Amazon on the web and via Echo devices.

In the Alexa app, you can add one other adult beyond your own account for a maximum of two adults. One of those adult accounts can be a teenager. You can't add children directly through via the Household Profile setting; that requires a separate process via Amazon FreeTime. With this option, you can add up to four child accounts.

Now, let's see how to add more than one account to your Alexa devices.


Start From the Alexa App First, open the Alexa app on your mobile device and make sure you're signed in with your Amazon account. Tap on the hamburger icon () in the upper-left corner and then tap Settings > Alexa Account > Amazon Household. You will then have the chance to invite a household member.

Add an Adult Account During the setup process, you will be asked to enlist the aid of the adult you want to add to your Alexa device (or at least you'll need that person's Amazon username and password). Ask the adult you want to add to type their Amazon username and password. Tap the Verify Account button. (If the person doesn't have an Amazon account, they will have the option to create one.)

Join the Household Once the person's account information has been added, you should then see a screen welcoming them to Amazon Households. Click the "Join household" link to add this person. The next screen tells you that the Household has been created and that you and the new person are now members of an Amazon Household. The screen also offers a few quick tips for using Alexa in a household.

Link to a Device Now, the person needs to log into the Alexa app on a device to complete the process. If they plan to use the same device as you, log out of the app and have them log back in with their own credentials. At the Setup screen, have the new person tap on their name. They can then go through the different screens to view and work with various Alexa skills and requests.

Add a Child Account You will need to first set up FreeTime in order to add a child to your Alexa-enabled device. Set this up in the Alexa app by tapping Devices on the bottom-right. Select Echo & Alexa to view a list of your connected Echo devices, and tap the Echo you want to add the child to.

Activate FreeTime Under the device's settings, tap on the entry for FreeTime. On the next screen, toggle the switch to enable FreeTime. A screen will pop up to explain the feature. Tap the Setup Amazon FreeTime button to continue. At the next screen you will have the option to disable certain services, including calling and drop-in features, an explicit music filter, and others. Click continue and watch a video on the Echo Dot Kids Edition. Tap the X at the upper-right of the screen to close the window.

View Amazon Parent Dashboard After you set up access for the child, your Echo automatically switches to their account. You can now manage the child's profile settings at the Amazon Parent Dashboard, where you can then view all the activities the child has with your Echo. Click the gear icon to access settings. At the Settings screen, you can modify certain options for the child, such as content, daily time limits, and age filters.

Switching Between Adult and Child Accounts Adult accounts: Just tell Alexa which one to use. To switch from one adult account to another, say "Alexa, switch to [name of adult's] account," and that person's account is now in charge. Child accounts: You can't ask Alexa to switch between a child account and an adult account. To activate a child's account, you have to turn on FreeTime for that specific Echo, as previously described. Then, to move from a child account to an adult account, you have to turn off the FreeTime option for the child.

How to Turn Off Amazon FreeTime You turn off FreeTime through the Alexa app by returning to the screen where you first set up the feature. Turn off the switch for FreeTime. The app asks for confirmation. Tap the Turn Off button. FreeTime is now disabled for that Echo. The current account reverts to the last adult who used the device.

Identify Account If you forget which account is the active one, ask "Alexa, which account is this?" and Alexa identifies the current account.

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