“This is completely free for T-Mobile customers and fully available to all Alexa customers today,” T-Mobile spokesman Trang Nguyen wrote in an email to the edge. By comparison, Verizon still charges you $5 per month to use your Alexa skill.
You can enable the new feature by opening your Alexa app and then going to More > Settings > Communication. Then, under accounts, select T-Mobile and continue to link your accounts. You can also set it by searching T-Mobile’s skill in the Alexa skill store.
There are plenty of ways to take calls hands-free when you’re at home cooking or doing other busy tasks, but that often means having your smartphone nearby or a Bluetooth speaker that may not be ready. However, if you have an Alexa smart speaker like an Echo in your home, it can be much easier to make or answer a call.
After setup is complete, you can say commands like “Alexa, call John” or dial numbers by saying “Alexa, dial 1-800-255-3700.” Incoming calls will be announced, and then you can say “Alexa, answer the call” or “Alexa, drop the call.” Connecting phone service to Alexa also enables emergency services, so you can say, “Alexa, call 911.”
When you first complete the setup of the new T-Mobile skill, it will enable hands-free calling on all Alexa-enabled devices you’re paired with by default and ring on all of them as well. You might not want this if you have, say, an Echo device in a room where only your kids hang out. Fortunately, it can be turned off by going to More > Settings > Communication. Select T-Mobile, then you can choose which specific devices you want to use with your phone service, as well as turn off incoming calls for select devices.
