[Linjeakel]

When an alarm goes on Alexa, I can say "Alexa, snooze" and she snoozes for nine minutes and then the alarm goes off again. But why nine? Such a weird and arbitrary number and I can't find any way to change it.

I've tried saying "Alexa, snooze for five minutes" or whatever, but that doesn't work - she snoozes the alarm, but still for nine minutes - and I can't find anywhere in the app where you can change the default snooze length. Normally in clock apps, along with changing the sound that plays and the volume etc. - which you can do for Alexa in the app - you can also change the snooze length and how many times you can snooze it. But not, apparently, with Alexa.

Am I missing something?

 

[Andra]

I can try it with mine when I get home.
But I wanted to say that the nine minutes may be something that programmers think is standard for some reason.  My Fitbit snoozes for 9 minutes automatically and there is no way to change that setting...

 

[Ann in Arlington]

we have alarm clocks ... pretty old technology -- like last century -- and they snooze for 8 or 9 minutes. Not sure why not 10, but I think it's a case of "but it's always been that way". Probably to do with how much storage was available in the very early digital alarm clocks so, of course, you could only go up to 9 because 10 would require two digits. Or something.

 

[mpeg2]

This thread got me interested (I've always wondered about the 9 minute snooze, but never got around to looking up why).

Apparently it predates all the digital clocks - and is carried over from when alarm clocks were mechanical. The snooze button made use of the minutes gearing, so the upper bound for it was 9 minutes. This was then carried forward to digital clocks and then to alarms on smartphones (tradition?).

 

[Linjeakel]

I'm amazed! 

I've never had a mechanical alarm clock with a snooze facility that I can remember,  but I've used digital alarm clocks of one sort or another for many many years and I've never come across one with a 9 minute snooze.

All the apps I've used have always allowed you to change the snooze time  - the basic free app I have on my phone gives you the choice of a 5, 10, 15 or 30 minute snooze to be repeated 3, 5 or unlimited times. I'm shocked that a device as sophisticated as the Echo doesn't have the options you can find on a basic phone app.

I'll have to do some research and see if anyone has come up with a 'skill' for the Echo that improves on it's default  alarm facilty.

 

[Andra]

I was not able to find a way to change the snooze timer on the Echo devices.  But I didn't look through all the skills too hard.
That's interesting about the mechanical clock - I never thought about where the setting came from.

 

[Nina Huffney]

I haven't snoozed with Alexa yet. I'm still using the clock app on my phone. It's adjustable in five minute increments. My length of choice is ten. Oddly enough, I've sometimes wanted a nine-minute snooze simply to make up for that minute it takes me to:
[list type=decimal]
[*]Recover from the initial shock of 'What is that?! What's happening?!'.
[*]Realize that godawful noise is coming from my phone and not my BF's.
[*]Finally find my phone after several attempts to pry my crusty eyelids open.
[/list]

 

[Atunah]

I had no idea. 

I used to hide my alarm clocks in the closet so I wouldn't hit snooze or the off thingy and go back to sleep. I had to get up for sure that way.  Back then I had the round thingy with feet and it was loud. Mechanical one. Even later with electric ones, I still stored them far away from the bed.

I still lay my phone across the room now if i have to get up. Alexa sometimes doesn't hear me to stop the alarm when I use her and its alexa stop, Alexa STOP, ALEXA STOOOOOOOOOOOP, ALEXA SHUUUUUUUUUUUT UUUUUUUUUUUUP.
And once in a while the little dot in another room will pipe up with "Sorry, I don't know that one" 

 

[Nina Huffney]

Alexa sometimes doesn't hear me to stop the alarm when I use her and its alexa stop, Alexa STOP, ALEXA STOOOOOOOOOOOP, ALEXA SHUUUUUUUUUUUT UUUUUUUUUUUUP.
And once in a while the little dot in another room will pipe up with "Sorry, I don't know that one"

Ha! Atunah, that's the funniest thing I've seen/heard all day.

 

[Sandpiper]

Sometimes my Alexa is hard of hearing too.