How to get Alexa's masculine-sounding voice and Ziggy wake word

Alexa has always had a feminine-sounding voice. But, recently, Amazon has begun rolling out a masculine-sounding voice in the US and the UK.

At the same time, Amazon has introduced a new wake word - Ziggy - to trigger Alexa. You can hear your preferred voice option whenever you use Ziggy or any of Alexa's wake words - because Amazon isn’t associating Ziggy with the new masculine-sounding voice or Alexa with the original feminine-sounding voice.

How to get Alexa's masculine voice

There are two ways you can change Alexa's voice.

1. Just ask Alexa

You can now switch between two voice options - original (feminine-sounding) and new (masculine-sounding) - by simply asking Alexa to “Change your voice". This method appears to be device-specific, which means you’ll have to set the voice on each of the Alexa devices in your home.

2. Change your Alexa app settings

If you want to use the new masculine-sounding voice across all your Alexa devices, dive into Settings in the Amazon Alexa app and change it that way.

1. Open the latest version of the Alexa mobile app.
2. Go to Devices.
3. Select All Devices and then select the device you want.
4. Select Settings, and under General, select Alexa's Voice.
5. Select the voice you want from the list.
   • Original - The feminine-sounding voice.
   • New - The masculine-sounding voice.

How to change your wake word to Ziggy

There are two ways you can change the wake word for your Alexa devices, including Echo devices.

1. Just ask Alexa

Simply ask Alexa to “Change your wake word" and then go with Ziggy. Again, you’ll have to do this on each of the Alexa devices in your home.

2. Change your Alexa app settings

Another way you can change the wake word is to dive into Settings in the Amazon Alexa app. Just follow these steps:

1. Open the latest version of the Alexa mobile app.
2. Go to Devices.
3. Select All Devices and then select your device.
   • If you use Reminders or Routines, select Settings to find Device Settings.
4. Scroll under General and select Wake Word.
5. Select the "Ziggy" wake word from the list, and then select OK.

Note: The Ziggy wake word joins existing Alexa, Computer, Echo, and Amazon wake words that have already been available to use with Alexa for years.

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Where are Alexa's new voice and name available?

Alexa's masculine-sounding voice option and Ziggy wake word first launched in the US in July 2021. They began rolling out in the UK in November 2021.