What does it say about Alexa users when most of the lifestyle skills are for relaxation? These skills prove that successful Alexa skills don’t need to be complex. It’s worth noting that from the reviews, it seems as though Relaxing Sounds skills encourages users to leave 5 star ratings, which makes sense since highly rates skills are eligible for developer incentives (aka money).
Relaxing Sounds: Spa Music by Voice Games – 4.9 out of 5, 7559 ratings, 7556 reviews
Spa Music will put you at peace. It will help you create your own spa experience and rejuvenate your body, mind and spirit. Perfect musical accompaniment for meditation, yoga, healing and complete relaxation.
Random review: I’ve used this app a couple times. Today, when I turned it on it told me that I had to give a 5 star review to keep the app free and add more sounds. All these skills are free on Alexa. What a scam. (1 out of 5)
Box of Cats by Sean Simpson – 4.2 out of 5, 16222 ratings, 302 reviews
Ask Alexa to open up a box of cats! You can’t see the box (duh), but you’ll hear whatever cute, cuddly animal comes out of it. Most of the time the box contains cats, who will announce their presence by meowing. Every once in a while though…
Random review: I would LOVE to have the option of having it continue to broadcast random meows (or other!) at random times until it’s told to stop.Like, 10 minutes apart, then an hour, then 20 minutes… that would be SO much more entertaining and amusing. (3 out of 5)
Healing Sounds by Healing.fm – 4.9 out of 5, 3071 ratings, 3070 reviews
Healing Sounds helps bring a peaceful moment to your busy day. This skill includes over 20 sounds designed to help you sleep, study, and meditate. One of the top rated Alexa Apps, Healing Sounds has been helping Alexa users for many years to relax and find their inner peace.
Random review: Love to put on healing sounds with a timer when going to sleep. It is relaxing and helps getting to sleep quickly. (5 out of 5)
Relax My Dog by Voice Games – 4.9 out of 5, 2119 ratings, 2115 reviews
Listening to this music will help your dog feel more relaxed and calm, less anxious, sleep more and be generally happier. Playing this music is a great way to ensure that your best furry friend is feeling relaxed. If you are feeling a bit stressed out yourself, you will enjoy this soothing sounds yourself. It’s very relaxing all around 🙂
Random review: Weak sauce offering additional content to anyone willing to give a 5 star review. Looking at said reviews with so many 5 stars with 2 words or less written it’s clearly worked for the devs but completely obfuscates any real review system. The app? It simply loops some elevator music. How does anyone know if this music actually relaxes your dog? I’ve seen studies on some very specific types of music working to an extent but nothing about this. I’ll be honest I’ve had the skill playing while writing this and the loop is getting old. (1 out of 5)
Relaxing Sounds: Morning Music by Voice Games – 4.9 out of 5, ratings, 1631 reviews
Morning Music for positive thinking and vitality, relaxation songs to start the day. This is the perfect musical accompaniment for meditation, yoga, healing and complete relaxation.
Random review: play ever morning, starts my day. (5 out of 5)
YouVersion Bible by Life.Church – 4.4 out of 5, 3441 ratings, 661 reviews
Listen to the Bible, daily Reading Plans and the Verse of the Day. YouVersion Bible is completely free and lets you listen to books, chapters and verses of the Bible. Now you can listen to daily Reading Plans that you subscribe to in the Bible App. YouVersion Bible includes 5 professionally narrated Bible versions (NIV, KJV, ESV, NLT, MSG).
Random review: I just found out about this Bible app this morning.It seems to be a great app to have enabled, because even though I have been reading the plans and they daily verse and found it comforting, having Alexia read it to me made Mr feel as if I had a friend here with me, I live alone and am disabled so to hear another voice reading Bible scripture was so very comforting.I would recommend it to all. Just hearing the Word outloud helps me to understand more. (5 out of 5)
Good Night by Stoked Skills LLC – 4.5 out of 5, 2995 ratings, 553 reviews
Sleeping alone tonight?You are never alone when Alexa is beside you. Wish Alexa a good night and she will respond right back!
Random review: Seems to be anice skill.I do enjoy it.I got it when the Star Trek Trailer I was watching on TV said, “Computer, download Good Night Protocol.” or something to that effect.My Alexa, which name I changed to computer happily obliged.But it is a fun skill which I’m keeping. Expect a lot more skills added by TV and radio shows in the future. (5 out of 5)
Relax My Cat by Voice Games – 4.9 out of 5, 900 ratings, 897 reviews
Listening to this music will help your cat feel more relaxed and calm, less anxious, sleep more and be generally happier. Playing this music is a great way to ensure that your best furry friend is feeling relaxed. If you are feeling a bit stressed out yourself, you will enjoy this soothing sounds yourself. It’s very relaxing all around 🙂
Random review: Because i unfortunately have short stays in our local hospital; i got a security cam with 2-way audio that is right next to my echo. i can activate this app and others through the audio and still talk to Leela!i have photos of her curled up right underneath the echo after she happily dozed off listening to kitty kitty (which she replies to…if only we knew what they were trying to say), or listening to one of the music skills, me talking to her over the audio. ????❤️????. The nurses have gotten used to it and have even facetimed with us after i got home-so she could see them.next?find a way to facetime with her when i’m in the hospital.i just bought an extra android tablet we say is Leela’s..right now she just watches April the giraffe or other critter livestreams-you can see it on her twitter, kitty_Leela (5 out of 5)
OurGroceries by HeadCode – 4.5 out of 5, 2095 ratings, 471 reviews
This skill lets you add items to the shopping lists on your OurGroceries app. The app keeps your grocery lists instantly synchronized on all the iPhone and Android smartphones in your household—and it’s free! It also tracks recipes, takes photos of items, and scans barcodes.
Random review: I read every review before setting this up, then tried to avoid the issues that were mentioned. I went to the Our Groceries website and deleted the default Shopping List.Then I created specific lists like Groceries and Target. I have one called Sally, for Sally Beauty Supply. After creating an account and password on that website, I was ready to link Alexa. She worked like a charm! “Alexa, ask Our Groceries to add gel to Sally.”… “Added gel to Sally.” (love her) I checked my phone app and there it was, like magic. “Alexa, ask Our Groceries to add toilet paper to Target.”….” Adding toilet paper to Target.” She has performed just as well ever since. (5 out of 5)
Fitbit by Fitbit, Inc.- 4.2 out of 5, 1957 ratings, 335 reviews
Keep up with your fitness goals by checking Fitbit with Alexa. Stay in touch with your progress and get motivated as you go about your day.
Random review: Works for basic stats; however missing key features. My guess is that Fitbit hasn’t viewed Alexa as an extension of their UX, rather just sees it as a limited stat reader. Here are some clear gaps:
1) No support for multiple Fitbit users in household
2) Can’t perform basic log entry (e.g. food or water)
3) Fitstar workouts could be delivered via Alexa
Hopefully the good folks @ Fitbit will see Alexa as another socket to connect to users through rather than just a checkbox. (3 out of 5)
