Echo Devices (Alexa) as Media Player - Testers Needed

Im using this part and is working without problems:

    - service: notify.alexa_media_peter_s_echo_dot
      data:
        data:
          type: announce
          method: all
        message: "test"

beside this simple part, I have a whole briefing script. Can use message, and some call in parts to that will be combined into 1 message. Also still working with 2021.4

Would that be a group in Alexa or a group in HA?

Group in HA.

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You can also create a WHA (Whole House Audio) group in Alexa and use that.

Hi All! Here’s a funny one … I have an automation w/ the following trigger that works perfectly on one Echo Dot, but when I try it on another one it’s all messed up.

  - service: media_player.play_media
    data:
      entity_id: media_player.basement
#      entity_id: media_player.living_room
      media_content_id: 'Play {{ states(''input_select.alexa_playlist'') }}'
      media_content_type: custom

I’m feeding in a bunch of inputs like this:

input_select:
  alexa_playlist:
    name: Alexa Audio Selection
    options:
      - ""
      - "Music"
      - "Michael Jackson (Amazon Music)"
      - "Coldplay Radio (Pandora)"
      - "Prince (Amazon Music)"
      - "Top Hits"
      - "WZLR 95.3 The Eagle, Dayton"
      - "Pink Floyd"
      - "Classical Music"
      - "John Denver Radio (Pandora)"
      - "Mad World Radio (Pandora)"
      - "Disney Music (Amazon Music)"
      - "Seether Radio (Pandora)"
      - "WOSU 89.7 NPR News"

The Basement Echo Dot works flawlessly. When I use Living_Room, she’s asking/saying things back like

  • Sending “Play Seether Radio Pandora” produces “Should I play the station Play Seether Radio Pandora?”
  • Sending “Play WZLR 95.3 The Eagle, Dayton” produces “Here’s what I found”
  • Sending “Play Coldplay Radio Pandora” produces “Should I play the station Play Coldplay Radio Pandora?”
  • Sending “Play WOSU 89.7 NPR News” produces “Should I play the song Mad Mad World?” Super odd on this one.

I was trying to leverage the ability to “…issue a voice command directly to a device as if you’re speaking to it” as that wouldn’t require facy code to produce the appropriate media_content_type. And, I don’t think there is a media_content_type for Pandora.

When I go into my Alexa history, I’m seeing the “Tap / Routine / Type with Alexa” command is coming in perfectly. What gives?

Living Room is an Echo Dot (assumed first gen), from 2016 and Basement is a Echo Dot (3rd Generation) from 2020. I tried rebooting Living_Room.

Try with the app but if the history is right you probably need to talk to Amazon.

Today I had to relogin. The first time after a very long period.
Intrestingly, no captcha was requested.

  1. Question 0 for sms or 1 for email - I choosed 0
  2. A very large window with all credetials information - I did nothing but sending the info
  3. Then then step 1 again
  4. the code came in and I entered.
  5. done without issues.

All works.
Just for Info

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Thanks for the response, @alandtse. Which app are you referring to?

Amazon isn’t going to support Home Assistant. How would you recommend I approach them about the issue?

Same here some hours ago… i tried again to reconfigure just right now and all was ok again…

What I’d do if was experiencing that issue would be to create a routine with a “Customised” action (this is basically the same as what Alexa Media Player is using) with the same phrase which is causing you issues, and see if it acts the same when you trigger that routine from the affected device.
If it does, you can report that as an issue to Amazon. If they fix it, it should hopefully fix it with AMP as well.

Amazon Alexa.

That’s precisely what I am doing, @Steven_Rollason. I am using the media_content_type: custom. This was initially to avoid fancy coding to tie different content types into the selection list without cluttering it up. Code here.

When I speak the same thing to her, it works. I have no problem telling her w/ my voice, “Play Music.” When I sent it last night via Home Assistant, per code above and previously referenced, she says, “Should I play the station Play Music?” WTF!? Given the way it had behaved, I even tried removing the “Play” in front of the selection, but that didn’t work either.

I’m still hesitant to reach out to Amazon. I’m not sure who to reach out to, specifically, for one. I’m also not sure what to tell them as any mention of Home Assisant is going to derail everything and turn in to “that’s not supported.” Sorry for being dense here…

It does appear to be an Amazon issue, though, from what I can tell. That is, unless HA is sending the wront media content type, but I’m not sure how to check that…

What I mean is that you should:

  • Open the Alexa app on your phone
  • Go to Settings > Routines
  • Create a new routine triggered by any phrase you want (e.g. “test custom action”)
  • Add an action to that routine of the Customised type with one of the custom phrases you are trying to use from Alexa Media Player (e.g. “Play Seether Radio Pandora”).
  • Set the rotine to respond from “the device you speak to”

You can then test that routine on each of your Echo devices by saying the trigger phrase for that routine. If the routine gives the same response on that Echo Dot as you are getting when using Alexa Media Player, then you should be able to report this to Amazon as it is also happening when using the standard functionality and isn’t specific to Alexa Media Player.

I completely understand now! Thank you! I’ll try it soon and report back.

Totally on Amazon’s end! Same problem from a routine. Thanks.

and that you can take to amazon, because it has nothing to do with HA :wink:

I meant to come back, I just had to delete the device from HA and add back in and it was fine, weird bug?

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So you’re just using normal 2FA rather than the built-in 2FA after all?

Just had my first reconfigure message since setting up the built-in version last year and all pressing the reconfigure button did was pop up the AMP config window, I did nothing but press SUBMIT and all was back to normal, no sign of any SMS or email options.

Hey all, I have been working to get a new feature added to Alexa Media Player and it has just made its way to the dev branch in preparation for release next week. Alexa Media Player can now, optionally, add HA entities for your Echo temperature sensor and any Zigbee lights connected directing to your Echo. Instructions on how to use this are here.

If you are feeling adventurous and have the right hardware, I would love to get some testing from the community. Any bugs you find now, I can still fix before it goes out to everyone :grinning:

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@alandtse

I just want to say thank you for this. I have been using it for quite awhile. I currently only use it for TTS. Will be adding sources soon Think I will buy you a cup of coffee!

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