What can I say to Alexa in the ±«Óătv Sounds skill?

To get started, say "Alexa, open ±«Óătv Sounds."ĚýWhen prompted, ask for the name of the live radio station, programme, podcast or music mix that you want to listen to.

Small live radio iconĚýLive Radio

You can now restart, rewind and fast-forward radio shows on the ±«Óătv Sounds Alexa skill.

The ±«Óătv Sounds Alexa skill now gives you the ability to rewind and fast-forward radio, or restart the show you're listening to. ±«Óătv Sounds is the only radio provider in the UK to offer this functionality.

How to play live radio

  • To start playing live radioĚýsay, "Alexa, play [live radio station]." For example, "Alexa, play 6 Music” or "Alexa, play Radio 2.”

How to find out what's playing on live radio

  • To find out what song or programme is currently playing on a live station say, "Alexa, ask ±«Óătv Sounds what's playing."

  • If you're listening to a rewound stream, you can say "Alexa, ask ±«Óătv Sounds what's playing" to find out the station and show you're currently listening to.Ěý

How to restartĚýlive radio

  • Love The Archers but missed the start on Radio 4? No problem, just say, “Alexa, ask ±«Óătv Sounds to restart,” and we’ll take you to the start of the show.

How to rewind live radio

  • Listening to Radio 2 and missed Ten To The Top? “Alexa, ask ±«Óătv Sounds to rewind to 10.30am.”
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  • Asked for Radio 1 just as your favourite song is ending? “Alexa, ask ±«Óătv Sounds to rewind 3 minutes.”
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  • And if you’ve just missed a goal on 5 Live, “Alexa, ask ±«Óătv Sounds to rewind” will rewind one minute.

How to fast-forward or return to live radio

  • You can fast-forward by using the corresponding requests, for exampleĚý“Alexa, ask ±«Óătv Sounds to fast-forward to 9.30pm / 5 minutes.”Ěý
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  • And when you’re ready to listen live again, just say, “Alexa, ask ±«Óătv Sounds to return to live.”

How to pause and resume live radio

  • You can also pause and resume live streams by saying "Alexa, pause" and "Alexa, resume."

Podcast and mixes iconĚýPodcasts and music mixes

How to play a podcast

  • To start playing podcasts and music mixes say, "Alexa, ask ±«Óătv Sounds to play [name of content]." For example, "Alexa, ask ±«Óătv Sounds to play That Peter Crouch Podcast,” or "Alexa, ask ±«Óătv Sounds to play Woman's Hour."Ěý

How to play the first available episode of something

  • To play the first available episode of something say “Alexa, ask ±«Óătv Sounds forĚýthe first episode of [name of content].”

How to play the latest available episode of somethingĚý

  • To play the latest episode of something say “Alexa, ask ±«Óătv Sounds forĚýthe latest episode of [name of content].”

How to pause or resume a podcast or music mix

  • To pause or resume say, "Alexa, pause" or, "Alexa, resume."Ěý

How to fast-forward or rewind a podcast or music mix

  • To rewind or fast forward say, "Alexa, ask ±«Óătv Sounds to rewind 30 seconds," or "Alexa, ask ±«Óătv Sounds to fast forward 5 minutes."

How to navigate between episodes

  • To navigate between episodes, just say "Alexa, next" or "Alexa, previous."

How to continue listening from where you left offĚý

  • To continue listening from where you left off, just ask Alexa for the podcast or on-demand programme you were listening to previously, for example, "Alexa, ask ±«Óătv Sounds for The Infinite Monkey Cage."Ěý
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  • Likewise, if you've been listening to something on your Alexa device and want to pick up from where you left off on the ±«Óătv Sounds app or website, just scroll to the Continue Listening section and click on the programme title.
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  • If you're not listening to the last episode in a series, we'll play the next episode automatically when your episode ends.

How to stop what you're listening to

  • To stop playback, simply say "Alexa, stop."

News headlines iconĚýNews

How do I access ±«Óătv news?

  • To get our 24-hour interactive news service, say "Alexa, play ±«Óătv News."
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  • To get your local news bulletin personalised to the postcode in your ±«Óătv account, say “Alexa, ask ±«Óătv Sounds for my local news.”
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  • To choose another local news bulletin, check our How can I listen to national and local news bulletins on my smart speaker?Ěýpage to find the phrase you need.

Smart speaker iconĚýMulti-Room

How to use Multi-Room

'Multi-Room' playback using the ±«Óătv Sounds skill is now possible. Multi-Room allows you to play your favourite ±«Óătv Sounds music, podcasts or radio stations on multiple Alexa-enabled devices at the same time with our Alexa skill.

You can find out more information here: How do I use Alexa Multi-Room?

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