To get started, say “Alexa, open BBC Sounds.” When prompted ask for the name of the live radio station, programme, podcast or music mix that you want to listen to. Or you can ask for the News.
Live Radio
- To start playing the radio say, "Alexa, play [live radio station]. For example, "Alexa, play 6 Music” or "Alexa, play Radio 2”.
- To find out what song or programme is currently playing on a live station say, "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds what's playing."
On demand programmes, podcasts and music mixes
- To start playing on demand content say, "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play [name of content]. For example, "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play That Peter Crouch Podcast,” or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play Woman's Hour."
- To pause or resume say, "Alexa, pause" or, "Alexa, resume."
- To rewind or fast forward say, "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to rewind 30 seconds," or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to fast forward 5 minutes."
- To navigate between episodes you can also say, "Alexa, next" or "Alexa, previous" to navigate between episodes.
- To continue listening from where you left off, you'll need to link your BBC account to your Alexa app. For more information on how you sign in, go to the page: How do I sign in on the BBC Sounds Alexa skill?
If you've been listening to something on the BBC Sounds app or website, ask Alexa for the podcast or on-demand programme you were listening to, for example, "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds for The Infinite Monkey Cage."
Likewise, if you've been listening to something on your Alexa device and want to pick up from where you left off on the BBC Sounds app or website, just scroll to the Continue Listening section and click on the programme title.
