# Plex and Alexa?
**URL:** https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-and-alexa/344908
**Category:** Apps & Creations
**Tags:** alexa
**Created:** [December 9, 2018, 11:27pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-and-alexa/344908 "2018-12-09T23:27:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@TE5LA](https://forums.plex.tv/u/TE5LA)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2018, 11:27pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-and-alexa/344908/1 "2018-12-09T23:27:48Z")
Is this relationship destined to be as useless as a screen door on a submarine? So far, it is. Am I doing something wrong or is this normal:
On the Alexa device, you have to say “Alexa, open Plex” every single time you want to issue a command to Plex. Then you have to listen to Alexa’s long-winded explanation of the app:
“Welcome back to Plex. What would you like to do? You can say things like ‘suggest something to watch’ or ‘play some music’. You can also say ‘help’ for more information.”
Then, if you say something like “Play Star Trek Voyager”, Alexa responds:
“I couldn’t find any enabled video skills that can play that. Go to the Alexa app to manage your video skills and devices.”
Sometimes, she [it] will say:
“How about returning to something you haven’t watch in awhile? Would you like me to play … ?”
Occasionally, I can get something going, but if I try to give another command, it goes back to "I couldn’t find any … ".
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### Author:  [@vanstinator](https://forums.plex.tv/u/vanstinator)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2018, 4:15pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-and-alexa/344908/2 "2018-12-10T16:15:58Z")
> [@TE5LA](#):
>
> On the Alexa device, you have to say “Alexa, open Plex” every single time you want to issue a command to Plex. Then you have to listen to Alexa’s long-winded explanation of the app:
> [@TE5LA](#):
>
> Then, if you say something like “Play Star Trek Voyager”, Alexa responds:
You don’t need to say `Open Plex` every time. Just saying `Ask plex to...` will initiate what Amazon calls a `one shot` intent that will do the same thing. So things like `Ask Plex to play the movie the force awakens` are valid. If you don’t ask `Ask Plex` it won’t know to route it to our skill and you’ll have the behavior you described with Star Trek.
> [@TE5LA](#):
>
> “How about returning to something you haven’t watch in awhile? Would you like me to play … ?”
That sounds like of our suggestion features. Without knowing exactly what you said I can’t say why it would have triggered.
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### Author:  [@TE5LA](https://forums.plex.tv/u/TE5LA)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2018, 4:34pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-and-alexa/344908/3 "2018-12-10T16:34:55Z")
If I say “Ask Plex to …” , it responds with “there is no video skill enabled …”
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### Author:  [@TE5LA](https://forums.plex.tv/u/TE5LA)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2018, 4:41pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-and-alexa/344908/4 "2018-12-10T16:41:07Z")
It would also be nice if you could eliminate the very long instructions after telling Alexa to open Plex. Maybe one or twice, but I don’t need to hear it every time, it’s very annoying.
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### Author:  [@vanstinator](https://forums.plex.tv/u/vanstinator)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2018, 4:44pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-and-alexa/344908/5 "2018-12-10T16:44:53Z")
> [@TE5LA](#):
>
> It would also be nice if you could eliminate the very long instructions after telling Alexa to open Plex. Maybe one or twice, but I don’t need to hear it every time, it’s very annoying.
We’re not planning on changing those. There’s not really any need to say `Open Plex` for day-to-day use of the skill.
> [@TE5LA](#):
>
> If I say “Ask Plex to …” , it responds with “there is no video skill enabled …”
What specifically are you saying? Please share the exact phrasing you use.
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### Author:  [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-and-alexa/344908/6 "2019-03-10T16:47:01Z")
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