This is available as long as your phone is connected to the device, and essentially switches your display to a distraction-free, driving-friendly interface. One of the extra things that comes with the Echo Auto is a new Alexa Auto Mode. The Echo Auto has eight microphones and far field technology, which means it can live just about anywhere in your car that isn’t physically blocking the microphones. The included mount is the most obvious choice, though it’s less than ideal. Your only remaining task is to figure out where the gizmo should live.

In fact, I’ve had Bluetooth speakers cause more trouble during pairing than the Echo Auto, which is something Amazon should be commended for. But more on that later.Īnd that was essentially it for the setup, and the process was incredibly painless. The setup process will also ask you what mapping service you’d like Alexa to default to, and supports the big dogs like Google Maps, Waze and Apple Maps. If everything is ok, the app will register that fact after less than 30 seconds. The final stage of the setup has the Echo Auto perform a sound check to ensure both the audio and microphones are all working correctly.

Echo auto