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Echo Auto (1st gen) - Hands-free Alexa in your car with your phone

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 136,536 ratings
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Purchase options and add-ons

  • Add Alexa to your car - Connects to the Alexa app on your phone and plays through your car’s speakers via auxiliary input or your smartphone’s Bluetooth connection. Includes Vent Mount.
  • Designed for the road - With 8 microphones and far-field technology, Echo Auto can hear you over music, A/C, and road noise.
  • Go beyond radio - Voice control Echo Auto through the Alexa app to stream from Audible, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, SiriusXM, and radio stations with TuneIn and iHeartRadio.
  • Just ask - Use your voice to play music, check the news, make calls, add to your to do-list, set reminders, pay for gas, and more.
  • Do More with Auto Mode – Turn your phone into a driver-friendly display that complements your Echo Auto. See what's playing and save time with easy-touch shortcuts to your favorite places, people, and content.
  • Designed to protect your privacy – Amazon is not in the business of selling your personal information to others. Built with multiple layers of privacy controls including a mic off button.
  • Check for compatibility – Echo Auto is not compatible with all cars and phones. See if it will work for you below.

Your voice is in the driver's seat

Just ask Alexa to play music, continue your Audible audiobook, check your calendar, find nearby businesses, or make calls. With 8 microphones, Echo Auto even hears you over road noise. Echo Auto starts up in seconds, works through your car speakers, and uses your existing smartphone plan.

Make the most out of your drive

Make the most of your drive

Update to-do lists, set reminders, or check calendars while your eyes stay on the road. Just ask for directions and Alexa connects to supported apps like Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze on your phone. Alexa can even help you make calls, Share your ETA with compatible Echo devices at home, or Drop In to say that you’re on your way.

Make the most of your drive

echo auto with app icons

Alexa has skills

With tens of thousands of skills and counting, Alexa is always getting smarter. Skills are like apps and let you play roadtrip games like HeadsUp!, find the cheapest gas with GasBuddy, get help parking with ParkWhiz or ParkBob, or even get roadside assistance with Nationwide or Urgent.ly.

echo auto set up

Technical Details

Size

3.3” x 1.9” x 0.5” (85 mm x 47 mm x 13.28 mm)

Weight

1.6 oz (45 grams) Actual size and weight may vary by manufacturing process

Smartphone plan usage and compatibility

Echo Auto uses your existing smartphone plan and the Alexa app for connectivity and other features. Carrier charges may apply. Please consult your carrier for information on any fees and limitations that apply to your plan. Echo Auto supports Android 6.0 and iOS 12 or greater. However, please note that the following smartphones are not compatible with Echo Auto.

Connectivity

Echo Auto connects to most cars that support Bluetooth to play music or that have an auxiliary input. If using Bluetooth, some vehicles do not work well with Echo Auto. Learn more here. If you can't connect devices to your car to play music via Bluetooth or auxiliary cable, then you may be able to connect Echo Auto with an additional accessory like an FM transmitter or cassette tape adapter.

Bluetooth

Hands-Free Profile (HFP) support for calling, Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) support for audio streaming, Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) for voice control of media sessions, Serial Port Profile for Bluetooth connectivity to Android phones and iPod Accessory Protocol for Bluetooth connectivity to iPhones.

Audio

Eight microphone array. Supports auxiliary audio output.

Processor

Mediatek MT7697, Intel Dual DSP with Inference Engine

Accessibility Features

Learn more about Alexa accessibility.

Warranty and Service

1-year limited warranty and service included. Optional 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year extended warranties will be available for U.S. customers and sold separately. Use of Echo Auto is subject to the terms found here.

Included in the Box

Echo Auto, In-Car Power Adapter, Micro-USB cable (1m), 3.5mm auxiliary cable (1m), vent mount, and Quick Start Guide.

Privacy Features

Wake word technology, streaming indicator, mute button in the Alexa app, the ability to view and delete your voice recordings, and more. Visit the Alexa Privacy Hub to explore how Alexa and Echo devices are designed to protect your privacy.

Software Security Updates

This device receives guaranteed software security updates until at least four years after the device is last available for purchase as a new unit on our websites. Learn more about these software security updates. If you already own an Amazon Echo, visit Manage Your Content and Devices for information specific to your device.

Looking for specific info?

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
136,536 global ratings

Customers say

Customers are satisfied with the music quality of the digital device. However, some customers have reported issues with connectivity and value. They mention that the device loses connection and is not very compelling. Customers also differ on performance, ease of use, quality, sound quality, and voice recognition.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

1,644 customers mention1,209 positive435 negative

Customers like the music playback of the digital device. For example, they say it's amazing, and they can pull up music from their phone. They also appreciate the ability to listen to music from playlists, add reminders, and alarms, as well as play music from Spotify and other music apps.

"...Yup - Alexa's got it and it is SO easy. And fun. 5 stars for the music. 20 questions? I tested out a few games just for this review...." Read more

"...The music quality is perfect (but this is likely related to my grom and has nothing to do with the echo auto)...." Read more

"...times..1st 2 times I kept saying skip...reached the end and the song never played...." Read more

"...to your car to change the radio and advanced songs and to do music was pretty seamless...." Read more

9,201 customers mention5,264 positive3,937 negative

Customers are mixed about the performance of the digital device. Some mention that it works beautifully, is quite stable, and perfectly usable, while others say that it just won't work. They say that the blue lights, zero response, and issues with connecting with Bluetooth. Some customers also mention that Siri frustrates them and doesn't works their lights, thermostat, or security system.

"...Drop in works well enough though...." Read more

"...Roaming or anything less and it just won't work. If you are in the middle of no where, this device probably isn't for you...." Read more

"...(like adding full names to the three Logans I know.) The voice dialer works great.Texting:..." Read more

"...However- 2 hours, and nothing. Blue lights, zero response. Unplugged, replugged, restarted, nothing...." Read more

5,365 customers mention3,303 positive2,062 negative

Customers are mixed about the ease of use of the digital device. Some mention that it is easy, simple, and fun to use, while others say that it has a learning curve and horrible directions. The product connects quickly and easily to an iPhone, and is a handy way to use Alexa hands free in places you can't normally. However, some customers report difficulty with establishing a new connection after an old one, and the setup is fussy and repeated several times.

"...So with this all being said, its a handy way to use alexa hands free in places you can't normally use a Dot or Echo, or Show device because of..." Read more

"...If I am texting common words, it's fine. But unusual words can be almost impossible.Bluetooth connectivity...." Read more

"...'s so much more advanced than the Ford Sync recognition - and so much easier to use...." Read more

"...Yup - Alexa's got it and it is SO easy. And fun. 5 stars for the music. 20 questions? I tested out a few games just for this review...." Read more

2,660 customers mention1,642 positive1,018 negative

Customers are mixed about the quality of the digital device. Some mention that it follows their commands well and is responsive, while others say that it's not reliable and doesn't provide full Echo functionality. They also say that the Alexa app froze during setup and that it used to freeze all the time.

"...connection issue that everyone talks about, but lately, it has been quite stable and perfectly usable...." Read more

"...app when I got to the list of new devices to choose from echo auto was not shown. I had to use the search box on that page and type in “echo auto.”..." Read more

"...In other words, using Alexa and Siri is seamless...." Read more

"...Amazon has a track record of using very high quality parts and designs in their Echo products and, while I have not seen a tear down of this device..." Read more

2,376 customers mention1,251 positive1,125 negative

Customers are mixed about the sound quality of the digital device. Some mention that the sound is great as their car sound system allows, with a nice little chime to tell them it's good to go. However, others say that the quality is atrocious, with sometimes a hard time hearing you over noise or limited by their phone's volume. The volume is a little low, even on max, and the quality of sound seems more compressed than what they would hear from other devices. They also mention that people are hearing an echo.

"...Here is what I mean. Yes it has an aux output and built in microphones. The aux output however is completely optional. I have never used it once...." Read more

"...I drive a noisy convertible and sometimes the volume is a little low, even on max. Some streaming services are lower than others...." Read more

"...audio AND hands free Alexa in my car on the Line In Jack and it sounds great. Now I can promote this to others every chance I get...." Read more

"...To my ear however the quality of the sound seemed more compressed than what I would hear from other sources...." Read more

1,608 customers mention723 positive885 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the voice recognition of the digital device. Some mention that it has superior recognition than their phones or headunits, and the microphone does seem to pick up their voice through a lot of background. However, others say that the voice is terrible, hard to use, and doesn't register.

"...5. The Echo Auto can hear you but you do need to speak up. It needs a louder voice than when I sit in a quiet room and talk to my home Echo.6...." Read more

"...Voice response is surprisingly fast, and seems faster than when I use Echo at home - probably because i'm usually across the room at home...." Read more

"...If your windows are down while driving your voice doesn't register. It also would be great if she was louder when speaking navigation directions...." Read more

"...Pros:• Provides Alexa functionality in the car, giving voice control similar to an Echo device in the home.•..." Read more

7,156 customers mention1,392 positive5,764 negative

Customers are dissatisfied with the connectivity of the digital device. They mention that it loses connection, and needs a reliable connection to function properly. Some say that the Bluetooth on their phone will not reconnect again. Some mention that the Echo Auto is really buggy and disconnects frequently.

"...As a design its both brilliant and frivolous. With no access to regular WiFi ti needs connectivity, your phone has connectivity so just use that...." Read more

"...Bluetooth connectivity. There are times it won't connect automatically. Manually launching the Alexa app on my phone usually works...." Read more

"...reason most times or occasionally the response trying or unable to connect?..." Read more

"...The connection has been consistently quick to pair (typically less than 20 seconds from starting the car), and the volume is balanced with other..." Read more

2,726 customers mention685 positive2,041 negative

Customers are dissatisfied with the value of the digital device. They say it's not worth the effort, it'll render some things unusable, and it'd be more trouble than it're worth.

"...As a design its both brilliant and frivolous. With no access to regular WiFi ti needs connectivity, your phone has connectivity so just use that...." Read more

"...The second con was the mount. Its straight up garbage...." Read more

"...It's terrific.I got this during on Prime Day and the deal was amazing! Now I have my trusty co-pilot, Alexa, along with me...." Read more

"Didn't do anything special that I can't already do with my phone. And I am not being given the refund taken from my account for this...." Read more

Wanted to love it but MANY issues.  Hopefully software updates and an updated mount will come
3 Stars
Wanted to love it but MANY issues. Hopefully software updates and an updated mount will come
I really wanted to love the Echo Auto. It does work, and actually has a few nice features. It has a enough issues though to take at least a few starsPros:• Provides Alexa functionality in the car, giving voice control similar to an Echo device in the home.• Adds A2DP (Bluetooth streaming music) functionality to cars that may not support it. With iPhone implementation also sends audio from other sources such as Google maps while providing streaming audio from Alexa sources.• Amazon Alexa app will show information on content playing on phone lockscreen and Apple watch. Apple watch can be used to pause, skip, and also provide information on content being played.• The cigarette lighter power adapter provided with the Echo Auto provides 2 USB A 2.4A port and appears to be of good quality. One of the ports is used for the Echo Auto, leaving another free to charger your phone.Cons:This list could get really long, but some of the key points• The mount is useless. It is large, bulky, and ugly. It doesn’t work for my vehicle, and if it did it would be blocking the air conditioner vent. The air conditioner function is important so, no it isn’t going there. It also would force having dangling wires up to where this thing sits, not to mention that the cables included with the Echo Auto would not be long enough. This is far from an ideal solution. I ended up just sticking the mount back in the box.• The connection to the phone, and apparently to the Amazon cloud is really flakey. Almost all functionality is performed on the smartphone in behalf of the Echo Auto device. For no apparent reason sometimes the Echo Auto can’t communicate with the phone (using iPhone X), or it will connect to the phone but the Alexa app can’t communicate with the cloud. Note that other apps can communicate with the internet.• The volume seems to be low sometimes. I’ve tried to keep the phone volume at maximum and tell Alexa “Volume 10” and then adjust the volume on the car audio system. Sometimes it is plenty loud. Sometimes though it isn’t.• Even when it does work, there is a lot of latency in responding. If you have used other Echo devices you just make an utterance starting with the Alexa wake word, and then immediately the rest of the command. Such as “Alexa play Classic Rock.” On the Echo Auto this won’t work most of the time, but will sometimes. Other times it will just ignore you. Or you will hear a ding that it detected the wake word, but doesn’t do anything. You basically have to say “Alexa” the wait for the ding, then say “Play Classic rock.”• It doesn’t seem to have the same fingerprinting to eliminate false wake word detection. For example, I had it playing the flash brief news update. As part of that update, one of the feeds said the word “Alexa.” The Echo auto detected Alexa from that audio stream it was playing, made it’s “ding” sound that it recognized “Alexa,” attenuated the audio, and then eventually timed out.• While the included power and 3.5 mm audio cable are reasonable quality, they both stick straight out. A right angle connector, at least for the audio cable would make for a much neater installation.• No user manual is included, or even seems to be available online. Only an absurdly brief getting started guide. If you search there are third party books you can buy, but nothing free, and nothing from Amazon. Seriously, not even a Kindle ebook manual. Some things are obvious, at least to me, but I’ve yet to figure out how to get it to control Google Maps that it is supposed to be able to do.• Almost everything is performed on the smartphone. This really isn’t all that bad since I’m not actively using my phone except for navigation and maybe music while driving. Just be aware of this and plug your phone into a charger, otherwise it will accelerate draining the battery.• Not the device itself, but the invitation program was awful. Not only did I have to wait almost a year, but also when I finally had the invitation to buy it, it was while I was away on International travel and didn’t want it shipped. I waited until the last day of the 7 day window, but within the window. When I went to purchase it, the window had already closed. Awful experience! I was able to request to be added to the invite again, and was able to buy it, at the invite half price about a week later.More detail:I really wanted to love this. Even after waiting almost a year from when it was first announced and I requested to be added to the invite list, and then had to opportunity to buy it when I was away on International travel. I did finally get it, and installed it.I have a 2004 Acura TL. The car originally had support for Bluetooth Handsfree (Acura Handsfree Link) for phone calls, with a truly awful voice recognition system. There was no support for A2DP (streaming music) or AVRC (music control). The car also didn’t even come with an auxiliary input. I had installed a USA Spec iPod/iPhone interface that also provided an AUX input that I had installed in the console area near the 12V power jack. The Handsfree link also died (as is very common it seems) and removed the module since it drained the car battery. The Echo Auto seemed to be the perfect solution to replace the handsfree link, add streaming music support, and control it all from Alexa. It has partially lived up to the hopes, and does provide all of what was hoped, but just far from perfectly.First the installation: I tried the large, bulky air conditioner mount. It didn’t work for my car. Even if it did I don’t think I would have used it. The mount and the Echo auto would have blocked the vent. I use the vent as, well, a vent. Imagine that. Second, if I did manage to somehow use the AC vent mount it would have put the Echo Auto right out in the middle of the dash area, with an ugly large mount, and wires dangling down from it. As I wrote above, the auxiliary audio input is in the console next to the second 12V outlet. Neither cable provided was long enough to reach from the dash to the console area. Note that many factory AUX jacks are in the same location. Yes, I could have used longer cables than provided, but that would have been even more dangling cables. This really needs some other mounting options. I ended up installing it in the cup holder area in front of the console. This isn’t the best location as the lights aren’t easily visible (but can be seen). The microphone array is actually closer to the driver and seems to work OK, but is slightly behind and to the right instead of in front of the driver. Overall it seems to work OK. The straight audio and power cables do stick out a bit, and I may replace at least the audio cable with one with a right angle connector. Eventually if it works out I may try and figure out a more permanent install with the wires cleanly routed out of sight. I’ve added a photo of where it is now.I’ve listed many of the issues I’ve had in the bullet points above so won’t duplicate them all here. It does work, at least some of the time. As noted it has frequent problems either connecting from the Echo Auto to the phone, and from the app to the cloud. One time while sitting at a traffic light when the app couldn’t communicate I tried a speedtest with the speedtest app. The phone had data connectivity. There wasn’t anything wrong with the phone or signal. Sometimes it will fail, and you can retry literally 5 seconds later and it will work. Other times I’ve had to unplug the Echo Auto and plug it back in again. Other times kill the Alexa app. Still other times I had to do all of the above and power cycle the phone. It is definitely not reliable.As mentioned above as well, the latency to accept commands is highly variable. Sometimes you can just give a complete utterance like other Echo devices. Other times it will totally miss the command. As noted above as well, you need to give it the wake word Alexa, wait for it to recognize it with the ding sound, and then continue to give the command. Yes, it can get frustrating repeating the same command several times.Note also that unlike other Echo devices that have all of the processing in the Echo device, this clearly relies on the companion smartphone Alexa app. The Echo auto only listens for wake words, streams audio to and from the phone, and provides limited audio to say when it isn’t connected. There are also local mute buttons and an LED light bar similar to other Echo devices. Having the app do almost all the work isn’t entirely bad though. At least with an iPhone X there is enough performance to run the Alexa app and functions while also running Google or Apple Maps, and play music. I’m not actively using the phone, and have it in a mount, and, importantly, have it connected to a charger. Audio from the iPhone will be routed to the Echo Auto. This can be a good thing if the car audio system is set to the AUX input. This allows Alexa commands, streaming music, and navigation audio all to play through the car audio system. If however you select another audio input, say the radio or CD, then you won’t hear any audio from the iPhone. A few times I’ve ended up streaming a local radio station the I could have received directly on the radio because of this. Some easy configuration would be nice, but this is a reasonable limitation for an aftermarket accessory. Notably, and somewhat surprisingly not only will Alexa commands work, but “Hey Siri” commands also work.The audio volume seems to vary. When it works properly the audio is plenty loud, and unless I want to listen to loud music I need to turn down the car volume. Sometimes though it is low, like when it attenuates audio during an Alexa command, only all the time. Overall it sounds reasonable considering it is streaming over Bluetooth. Sometimes with the phone audio at max and Alexa set to 10 to eliminate local audio scaling it does sound a bit distorted. Other times though it sounds fine, or about as good as I can expect from Bluetooth.The audio does sound good enough to be able to hear differences in audio quality. Streaming from Tidal does sound better than from Amazon music. The good thing is that it supports both and XM Sirius radio and more. It doesn’t seem to support playing local music stored on the iPhone itself. If you manually start the music, or get Siri to do it, it will play, but there doesn’t seem to be a way to get Alexa to do it. This seems to be a pretty big limitation.As I wrote above, there is no included user manual. Only an incredibly brief getting started card is provided. As written above, most things are obvious and I haven’t needed a manual. Some things though, such as asking Alexa to navigate for you with Google maps I have yet to figure out. I believe the web site shows this, but I’ve tried all kinds of commands and can’t get it to work. Again, if I start the navigation from Google maps the voice directions will play through the Echo auto. There are 3rd party books for sale, but I haven’t bought one. I shouldn’t have to pay for a 3rd party book of unknown quality or accuracy to be able to use the product I purchased from Amazon. At least Amazon should publish a Kindle ebook manual similar to what it does for Kindles and some other devices.Surprisingly, one of the reasons I bought it, to replace the Acura Handsfree Link for telephone calls I haven’t tried yet. I need to do that and see how it sounds in both directions. So I can’t comment on either the audio performance or control capabilities for basic telephone calls.The iPhone shows the Echo auto as a headphone. However, Google maps is now marking my parking location as if the phone knows I’m leaving a car that it was connected to. Hopefully Apple maps will too, although I use Google far more often. This is another plus.As I also wrote above, the Echo Auto comes with a cigarette lighter/12V socket to USB A adapter. This adapter has 2 ports, but 2.4 A. This allows using one port for the Echo auto itself, and a second for charging a phone or other use. This was a nice surprise. This may still not be ideal if you prefer USB C PD for your phone, but overall it was good. It will likely eliminate the problem of not have enough ports for a phone and the Echo Auto for many users. The Echo Auto uses a micro USB B connector for power, and comes with a USB A to micro USB B cable. It is relatively short, and has straight connectors. If you mount the Echo Auto near a 12V outlet you may be OK, but there is a chance it won’t be long enough.The Echo Auto has a 3.5 mm audio output jack next to the micro USB jack. It comes with a 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm cable to plug into this jack and to the vehicle AUX input. The cable is of reasonable quality, and about the same length as the USB cable. Again, if the Echo Auto is physically near the AUX input you will be fine, otherwise you may need a longer cable. I would definitely would have preferred at least one side of the cable to have a right angle connector. The straight connector makes the cables stick out needlessly more than they have to.Hopefully the software in app improves and resolves some of the problems and adds functionality for playing locally stored music on the phone. Amazon, please write a user manual and publish it for free as an ebook! At least provide some FAQs with how to use it for controlling Google maps and other use cases. Additional mounting options should also be extremely high on the list of updates. Maybe also a professional install kit can also be offered for a more permanent vehicle install without wires dangling all over the car.Overall for the half price invitation purchase option I’m not sorry I bought it. I’m not returning it immediately as others have commented. Yes, there are MANY areas for improvement. It does provide most of what it claims, albeit not very reliably. I expect it will follow Murphy’s law and be flakey just as need to use it the most. So while it isn’t going back, it doesn’t deserve 5 stars either. That awful vent mount alone justifies knocking it down at least one star. The flakey operation, loss of connections, waking up to its own audio saying Alexa, variable high latency recognizing commands, less than ideal cables, variable audio levels, and physically being larger than it likely could be all warrant dropping at least one, if not 2 more stars. I will be kind and give it 3 stars.
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