How To Stop Alexa From Saying OK [Quiet, Alexa!]

Alexa has this ridiculous tendency to come off sounding monotone. Her voice lacks natural intonation, and she is constantly saying “OK” after being issued commands by users (Super Alexa would never have this problem). It just does not sound like how we humans speak. Hearing Alexa say the same thing over and over can get annoying.

Is there a way to stop Alexa from saying “OK” after each issued command? And can you get her to speak a bit more concisely?

Table of Contents

• How To Stop Alexa From Saying OK
• How to Enable Brief Mode
• What is Brief Mode?
• What is Whisper Mode?
• How to Use Adaptive Volume With Alexa
• Closing Thoughts

How To Stop Alexa From Saying OK

When you enable Brief Mode on your Amazon Alexa device, Alexa will quit saying “OK” and will instead use a brief tone. You will need to go into the Alexa app, click on More, then on Settings, and scroll down until you see Voice Responses. This is where you can enable or disable Alexa’s speaking preferences at your will.

Amazon realized that Alexa, their free AI software, could get quite obnoxious in her replies and made it possible for you to disable the “OK” response. You can actually enable a few different modes to customize how Alexa responds to your commands. You can choose to enable Brief Mode, Whisper Mode, or Adaptive Volume in order to customize the way Alexa emits replies.

You can reduce the lengthiness of Alexa’s replies and make her responses more streamlined for quick, easy usage. When you have Brief Mode enabled, Alexa will stop saying “OK” and will cut right to the chase.

How to Enable Brief Mode

Are you constantly in a rush to get answers from Alexa? Do you have a sleeping baby that you do not want to wake up? Maybe you just want to skip the casual conversation and have Alexa get right to the point.

This is where changing the Voice Responses on Alexa can come in handy. But how exactly do you go about doing this?

First and foremost, you need to have the Alexa app downloaded onto your cell phone or tablet. If, for some reason, you haven’t downloaded it or need to re-download it, go ahead and do that now.

Once you’ve ensured that the Alexa app is installed on your phone or tablet, you will need to follow these steps to enable Brief Mode:

1. Open up the Alexa app on your Android or iPhone.
2. When you are in the app, click on ‘More’, which can be found in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Then you will need to click on ‘Settings’.
3. Scroll down until you find the Alexa Preferences section. Once you see it, click on Voice Responses.
4. Enable Brief Mode.

Enabling Brief Mode is really that easy. But you should be aware that Brief Mode is what Amazon refers to as a “global feature” – a fancy way of saying that, once you enable it in your Alexa app, it will be enabled on all of your Alexa devices at the same time. 

Likewise, when you disable it, it will be disabled on all of your connected Alexa devices. This is certainly not helpful in all circumstances.

What is Brief Mode?

Brief Mode was introduced by Amazon for Alexa in 2018. Users had long been complaining that Alexa’s responses are too long-winded and that they would prefer she speak more concisely. 

Therefore, Amazon developed Brief Mode for users who want to have shorter conversations with Alexa.

Ever wonder why Alexa will sometimes go off on a minute-long tangent seemingly out of nowhere, as you never gave it a prompt? Tired of Alexa listing an entire slew of details about a song, artist, and record before actually playing the song? This is what Brief Mode is there to help curb.

After getting so many complaints, Amazon introduced Brief Mode, which has proven to be helpful to owners who are not interested in Alexa’s excessive spewing of details and words.

What is Whisper Mode?

Whisper Mode is another Voice Response mode that you might want to try for Alexa. You will find it in the same area of the app as Brief Mode and can enable and disable it at will. This allows you to change how loudly Alexa speaks.

Personally, I have found that Alexa’s default volume can be extremely loud. If you are a parent with small children who are sleeping or dogs who bark at strange voices, then you might want Alexa to speak more quietly.

Turning on Whisper Mode is helpful since, when you enable it, Alexa will respond – quite obviously – in a more whispered hush. 

Of course, this, too, is a global setting and changes automatically on every connected Alexa device you own as soon as you enable or disable it on the Alexa app.

How to Use Adaptive Volume With Alexa

Finally, a third option you will see under Voice Responses in the Alexa app is Adaptive Volume. 

This is particularly helpful since it is able to pick up on ambient noise in the background and adapt Alexa’s volume as is appropriate.

Say, for example, you are at home, cooking dinner in the kitchen for an evening in with friends. 

You’re trying to have a nice conversation with said pals. So, when you ask Alexa how many minutes are left on the timer you set to keep track of the casserole that is cooking in the oven, Alexa will detect the nearby conversation and speak a bit more loudly so you can hear the time left. 

In other situations, Alexa might speak more quietly.

Closing Thoughts

Getting Alexa to stop saying “OK” and talk more appropriately is possible. You don’t have to spend your time being annoyed by Alexa’s sometimes inappropriate conversation and volume.

Enabling Brief Mode, Whisper Mode, and Adaptive Volume can make your experience of owning Alexa a lot more tolerable. The only downside, of course, is that the three Voice Responses are all global features.