News and weather updates with Alexa
Keeping up to date with current affairs is easy with Alexa. You can get all the latest news, weather and sports information through your smart speaker or phone.
You can also get live transport information for bus and train services, which you can personalise to your local area. In this article, find out how to get the most from Alexa's news and travel updates.
New to Alexa? Find out more about getting started.
Checking the news, weather & sports
Alexa can give you live news, weather and sports updates. If you add your address to your account profile in the Alexa app, you can get personalised updates based on your location.
Latest news
Say, 'Alexa, what's my news today?', or 'Alexa, what's my news briefing?'. You will then hear news from channels like the BBC and Sky News.
If you want to hear more personalised news, you can change your preferred news channel in the Alexa app. You can also enter your postcode to hear news from your local area.
Weather updates
To hear the weather forecast for your area, just say, 'Alexa, what's the weather forecast?'. To get the weather for another location, if you're going on holiday, for example, just say, 'Alexa, what's the weather in New York?'.
In this short video, we see blind veteran Stephen at home while he's using his Alexa to get weather updates.
Sports results
For general updates, just say, 'Alexa, what's the sports news?'. To get more personalised information, go to the Alexa app, tap on 'sports settings' and add your favourite sports teams. You will then hear tailored news about the teams and sports that you follow.
This short video shows blind veteran Stephen sat on his sofa at home using his Alexa to get the rugby results.
Live travel information
You can get live information on train and bus times from Alexa. You need to set up a few things in the Alexa app before you can use this feature. Read our guide on Navigating public transport with sight loss to find out more.
Always ask if you’re unsure of something
There’s no such thing as a silly question. If you are a Blind Veterans UK beneficiary and need more information, call our helpline on 0300 111 22 33.
If you are not yet a Blind Veterans UK beneficiary, you can find more information in our urgent help section.
You can also get advice about sight loss from the RNIB. Contact the RNIB helpline on 0303 123 9999, email them or say ‘Alexa, call RNIB helpline’ to an Alexa-enabled device.
Find out more about Alexa
Setting up your Alexa
14 Oct 2022
Find out how to get set up and start using your Alexa-enabled device around your home.
Using Alexa for cooking & shopping
27 Oct 2022
Alexa can be a huge help in the kitchen. From recipes to shopping lists, she makes cooking with sight loss easier.
Using Alexa to listen to music & radio
16 Oct 2022
If you have an Alexa-enabled device, you can stream music and radio stations without fiddling with dials or buttons.
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