Steps I took to make Alexa work with my iPhone contacts (finally!)

[Myricky]

Like many of you I could not get Alexa to work with my contacts on my iPhone. I read all the messages on the forum involving Alexa. Just could not make it work. Alexa in the Rivian (I have an R1T) kept telling me she could not find the contact and did I know the number...

The problem for me was with my home Alexa account. I am not sure if all of the steps below are necessary. I tried steps 1, 3 and 4 as individual steps and alone they were not sufficient.

This morning I did the following in the order given.

1. I removed my Alexa app from my iPhone
2. I did a hard manual reset on my Echo dot devices in my house
3. I reset the software on the Rivian (hold two outside buttons on steering wheel)
4. I removed and reconnected my Rivian to my Amazon account using the Rivian touch screen allowing sharing of contacts

Now Alexa in the Rivian can see all my contacts and make calls as well as do all the car stuff.

Hands free calling in the truck is more important to me than the stuff I do with Alexa in the house, but I do plan to re-install Alexa on my iPhone and my Echo devices. I will report back if doing that causes problems with the Rivian.

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[DTown3011]

Thanks for posting! We don’t use any voice assistance in our home as I find them annoying but it would be awesome for this to work in my truck which it has never done so I’m going to try your method and report back.

 

[Inhisname]

Like many of you I could not get Alexa to work with my contacts on my iPhone. I read all the messages on the forum involving Alexa. Just could not make it work. Alexa in the Rivian (I have an R1T) kept telling me she could not find the contact and did I know the number...

The problem for me was with my home Alexa account. I am not sure if all of the steps below are necessary. I tried steps 1, 3 and 4 as individual steps and alone they were not sufficient.

This morning I did the following in the order given.

1. I removed my Alexa app from my iPhone
2. I did a hard manual reset on my Echo dot devices in my house
3. I reset the software on the Rivian (hold two outside buttons on steering wheel)
4. I removed and reconnected my Rivian to my Amazon account using the Rivian touch screen allowing sharing of contacts

Now Alexa in the Rivian can see all my contacts and make calls as well as do all the car stuff.

Hands free calling in the truck is more important to me than the stuff I do with Alexa in the house, but I do plan to re-install Alexa on my iPhone and my Echo devices. I will report back if doing that causes problems with the Rivian.

When you say it will "do all the car stuff" are you including voice to text using Alexa. I have not been able to make that work and what I read online said that it only works with Android devices and not Apple iPhone. Please tell me that's wrong and you are also using Alexa to do voice to text messages hands free!

 

[Myricky]

No, I did not mean voice to text, I just meant the stuff listed in the User Guide, not that I have tried all of those things.

I have installed the alexa app on my phone and the alexa phone calls still work with my contacts in the Rivian.

I tried to message from the truck and Rivian Alexa acted like she understood how to do that, I mean when I said send a message she said sure, she found the contact, but then she said something about my needing to go to alexa (I assume she meant the app on the phone) and setting up sms messaging. I spent a little time in the alexa app on my iphone ...it seems there is normal messaging that should work (?) once my mobile phone and number are verified which they are and then something called alexa communications. I have not proceeded beyond that.

 

[SeaRivian23]

No, I did not mean voice to text, I just meant the stuff listed in the User Guide, not that I have tried all of those things.

I have installed the alexa app on my phone and the alexa phone calls still work with my contacts in the Rivian.

I tried to message from the truck and Rivian Alexa acted like she understood how to do that, I mean when I said send a message she said sure, she found the contact, but then she said something about my needing to go to alexa (I assume she meant the app on the phone) and setting up sms messaging. I spent a little time in the alexa app on my iphone ...it seems there is normal messaging that should work (?) once my mobile phone and number are verified which they are and then something called alexa communications. I have not proceeded beyond that.

Alexa unfortunately can only send messages to other Alexa devices/users (Alexa to Alexa). It’s really lame. Hopefully Rivian integrates messaging soon.

 

[Lmirafuente]

For iPhone users you can simply ask Siri to call or text or other home instructions.

 

[rmalzo]

Like many of you I could not get Alexa to work with my contacts on my iPhone. I read all the messages on the forum involving Alexa. Just could not make it work. Alexa in the Rivian (I have an R1T) kept telling me she could not find the contact and did I know the number...

The problem for me was with my home Alexa account. I am not sure if all of the steps below are necessary. I tried steps 1, 3 and 4 as individual steps and alone they were not sufficient.

This morning I did the following in the order given.

1. I removed my Alexa app from my iPhone
2. I did a hard manual reset on my Echo dot devices in my house
3. I reset the software on the Rivian (hold two outside buttons on steering wheel)
4. I removed and reconnected my Rivian to my Amazon account using the Rivian touch screen allowing sharing of contacts

Now Alexa in the Rivian can see all my contacts and make calls as well as do all the car stuff.

Hands free calling in the truck is more important to me than the stuff I do with Alexa in the house, but I do plan to re-install Alexa on my iPhone and my Echo devices. I will report back if doing that causes problems with the Rivian.

I gave up on this useless system that Rivain does not care to fix for us. I just say ”hey Siri” and it does whatever i want it to do. “He Siri” call Joe Smith, and it calls Joe Smith. No Proble!!!

 

[defcon888]

For iPhone users you can simply ask Siri to call or text or other home instructions.

that is exactly what we do in our R1T.

What I would like to see Rivian do is link the spotify account to the users phone. I love metal and hard rock, my wife on the other hand does not. So, after she drives the truck I have to log out and she has to scan the QR code to pair her account. It really shouldn't be that hard to integrate that.

 

[moosehead]

Alexa, please bring me CarPlay.

Looking forward to trying these, thanks for post.

 

[AYAYRON]

Like many of you I could not get Alexa to work with my contacts on my iPhone. I read all the messages on the forum involving Alexa. Just could not make it work. Alexa in the Rivian (I have an R1T) kept telling me she could not find the contact and did I know the number...

The problem for me was with my home Alexa account. I am not sure if all of the steps below are necessary. I tried steps 1, 3 and 4 as individual steps and alone they were not sufficient.

This morning I did the following in the order given.

1. I removed my Alexa app from my iPhone
2. I did a hard manual reset on my Echo dot devices in my house
3. I reset the software on the Rivian (hold two outside buttons on steering wheel)
4. I removed and reconnected my Rivian to my Amazon account using the Rivian touch screen allowing sharing of contacts

Now Alexa in the Rivian can see all my contacts and make calls as well as do all the car stuff.

Hands free calling in the truck is more important to me than the stuff I do with Alexa in the house, but I do plan to re-install Alexa on my iPhone and my Echo devices. I will report back if doing that causes problems with the Rivian.

Just say hey siri call and pick a contact; it works and you don’t need Alexa

 

[AYAYRON]

Alexa unfortunately can only send messages to other Alexa devices/users (Alexa to Alexa). It’s really lame. Hopefully Rivian integrates messaging soon.

Siri voice to text works just fine in the rivian “hey siri send mom a text, I need you to come over”

works totally fine you don’t need to try to use Alexa

 

[ElGuapo]

I would pay to NOT have Alexa installed in any way on my S. I get the Amazon<>Rivian connection, but it’s terrible.

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