You might think Amazon’s Alexa is only confined to Echo smart speakers. But with the Echo Buds, you can take the power of the virtual assistant with you anywhere as a set of compact wireless headphones.

We’ll show you how to set up and use the Echo Buds to make the most of the earbuds.

Initial Echo Buds Set Up

To start the process of setting up your wireless headphones, unwrap the Echo Buds and case from the package.

If you don’t already have the Alexa app for iOS or Android, you’ll need to download it to continue.

Open up the lid of the Echo Buds case and press the button on the back for three seconds until the pulsing blue light appears on the case. Then place the earbuds near your smartphone with the Alexa app running.

You should see a dialog box saying that the earbuds have been found. Follow the rest of the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

After that is complete, you can select to go through an optional ear tip fit test. Amazon includes a wide variety of ear tips and wing tips to help you provide the best fit for your ear. So it’s a smart move to go through the quick testing procedure so you’ll have the best sound quality.

Select the wing tip and ear tip combination that feels most comfortable to you. Then, during the test, you’ll hear a quick noise in both ears. Once complete, you’ll see a screen that says whether the selected size has passed or failed. If you fail, try another size combination.

The ear fit test is one of the reasons the second-generation Amazon Echo Buds are better than the original generation.

Before finishing up, you can choose to enable the Find My with Alexa option that will allow you to say “Alexa, where are my buds?” to locate them. You can also create a workout profile to track your run or walk when using the Echo Buds. Provide a height and weight for accurate distance and calories burned.

Using the Echo Buds With Your Smartphone

Now that the Echo Buds are set up, you can make the most of Alexa in a small package.

To call Alexa, there’s no need to worry about pressing any button on the Echo Buds. Just say “Alexa” followed by your request. Along with being able to ask the virtual assistant to control media and much more, you can also make use of the huge catalog of Alexa Skills. To get you started, here are some of the best Alexa skills of all time.

Along with hands-free Alexa, you can control some functions by tapping one of the buds. Tapping an earbud once quickly will play or pause music or other audio.

A double-tap on an earbud will skip to the next track or answer/end a phone call. To play the previous song, triple tap either earbud.

You can long press either bud to switch between the active noise cancellation mode and passthrough. With passthrough, you can hear more of what’s around you while listening to music. It’s perfect for when you’re outside running and doing other exercises.

Pairing the Echo Buds With Other Devices

Echo Buds Rear Case

And you can use the Echo Buds with more than just a smartphone. Since they are regular Bluetooth headphones, they can be used with any compatible device, with one big caveat.

If they are not paired to an iOS or Android device with the Alexa app, using Alexa commands won’t work. To pair with another device, press the button on the back of the Echo Buds case for three seconds until you see the pulsing blue light. Place them in your ears and go to the other device and follow the usual Bluetooth pairing procedures.

Rock Out With Amazon’s Echo Buds

If you’re well-entrenched in the Amazon ecosystem, the Echo Buds are a great way to bring the power of Alexa with you anywhere.

Along with being able to enjoy music and more with noise cancellation technology, Alexa is just a simple voice command away.