What can I say to Alexa in the BBC Sounds skill?

To get started, say "Alexa, open BBC Sounds." When prompted, ask for the name of the live radio station, programme, podcast or music mix that you want to listen to.


Small live radio icon Live Radio


You can now restart, rewind and fast-forward radio shows on the BBC Sounds Alexa skill.

The BBC Sounds Alexa skill now gives you the ability to rewind and fast-forward radio, or restart the show you're listening to. BBC Sounds is the only radio provider in the UK to offer this functionality.

How to play live radio

  • To start playing live radio say, "Alexa, play [live radio station]." For example, "Alexa, play 6 Music” or "Alexa, play Radio 2.”

How to find out what's playing on live radio

  • To find out what song or programme is currently playing on a live station say, "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds what's playing."

  • If you're listening to a rewound stream, you can say "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds what's playing" to find out the station and show you're currently listening to. 

How to restart live radio

  • Love The Archers but missed the start on Radio 4? No problem, just say, “Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to restart,” and we’ll take you to the start of the show.

How to rewind live radio

  • Listening to Radio 2 and missed Ten To The Top? “Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to rewind to 10.30am.”
     
  • Asked for Radio 1 just as your favourite song is ending? “Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to rewind 3 minutes.”
     
  • And if you’ve just missed a goal on 5 Live, “Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to rewind” will rewind one minute.

How to fast-forward or return to live radio

  • You can fast-forward by using the corresponding requests, for example “Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to fast-forward to 9.30pm / 5 minutes.” 
     
  • And when you’re ready to listen live again, just say, “Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to return to live.”

How to pause and resume live radio

  • You can also pause and resume live streams by saying "Alexa, pause" and "Alexa, resume."

Podcast and mixes icon Podcasts and music mixes


How to play a podcast

  • To start playing podcasts and music mixes say, "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play [name of content]." For example, "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play That Peter Crouch Podcast,” or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play Woman's Hour." 

How to play the first available episode of something

  • To play the first available episode of something say “Alexa, ask BBC Sounds for the first episode of [name of content].”

How to play the latest available episode of something 

  • To play the latest episode of something say “Alexa, ask BBC Sounds for the latest episode of [name of content].”

How to pause or resume a podcast or music mix

  • To pause or resume say, "Alexa, pause" or, "Alexa, resume." 

How to fast-forward or rewind a podcast or music mix

  • To rewind or fast forward say, "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to rewind 30 seconds," or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to fast forward 5 minutes."

How to navigate between episodes

  • To navigate between episodes, just say "Alexa, next" or "Alexa, previous."

How to continue listening from where you left off 

  • To continue listening from where you left off, just ask Alexa for the podcast or on-demand programme you were listening to previously, for example, "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds for The Infinite Monkey Cage." 
     
  • Likewise, if you've been listening to something on your Alexa device and want to pick up from where you left off on the BBC Sounds app or website, just scroll to the Continue Listening section and click on the programme title.
     
  • If you're not listening to the last episode in a series, we'll play the next episode automatically when your episode ends.

How to stop what you're listening to

  • To stop playback, simply say "Alexa, stop."

News headlines icon News


How do I access BBC news?

  • To get our 24-hour interactive news service, say "Alexa, play BBC News."
     
  • To get your local news bulletin personalised to the postcode in your BBC account, say “Alexa, ask BBC Sounds for my local news.”
     
  • To choose another local news bulletin, check our How can I listen to national and local news bulletins on my smart speaker? page to find the phrase you need.

Smart speaker icon Multi-Room


How to use Multi-Room

'Multi-Room' playback using the BBC Sounds skill is now possible. Multi-Room allows you to play your favourite BBC Sounds music, podcasts or radio stations on multiple Alexa-enabled devices at the same time with our Alexa skill.

You can find out more information here: How do I use Alexa Multi-Room?