How to Disable Alexa's Drop-In Feature

How-to
By Mike Prospero
published

Amazon Alexa's Drop-In feature, which lets you view a feed from someone's Echo Show unannounced, is a bit creepy. Here's how to disable it.

One of the new features Amazon introduced with the Echo Show is Drop-In, which allows you to literally drop in on someone's Echo, Echo Dot, or Echo Show. When you drop in, you will immediately get an audio feed from that person's Echo device, and, in the case of the Show, you'll see a video feed after about 10 seconds.

However, if you don't want someone popping in unannounced, and possibly catching you doing something you don't want people to see, you can easily disable this feature in the Alexa app on your smartphone. Here's how.

1. Open the Alexa app on your smartphone, and select the Menu icon in the upper left.

2. Select the Settings option at the bottom of the menu.

3. Select "Device Settings." Then select the device for which you'd like to turn off Drop-In.

4. Tap "Communications." Then select "Drop-In." 

5. Turn Drop-In off. If you'd like to restrict access only to those in your household—so you could potentially use the Echo Show to look in on a baby in its crib—select My Household.

6. You're all set. However, if you have more than one Echo device, you'll have to repeat steps 3-5 for each one.

MORE: For more Alexa-related tips, tricks, and how-tos, check out our complete guide to Alexa.

Mike Prospero
Mike Prospero
U.S. Editor-in-Chief, Tom's Guide

Michael A. Prospero is the U.S. Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide. He oversees all evergreen content and oversees the Homes, Smart Home, and Fitness/Wearables categories for the site. In his spare time, he also tests out the latest drones, electric scooters, and smart home gadgets, such as video doorbells. Before his tenure at Tom's Guide, he was the Reviews Editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter at Fast Company, the Times of Trenton, and, many eons back, an intern at George magazine. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, where he worked on the campus newspaper The Heights, and then attended the Columbia University school of Journalism. When he’s not testing out the latest running watch, electric scooter, or skiing or training for a marathon, he’s probably using the latest sous vide machine, smoker, or pizza oven, to the delight — or chagrin — of his family.