Wish Alexa could tell you when your kids have left the kitchen faucet running, or when your latest load of laundry is ready for the dryer? Now she can, thanks to a pair of new routine triggers. Amazon ...

“Alexa, set a timer for 10 minutes,” I say in the kitchen as I’m putting a pot of water on a burner, followed by “Alexa, set a timer for 20 minutes” as I pop some lasagne in the oven for reheating.

Alexa can respond to snoring, coughing, a baby crying or a dog barking. Here's how to set up sound detection, plus why you'd even want to. Dale Smith is a former Associate Writer on the How-To team at ...