We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. If you're old enough to remember cartoons like The Jetsons, you probably remember a vision of the future where our lives are fully automated.

My neighborhood's pretty safe. Crime isn't really a thing here. But I'm still not leaving my front porch open season for package thieves, and I'm definitely not rolling the dice on a break-in. The ...

Amanda Blum is a freelancer who writes about smart home technology, gardening, and food preservation. Previously, Amanda has worked as a technology strategist specializing in problem solving and ...

15+ best Alexa commands to make your home work smarter (Prime not required) ...

is a deputy editor and Verge co-founder with a passion for human-centric cities, e-bikes, and life as a digital nomad. He’s been a tech journalist for 20 years. Alexa routines can now be triggered ...

Luckily it's super easy. All you have to do is say, "Alexa, enable Halloween Routine." Once the routine is enabled, you can start it by saying "Start Halloween." If you want to adjust your Alexa ...

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 ...

Parents can now easily set Routines with FreeTime on Alexa using a set of simple pre-configured Alexa Routines. For example, parents can enable the Good Night Routine in the Alexa app, and when ...

Alexa will soon let you post video sticky notes for housemates, control smart home devices with remote switches, check multi-view security cam feeds, and even create “captivating” stories based on ...

Amazon Alexa has received a crucial update that allows users to add custom phrases for an Alexa routine. It works seamlessly with smart home automation, too, making it a must-have for every ...

Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. is editor-at-large and Vergecast co-host with over a decade of experience covering consumer tech. Previously, at ...