Set up a shared Alexa+ household whiteboard for the whole family

Open the Alexa app and find Household settings

Tap the Devices tab along the bottom — it usually looks like a small house or plug icon. At the top-right of the Devices screen, tap the Settings gear icon (look for it if your layout differs, sometimes it's behind a ⋯ menu). Scroll down until you see a section called Your Household or Amazon Household.

What happens next: A list of adults and children linked to your Amazon account appears. If more than one adult is already listed, you're set up. If you're the only adult, you'll need to invite someone (a partner, a grown child) before shared notes will reach them.

Next step ↓

Create a dedicated list for the whiteboard

Back on the main screen of the Alexa app, tap the Communicate or Lists icon (it depends on your app version — look for a checklist or speech-bubble-with-lines icon at the bottom, often labeled Lists, Notes, or More). Inside the Lists area, look for a button or link that says Create List (sometimes hidden behind a + plus-sign icon). Name the list something everyone will recognize — for example: Family Board, House Notes, or Fridge Board.

What happens next: A new named list appears in your Lists tab. This list is the "whiteboard." Anything spoken into any Echo in your home and added to this list will show up here, and any adult in the Household can read it.

Next step ↓

Add your first note by voice

Stand within earshot of any Echo in your home and say the wake word — usually "Alexa," but yours might be "Echo," "Amazon," or "Computer," depending on what you picked during setup. Then speak a single sentence that includes the list name and what you want to add. Speak naturally, at a normal pace — you don't need to pause between words.

What happens next: Alexa chimes or flashes a blue ring (on older Echos) or a blue light bar (on newer ones), then repeats your note back and confirms it was added to the list. Open the Alexa app's Lists tab to see the note appear as text within a few seconds.

If only one of those two things happens, see Common mistakes below.

Next step ↓

Have another household member post their own note

This is the moment that turns a personal list into a shared board. Ask the other adult in your Amazon Household to walk up to a different Echo (a different room is the whole point) and speak a note the same way you did. They use their own voice, and they don't need to open the app at all — they just talk to the Echo.

What happens next: That note lands on the same Family Board list inside your Alexa app, alongside yours. Both of you can read every note, no matter which Echo it was spoken to.

If it doesn't, double-check that the other person is listed as an adult in the Amazon Household (Step 1).

Next step ↓

Read the board back out loud from any Echo

The board isn't just for writing — it's also for reading hands-free. From any Echo in the house, ask Alexa to read the list back to you. Useful moments: while cooking, while getting the kids ready, while walking in the door. You can also ask how many items are on it without hearing them all.

What happens next: Alexa reads each note out loud in the order they were added. For a long board, she'll usually say something like "You have seven items" first, then ask if you want to hear them all.

Next step ↓

Pin the routine and tell the family how to use it

A whiteboard only helps if people remember to use it. Take two minutes to tell the family how it works: "Say Alexa, add [your note] to Family Board from any Echo in the house. Ask Alexa, what's on Family Board? to hear the notes." If you have a wall Echo or Echo Show, you can also enable the Alexa app's list screen on the Show so notes scroll visibly in the kitchen.

What happens next: Over the next few days, the board fills up with the small things people would otherwise forget to mention — reminders, asks, wins. Old notes stay on the list until you delete them.

---