How To Video Call From An Amazon Echo Show (Including Skype & Zoom)

 Video calling is a great way to stay in touch with friends and family. On the Echo Show, there are numerous ways to do this. Here's how!

The Amazon Echo Show is a smart display capable of numerous things — including the ability to call other Echo Show/Alexa users. Amazon's journey with the Echo Show lineup has been an interesting one to watch. It all started with the original Echo Show in 2017. It launched to fairly middling reviews, with people complaining about its bulky design, high price, and limited features. In the years since then, Amazon's added more capabilities, tightened up the design language, and drastically expanded its price options. Shoppers can now get an Echo Show 5 for as little as $45 when it's on sale, or more expensive options with the Echo Show 8, Echo Show 10, and Echo Show 15.

In their current form, Echo Show devices juggle a lot of different tasks. They can show the upcoming weather forecast, stream videos from Netflix and Hulu, display live video feeds from your security cameras, and act as digital photo frames. Among these things, Echo Shows are also great for video calling. Video calling has exploded over the last couple of years for obvious reasons. Along with being able to make calls on smartphones, tablets, and laptops, Echo Shows are also a great way to have video chats with friends and family.

There are a few ways to video call on the Echo Show, though we'll start with the simplest option. If you want to call someone who also has an Echo Show (or the Alexa app on their smartphone), simply walk up to your Echo Show, say 'Alexa, video call [person's name],' and Alexa starts calling them instantly. Another option is to swipe down from the top of an Echo Show's display, tap 'Communicate,' tap 'Call,' and tap the contact you want to talk to. Both options work on all Echo Show models, including the Echo Show 5, 8, 10, and 15.

More Ways To Video Call On Echo Show

Along with Amazon's own voice calling service, Echo Show users also have the ability to make video calls from Skype and Zoom. Getting started with Skype is a sinch. Open the Alexa mobile app, tap 'More' on the bottom navigation bar, tap 'Settings,' tap 'Communication,' and tap 'Skype.' Tap 'Sign In,' log in with the Microsoft account associated with your Skype account, and that's all there is to it. Now, Echo Show users can walk up to the smart display, say 'Alexa, Skype [contact name],' and start video calling that person via Skype. Skype also works on all available Echo Show models, meaning everyone who wants to use the feature is able to.

Last but certainly not least, Echo Shows can also conduct video calls over Zoom. Go to your Echo Show, say 'Alexa, open Zoom,' and the Zoom app opens just like that. Users can then tap 'New meeting' to instantly start a new video call or tap 'Join' to join an existing Zoom call. Just keep in mind that, by default, Echo Show users interact with Zoom video calls as a guest. To log in with an existing Zoom account, tap 'Sign in' from the Echo Show's Zoom app and follow the instructions for logging in. Once complete, you can use Zoom on the Echo Show with your own account — including the ability to see any scheduled Zoom calls on your account. The only downside is that Zoom is currently limited to the Echo Show (3rd gen) and Echo Show 8 (1st and 2nd gens).