How to use Echo with two Amazon accounts

If you have an Alexa device in your home, such as an Echo-smart speaker, anyone in your home can use it. But there are certain disadvantages to linking it to only one account. This mainly means that everyone shares the same account.

You can create what Amazon calls a ‘household’. This means that there may be two adult accounts on the device. On an Echo, this means that it can display photos and allow notifications (for example for a to-do list) of both accounts. By creating a household, one member of the household can also make a purchase with the account of the other, which can be useful if one person has a Prime account. (You can add a code if you do not want the other household to make purchases.) Outside of an Alexa device, you can have a household to share digital content such as e-books and games.

There are some limitations.

First, you can only add one other adult (or teenager) to a household account. You can add up to four teenagers aged 13-17 (who can only buy with parents who approve the purchases). You can also add four kids 12 years and under via the Amazon Kids Plus plan, which costs $ 4.99 per month (or $ 2.99 per month for Prime members) for a single child and $ 9.99 per month (or $ 6.99 per month for Prime members) for more than four children. Also, don’t confuse it with Amazon Household, the service associated with a general Amazon account, which allows two adults up to four teens and up to four child profiles to share an account.

You can add such a person to your household:

• Go to the Amazon Household page on the Amazon website. (You can no longer add a household member with the Amazon app.)
• Select “Add Adult” (or “Add a Teen” or “Add a Child”)

• Add the name and email address of the adult you want to share the account with. They will be invited to join your Amazon household. (A teenager also gets an invitation; you have to set up a child’s profile yourself.)

Once it’s done, just say, “Alexa, switch off account.” (If you no longer know whose account you are using, you can say “Alexa, identify account.”)

Delete a second account

What if you no longer want the other adult on your account? (Agreements do occur.) You can easily remove them from your household:

• Go to the same page “Manage your household” on the Amazon website. On the left you will see icons representing you and the other member of your household.
• You can choose ‘Leave’ to leave the household yourself, or ‘Remove’ to remove someone from your household. Note that any adult leaving or leaving for a household cannot join for 180 days (in other words, six months).

The 180 day limitation can be a problem if, for example, you are just trying to transfer a household member to another account or if you accidentally deleted someone. In either case, it’s a good idea to contact Amazon customer support via chat or phone. According to a customer service representative I spoke to, Amazon can remove a domestic member without imposing the 180-day ban if requested. And if you’ve already removed one, it can restore the account so you can add another one before the six month period expires.

Update March 18, 2021, 14:15 ET: This article was originally published on November 19, 2019 and has been updated to accommodate changes in Amazon’s home plan.