How to Hide Amazon Orders on Alexa: The Definitive Guide

Want to keep your Amazon shopping secrets safe from prying ears (or curious Alexa interrogations)? You’ve come to the right place. The digital age has its perks, but sometimes you just want a little privacy, especially when it comes to those surprise gifts or, let’s be honest, that guilty-pleasure purchase you’d rather not broadcast. You can absolutely hide your Amazon orders from Alexa announcements and voice history.

Here’s the short and sweet version:

To prevent Alexa from announcing your Amazon orders, you need to disable order notifications within the Alexa app. To hide your Amazon order history from voice requests, you need to disable voice purchasing altogether or, alternatively, archive specific orders within your Amazon account.

Controlling Alexa’s Big Mouth: Preventing Order Announcements

Alexa’s a helpful assistant, but sometimes her eagerness to share information can be a little… excessive. Luckily, you can silence her order announcements with a few simple steps.

Steps to Disable Order Notifications in the Alexa App

1. Open the Alexa app on your smartphone or tablet.
2. Tap the “More” icon located in the bottom right corner of the screen.
3. Select “Settings.”
4. Scroll down and choose “Notifications.”
5. Tap on “Amazon Shopping.”
6. Toggle the “Out for Delivery Announcements” and “Delivered Announcements” switches to the “Off” position. You might also see other notification options here, such as “Order Updates.” Disable any that relate to order announcements if you want maximum silence.

By turning off these notifications, Alexa will no longer announce when your packages are out for delivery or have been delivered. Peace and quiet restored! This method stops her from telling you about orders, but it doesn’t prevent her from revealing them if asked. For that, we need to dig a little deeper.

Shielding Your Secrets: Hiding Order History from Alexa

Now, let’s tackle the trickier task of preventing Alexa from divulging your order history when directly asked. This requires a slightly different approach.

Option 1: Disabling Voice Purchasing

The most direct, if somewhat drastic, method is to disable voice purchasing altogether. This prevents anyone (including you, obviously) from using Alexa to place orders on Amazon.

1. Open the Alexa app.
2. Tap the “More” icon.
3. Select “Settings.”
4. Choose “Account Settings.”
5. Tap on “Voice Purchasing.”
6. Toggle the “Purchase by Voice” switch to the “Off” position.

With voice purchasing disabled, Alexa can’t access your order history through voice commands. This is a surefire way to maintain privacy, but it comes at the cost of convenience. If you actually use voice purchasing, this might not be the ideal solution.

Option 2: Archiving Specific Orders on Amazon

If you want to keep voice purchasing enabled but selectively hide certain purchases, Amazon offers an “archive” feature. Archived orders are hidden from the default order history view and, crucially, from Alexa’s voice-activated access.

1. Go to the Amazon website and log in to your account.
2. Navigate to “Your Orders.”
3. Find the order you want to hide.
4. Click on “Archive Order” located below the order details (you may need to click on “View order details” first).
5. Confirm that you want to archive the order.

Archiving orders doesn’t delete them entirely; they’re simply moved to a separate “Archived Orders” section, accessible from your Amazon account. Crucially, Alexa doesn’t access archived orders through voice commands. This offers a good balance between privacy and convenience, allowing you to hide specific purchases while still using voice purchasing for others.

Option 3: Regularly Deleting Voice History

Alexa stores a record of your interactions, including voice requests about your Amazon orders. While this doesn’t directly hide the orders themselves, deleting this voice history can make it more difficult for someone to discover your purchases through Alexa.

1. Open the Alexa app.
2. Tap the “More” icon.
3. Select “Settings.”
4. Go to “Alexa Privacy”
5. Go to “Review Voice History”
6. You can choose a date range to delete voice recordings from

You can also choose to have voice recordings deleted as soon as possible by selecting “Automatically delete recordings” and selecting the period that voice recordings should be deleted in.

Important Considerations

• Shared Accounts: If multiple people use the same Amazon account and Alexa devices, these settings will affect everyone. Consider the implications for other users before making changes.
• Household Profiles: Amazon Household allows you to create separate profiles for different members of your household, each with their own Amazon account linked to the same Alexa devices. This can help maintain privacy between users.
• Regular Review: It’s a good idea to periodically review your Alexa and Amazon settings to ensure they align with your privacy preferences. Technology evolves, and settings may change over time.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some common questions people have about hiding Amazon orders on Alexa:

1. Will archiving an order delete it from my Amazon account entirely?

No, archiving an order only hides it from the default order history view. The order remains accessible in the “Archived Orders” section of your account. It’s still part of your purchase history for things like returns or contacting customer service.

2. Can I unarchive an order after I’ve archived it?

Yes, you can easily unarchive orders. Simply go to the “Archived Orders” section of your Amazon account, find the order you want to unarchive, and click the “Unarchive Order” button.

3. If I disable voice purchasing, will Alexa still play music or answer questions?

Yes, disabling voice purchasing only prevents Alexa from placing orders on Amazon. She will still function normally for other tasks, such as playing music, setting alarms, answering questions, and controlling smart home devices.

4. Does Amazon keep a record of my archived orders?

Yes, Amazon retains a record of all your orders, including archived ones. Archiving is primarily for organizational and privacy purposes, not for deleting data from Amazon’s systems.

5. Can someone still see my orders if they access my Amazon account directly (not through Alexa)?

Yes, if someone has access to your Amazon account credentials, they can see your entire order history, including archived orders, by logging into the Amazon website or app. It’s important to keep your password secure and enable two-factor authentication for added protection.

6. Will disabling order notifications also stop delivery notifications from the Amazon app?

No, disabling order notifications in the Alexa app only affects Alexa’s announcements. You will still receive delivery notifications from the Amazon app itself, unless you disable those separately within the Amazon app’s settings.

7. Is there a way to hide my wish lists from Alexa?

Wish lists are a bit trickier. Alexa can access and read wish lists if you (or someone else) asks her to. The best way to hide a wish list from Alexa is to make it private within your Amazon account settings. This prevents Alexa from accessing it through voice commands.

8. Can I hide my Amazon Prime membership from Alexa?

While you can’t directly hide your Prime membership, Alexa won’t typically announce it unless specifically asked. The measures outlined above to control order announcements and voice purchasing are the primary ways to manage privacy in this regard.

9. If I use Amazon Household, can my orders still be seen by other members?

Potentially. While Amazon Household creates separate profiles, sharing certain benefits like Prime can make order details visible depending on your shared settings. Review your Amazon Household settings carefully to understand what information is shared.

10. How do I delete my voice recordings from Alexa permanently?

You can delete voice recordings manually as described earlier. You can also set them to delete automatically after a certain period. However, Amazon may retain some anonymized voice data for improving its services.

11. Can I prevent Alexa from suggesting products based on my past purchases?

While you can’t completely eliminate product suggestions, you can manage your browsing history and ad preferences within your Amazon account to influence the types of recommendations you receive. This won’t hide your past purchases, but it can reduce the likelihood of them being used for targeted advertising.

12. What if I accidentally ask Alexa about an order I want to keep secret?

Unfortunately, once you’ve asked Alexa about an order, that interaction is recorded in your voice history. You can delete the specific voice recording, but the fact that you inquired about the order will be part of the record. This highlights the importance of proactively hiding orders before asking about them!

By understanding these settings and considerations, you can effectively manage your Amazon privacy and keep your shopping secrets safe from Alexa’s curious ears. Remember, a little proactive management goes a long way in maintaining your digital discretion!