How to Change the Background on Echo Show

The background is probably the first thing you’d want to change on your Echo Show. Not that the default backgrounds are bad, but most people want to add a personal touch to their device.

Pet images from your Gallery or eye-catching graphics, it’s super easy to use a different background for your Echo Show. This write-up gives you all the tips and tricks to do so. Plus, we’ve included sections to customize the smart speaker even more and utilize its full potential.

Changing the Background via the Alexa App

If you’d like to use a photo that’s on your smartphone, the best way to upload it to the Echo Show is via the Alexa app. And those who’ve played around with the settings before will find the method a walk in the park.

Step 1

Launch the app and hit the hamburger icon in the upper left corner of the screen to access the more menu. Tap Settings and then choose Device Settings to reveal all Alexa-enabled gadgets on your account.

Step 2

Browse the list and choose your Echo Show by tapping on it. Swipe down the Echo Show settings menu until you reach Home Screen Background. The option should be somewhere in the middle or the end of the list.

Step 3

Choose one of the photos from your Gallery or Camera Roll and resize it to accommodate the smart speaker’s screen. When finished, hit the Upload button and the background should appear on your Echo Show.

Changing the Background via the Echo Show

Amazon gives you the option to choose a background photo from one of the supported services. The method combines voice commands and on-screen actions. This has been tried and tested on the small Echo Spot and the bigger Echo Show 5, but there’s no reason it won’t work on the second-generation 10.1” Echo Show.

Step 1

Access the device’s Settings by swiping down from the home screen. You can also issue Alexa a command and say: “Go to settings”.

Step 2

Choose Home & Clock, and then select just Clock. When the Personal Photos option appears in the Clock settings menu, tap on it and then choose Background.

Step 3

Select one of the supported services and pick a photo or an album you’d like to use. The image should appear on your background in an instant and you might get a notification about the change.

Note: Some of the menus may appear different based on which Echo Show model you own and the firmware version. Nevertheless, the method to change the background is pretty much the same.

Things to Know

Aside from Personal Photos, the Clock settings menu features Photography, Modern, Playful, Recent Clocks, and Classic. Each of these options offers different configurations that are customizable.

For example, the Classic style has five clockfaces and backgrounds which are named: Kaleidoscope, Zen, Texture, Stellar, and School House. No matter which one you choose, the available backgrounds cycle one after the other and there’s an option to select just one image. Here’s how to do it.

Swipe to reveal the clock and tap the pencil icon to access the editing options. Choose Background and swipe through the images to find the background you’d like to use. Hit the checkmark to select the image and you’re good to go.

Customizing the Clock Face

From modern digital to classic analog, Echo Show features a variety of clock faces to fit any style and taste. To make the switch, you need to tap on the pencil icon again and choose the Clock Face option. Tap on a clock face you like to checkmark it and you can choose to display the date from the same menu.

One of the coolest clockfaces, a design called Orbit, is in the Playful category . You get the usual hour marks and there are three small planets that move around the clock face. The biggest planet marks the hours, the medium for minutes, and the smallest for seconds.

How to Personalize Echo Show Home Screen

Home Cards on your Echo show are the widgets or the information the smart speaker displays beside the time. There are seven Home Cards: Weather, Upcoming Events, Drop In, and Notifications, to name but a few.

To access the cards and make a selection, swipe down from the home screen and tap Settings. Choose the Home & Clock menu and then tap Home Cards. Select the cards you’d like to use and you can also change their appearance frequency. They can be constantly on the screen or rotate when there’s new information.

In addition, the Echo Show and the Echo Spot feature Night Mode. This comes in handy if you’re using the device in your bedroom because there’s no need to manually change brightness. Navigate to the Home & Clock menu, select Night Mode, and then tap on Nighttime Clock to enable it. The same menu also allows you to set the Night Mode schedule.

Backgrounds Galore

As you can see, changing the background on the Echo Show is only one way to make the gadget more personal. And while you’re at it, don’t hesitate to choose the Home Cards you need to set a cool-looking clock face. These tweaks might be small, but they can improve your user experience.

What photo do you want to use as a background? Which Echo Show clock face is your favorite? Share your preferences with the rest of the TechJunkie community in the comments section below.