How Alexa Hunches changes your Amazon Smart Thermostat
When Alexa has a hunch that nobody is home or everyone is asleep, it can set your Amazon Smart Thermostat to an away or sleep temperature you chose. Amazon's help pages now call this Alexa automatic control. You turn it on in the Alexa app under Device Settings, and it works on only one thermostat per home.
What does Alexa Hunches do to the thermostat?
It lets Alexa change the temperature on its own when it guesses you are out or asleep. Amazon's product page describes "Thermostat hunches" this way: if Alexa has a hunch nobody is home or everyone is asleep, she can adjust the thermostat automatically. The temperatures it uses are ones you set: an away temperature and a sleep temperature.
The names vary across Amazon's pages. The help article for this setting is titled "Control Your Home Temperature with Alexa Automatic Control", and the setting in the app is "Alexa automatic control". The product page uses both names: it describes "Thermostat hunches", and where it says the thermostat can be set to your preferred temperature if Alexa has a hunch you are home, away or asleep, it links to the automatic control article.
How do you turn it on?
Amazon's steps in the Alexa app:
- Open Devices and select Thermostat.
- Under Thermostats, select your Smart Thermostat to open its control dashboard.
- Select Device Settings, then Alexa automatic control.
- Switch on "Set sleep temperature" or "Set away temperature" and follow the on-screen instructions.
You can turn on one, the other or both. Amazon says automatic control is assigned to only one thermostat. In a home with two or more Amazon Smart Thermostats, the others have to run on schedules, voice commands or manual changes.
How does Alexa guess you are away or asleep?
Amazon gives a short explanation on the product page:
- Away. When your phone leaves your home area and nobody interacts with Alexa for a while, Alexa might have a hunch nobody is home.
- Asleep. If no one interacts with Alexa for a while at night, she might have a hunch everyone is asleep.
- Home. When someone interacts with Alexa or uses smart devices, she can tell that someone is home.
Amazon adds that Alexa learns from your daily interactions and improves over time, and that you can help it by saying "Alexa, goodnight." or "Alexa, I'm leaving."
That explains most of the surprises people report. A household that rarely talks to Alexa in the evening can be taken for asleep. A person who is home but whose phone is not the one Alexa watches, and who does not use Alexa or smart devices for a while, can be taken for away. Amazon does not publish how long "a while" is.
How does it fit with the schedule?
The schedule and automatic control are separate settings. The schedule lives under Device Settings, then Control and schedules, and runs only when the "Use thermostat schedule" switch is on. Amazon says a manual change made while the schedule runs sets a temporary hold that lasts until the schedule reaches its next change point, such as from Home to Sleep.
Amazon does not say which wins when a hunch arrives in the middle of a scheduled period or a temporary hold, or what the thermostat returns to when the hunch ends. If the behavior matters to you, watch the thermostat for a few days after turning the feature on. For a general comparison of clock-based and presence-based control, see schedule vs geofencing, and for problems with the schedule itself, see thermostat not following its schedule.
How is it different from Vacation Mode and Alexa Away mode?
Amazon offers three features that sound alike:
| Feature | What it does | Where to set it |
|---|---|---|
| Alexa automatic control (Hunches) | Uses your away or sleep temperature when Alexa has a hunch you are out or asleep | Alexa app: thermostat > Device Settings > Alexa automatic control |
| Vacation Mode | Maintains the heat and cool temperatures you set for it | Alexa app: thermostat > Device Settings > Vacation Mode |
| Alexa Home and Away modes | Saying "I'm leaving" switches Alexa to Away; a Routine triggered by the mode can set the thermostat temperature | Alexa app: Devices > Modes; Routines for the thermostat action |
If you want a fixed temperature for a trip, Vacation Mode is the predictable choice. Our page on vacation hold covers how other brands handle the same need.
How do you stop Alexa from changing the temperature?
Go back to Device Settings, then Alexa automatic control, and switch off "Set away temperature", "Set sleep temperature" or both. The schedule, if you use one, keeps running.
Other brands have their own version of presence-based setbacks. Google Nest switches to Eco, explained in Nest Eco temperatures, and phone-location features on Honeywell Home and Sensi are covered in thermostat geofencing. For other Amazon Smart Thermostat settings, see the Amazon Smart Thermostat hub.
Frequently asked questions
- How does Alexa decide nobody is home?
- Amazon says Alexa might have a hunch nobody is home when your phone leaves your home area and nobody interacts with Alexa for a while. When someone talks to Alexa or uses smart devices, Alexa can tell someone is home.
- Why did my thermostat drop to its sleep temperature while I was still up?
- Amazon says that if no one interacts with Alexa for a while at night, she might have a hunch everyone is asleep. A quiet evening can look like bedtime. Talking to Alexa or using a connected smart device tells it someone is awake and home.
- Can Hunches control two Amazon Smart Thermostats?
- No. Amazon says automatic control is assigned to only one thermostat. If you have more than one Amazon Smart Thermostat, control the others with schedules, by voice or by hand.
- Is Hunches the same as Vacation Mode?
- No. Vacation Mode is a separate switch in Device Settings that holds the heat and cool temperatures you set for it. Automatic control reacts to Alexa's guesses about whether you are home or asleep.