How to make an Amazon Echo Show act as an always-on-clock

Issue #10

The Echo Show screen is too confusing for Mom!

If your loved one is confused by frequent information displays and advertising on their Echo Show, some settings can turn it into a large clock display with or without day/weather. It can still perform the Alexa spoken commands, display reminders, and respond to proactive Alexa Routines.

I'll start with the Echo Show 5, designed to be a bedside or tabletop clock, but I'm also demoing similar changes that can be made on an Echo Show 8, Echo Show 10, or Echo Show 15. No AM/PM display exists, but a 24-hour clock is available.

The Echo Show 5 has a variety of clock faces, even offering a "red display" at night, while the other models offer no choice of clock faces. Although an Echo Show 5 clock display appears to be small, it provides the same size clock display as the larger models.

YouTube Video:

Differences with non- Echo Show 5 models

This solution will give you a stable display of time, date, and weather, but NOT a full-screen clock. For brief periods, you may see two clocks on the Echo Show 8.

If you want to switch away from the always-on clock display mode, say any Alexa command EXCEPT "Alexa, show Photo Frame" as that will disable the "Minimal" setting on the Echo Show 8/10/15. The Echo Show 5 works fine with this command.

These following changes are not available through the Alexa app, and you must make them using the Echo Show screen under "Settings". If you plan on doing this for a remote family member, you could perform these before shipment to them.

Required Settings

·      Remove Rotating Home Content- Swipe down from the top of the screen 

o   Tap "Settings"

o   Tap "Home & Clock" (Echo Show 5 only)

o   Tap "Home Content"

§  Turn off everything, including "rotate continuously"

·      Minimal display- Swipe down from the top of the screen 

o   Tap "Settings"

o   Tap "Clock & Photo Display"

o   If Echo Show 8

§  Tap "Minimal"

§  Tap "Night Mode"

§  "Tap Nighttime Clock"

§  Optional ---- adds a pure black background for contrast

·      Enable "Night Mode Behavior"

·      Set schedule for always-on 12:00AM- 11:55PM

o   If Echo Show 5

§  Tap "Home & Clock"

§  Tap "Clock & Photo Display"

§  Tap "Classic"

§  Swipe over to 'Texture"

§  Tap the "edit pencil"

§  Tap "Background"

§  Select your choice of background

§  Select optional "Date" & "Weather"

§  Tap "Save"

Optional Settings for Echo Show 5 ONLY

·      Change the clock face color at night-  Swipe down from the top of the screen 

o   Tap "Settings"

o   Tap "Home & Clock"

o   Tap "Night Mode"

o   Enable "Night Mode Behavior"

o   Set schedule for always-on 10:00PM- 6:00AM (your choice of hours)

o   Requires a few minutes to see the change take effect

Wait. Do You Instead Need a Clock that Understands "Time-of-Day?

For those with mild cognitive loss who have trouble determining if its "4:00 AM" or "4:00 PM" and are looking for a clock that understands the time of day, here is a free Alexa Skill “My Clock” that I wrote that could benefit them with a verbal and visual indication of how much time they have left to sleep.

Here is a video of it in action.