Enabling an Alexa skill takes about 30 seconds in the Alexa app: open More > Skills & Games, search for the skill, tap Enable, and approve any permission requests.
Alexa skills are the apps that turn a smart speaker into something genuinely useful — playing trivia on command, locking the front door, or reading the day’s headlines. But finding and activating them isn’t always obvious, especially after Amazon shuffled the app’s layout. Whether you want to enable a skill by voice or need to dig through menus, the process splits into two paths depending on whether the skill asks for permissions.
Enabling a Skill Through the Alexa App
The Alexa app is the most reliable method, especially for skills that require access to your location, contacts, or device controls. The menu path has shifted in recent app versions, so here is exactly where to tap on the current layout.
- Open the Alexa app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device.
- Tap the More icon (three horizontal lines) in the bottom navigation bar.
- Select Skills & Games from the menu.
- Use the search icon at the top to find the skill by name, or browse categories like Music & Audio or Smart Home.
- Tap the skill’s tile to open its detail page, then tap Enable.
- If a Skill Permissions dialog appears, toggle the switches for the permissions the skill needs, then tap Save Permissions.
- Wait for the ready to use confirmation — the skill is now active and its name appears under Your Skills > Enabled.
If you cannot see the Skills & Games option, tap More and scroll down — Amazon moved this entry deeper in later app versions, but it still lives in that menu. Some forum users also report finding skill controls under Devices > Smart Home Skills, though that path is less consistent.
Can You Enable Skills by Voice?
Yes, for skills that do not require permissions. Say “Alexa, enable [skill name]” or “Alexa, open [skill name]” — Alexa confirms activation and launches the skill. If the skill requests permissions, the voice route fails silently; you must switch to the app to approve them. The skill’s invocation name (the exact phrase you speak) matters — say it wrong and Alexa looks for something else.
Skills Requiring Permissions: The App-Only Path
Skills that access your location, contacts, device information, or smart home controls need explicit approval through the app. After tapping Enable, the Alexa app shows a Skill Permissions screen listing what the skill wants. Flip the relevant switches and tap Save Permissions — the skill activates immediately. If you skip this dialog and try to use the skill later, it prompts you to return to the app and finish setup.
Where to Find Your Enabled Skills
| Location | What You See | What You Can Do Here |
|---|---|---|
| Alexa App > More > Skills & Games > Your Skills > Enabled | List of all active skills sorted by recently used | Open a skill, disable it, or access its settings |
| Alexa App > More > Skills & Games > Your Skills > Disabled | Skills you have turned off or never enabled | Re-enable or remove them from your history |
| Via voice: “Alexa, open [skill]” | Launches the skill directly if already enabled | Use the skill without opening the app |
| Amazon’s website under Skills & Games | Full catalog with search and filters | Enable skills from a browser instead of the app |
| Skill’s detail page inside the app | Description, ratings, voice commands, permissions list | See what the skill does before enabling it |
| Alexa App > Devices > Smart Home Skills | Skills connected to smart home devices | Manage skills that control lights, locks, and thermostats |
| Settings > Kid Skills (separate toggle) | Skills appropriate for children | Flip Allow Kid Skills to On to see them |
Finding Skills & Games in the Updated App Layout
Amazon’s 2024 and 2025 app redesigns moved Skills & Games deeper. If you tap More and do not see it immediately, scroll down — it lives below Settings and Help & Feedback. A handful of users on Amazon’s forum reported the entry missing entirely; in most cases, closing and reopening the app or force-refreshing the More tab restored it. The Garmin support page confirms the same menu sequence: Menu > Skills & Games > search by name.Garmin’s Alexa skill setup guide
Common Mistakes When Enabling Skills
- Skipping the app for permission-heavy skills. Voice enablement fails silently — if the skill never activates after you speak, open the app and check whether a permissions dialog is waiting.
- Not scrolling far enough in Your Skills. The Enabled list sits at the bottom of the Skills & Games section, below the category tiles. Scroll past the featured skills to find it.
- Confusing enable with manage. After enabling, tap the skill’s detail page again — that is where Settings, Disable Skill, and permission adjustments live. Disabling is not a button on the main enable screen.
- Expecting all skills to show up. Skill availability varies by Amazon account region. If a skill you searched for does not appear, it may not be published in your country. Child-oriented skills also require the Allow Kid Skills toggle to be switched on separately.
Building Your Own Skill (For Developers)
| Build Stage | What Happens Here | Hosting Options |
|---|---|---|
| Plan & Design | Define the skill’s purpose, voice interaction flow, and invocation name | N/A — design phase |
| Create a Skill | Set up the skill in the Alexa Developer Console with a name and locale | N/A — creation phase |
| Build the Interaction Model | Define intents, sample utterances, and slot types for voice understanding | N/A — model phase |
| Write and Test Code | Develop the skill’s backend logic and test with the Alexa simulator or a real device | AWS Lambda (Node.js, Java, Python, C#, Go, Ruby, PowerShell) or web service |
| Beta Test | Invite testers to try the skill before certification | Optional |
| Submit for Certification | Pass validation and functional tests on the Certification page, then submit for Amazon review | N/A — submission phase |
Amazon’s official custom skill guide walks through each stage in detail. After certification, the skill becomes available to users across all Alexa devices. Amazon’s Alexa Skills Kit page notes that skills work on hundreds of millions of devices and cover use cases from news and music to games and productivity.
Enable Checklist: Get It Right the First Time
- Know whether the skill requires permissions — if yes, use the app, not your voice.
- Open the Alexa app and tap More > Skills & Games.
- Search for the exact skill name and tap its tile.
- Tap Enable and approve any permission dialogs by toggling the switches and saving.
- Wait for the ready to use confirmation on screen.
- Say “Alexa, open [skill name]” to verify it works.
- If the skill does not respond, check Your Skills > Enabled to confirm it is active, then recheck the permissions dialog.
References & Sources
- Amazon. “Steps to Build a Custom Skill.” Official developer guide covering the full skill-creation workflow.
- Amazon Alexa Skills Kit. “Alexa Skills Kit.” Overview of skill capabilities and device availability.
- Garmin. “Using Alexa on a Garmin Device.” Confirms the Skills & Games menu path for enabling skills.
- Dummies. “How to Use Amazon Alexa and Add Alexa Skills.” Covers voice enablement, permissions management, and kid skills.