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    How to Set Up Alexa Flash Briefing for Daily News

    Alexa's Flash Briefing reads you a personalized news summary every morning — say "Alexa, what's my Flash Briefing?" to hear it.

    4 min read 4 stepsApril 20, 2026Verified April 2026
    1

    Open Flash Briefing settings in the Alexa app

    ~15s
    Open the Alexa app on your phone. Tap "More" at the bottom right, then "Settings." Scroll down to "Flash Briefing" and tap it. This page shows your current briefing sources and lets you add new ones.
    2

    Add news sources

    ~25s
    Tap "Add Content" or browse the available sources. Search for sources by name (NPR, BBC, ESPN, CNN, your local news station) or browse by category. Tap each source you want to add. Start with three to five sources — you can always add more later.

    Quick Tip

    Search for your city name plus "news" to find local news stations available as Alexa skills. Having a local source is great for school closings, traffic, and weather specific to your area.

    3

    Arrange sources in your preferred order

    ~17s
    Back on the Flash Briefing settings page, press and hold the handle icon next to each source to drag it into a different order. Put the content you care most about first — many people put weather first so they can decide what to wear before hearing the news.
    4

    Set up an automatic morning routine (optional)

    ~19s
    In the Alexa app, tap More > Routines > the + icon. Name the routine "Morning Briefing." Set the trigger to "Schedule" and choose your desired time (like 7:00 AM). Choose the days of the week. Add action: select "Alexa Says" > "Flash Briefing." Save the routine. Your briefing will now play automatically every morning.

    You Did It!

    You've completed: How to Set Up Alexa Flash Briefing for Daily News

    Need more help? Get Expert Help from a TekSure Tech

    If you start your morning by asking Alexa what the news is, a Flash Briefing is worth setting up. It is a customized audio newscast made up of short clips from the sources you choose — instead of a generic headline, you hear a two-minute update from NPR, then a sports score, then a local weather forecast. The whole thing takes two to five minutes and plays in the order you choose.

    Setting up a Flash Briefing takes about five minutes in the Alexa app on your phone.

    Open the Alexa app. Tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the bottom right of the screen or tap "More." Go to Settings, then scroll down to find "Flash Briefing." This is the control center for your daily briefing — you can add sources here.

    The source library includes dozens of options: NPR News (available in both short and longer formats), BBC World Service, The Associated Press, CNN, Fox News, ABC News, local news stations (available for many cities), sports highlights from ESPN, stock market updates, tech news, and more. Each source is an Alexa Skill — tap the + button or "Enable" to add it. You will be taken to the skill's page where you confirm the addition.

    Once sources are added, you can drag them into a preferred order. What you add first plays first in your briefing. A good starting order: weather for your area, local news, then national news, then anything else you are interested in. Keep the total number of sources around five to seven — more than that makes the briefing feel too long.

    To hear your briefing any time, say "Alexa, what's my Flash Briefing?" or "Alexa, play my Flash Briefing." You do not have to wait until morning.

    To make the briefing play automatically at a set time, set up an Alexa Routine. Go to the Alexa app, tap More > Routines > Add Routine, set the trigger as a time (for example, 7:00 AM), and add Flash Briefing as the action. Now it plays every morning without you having to ask.

    Quick Tip: the difference between Flash Briefing and asking "Alexa, what's in the news?" — Flash Briefing plays pre-recorded audio clips from actual broadcasters. The regular news question gives you a brief AI-generated summary. Most people find the Flash Briefing more interesting because it includes real broadcast voices.

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    How to Set Up Alexa Flash Briefing for Daily News — Step-by-Step Guide | TekSure