Amazon Alexa can be a very powerful tool for holiday shoppers, but the virtual assistant has also been known to accidentally spoil gift surprises for users.

One well-used feature Alexa offers is that the device can automatically tell you when an Amazon package is being delivered and what contents are inside the package. However, this can be a hassle when it comes to the holidays.

Nothing is stopping Alexa from announcing incoming packages to potential gift receivers. For example, Alexa might automatically announce “A new MacBook Air was just delivered” when the gift receiver is in the room.

While this notification system can be detrimental to holiday gift-giving, the notification feature can be paused on the Amazon Alexa app.

Here's how to turn it off:

  • Open the Alexa app on your device
  • Go to Settings
  • Click the Notifications tab
  • Click the Amazon Shopping tab
  • Look for this section: “Let Alexa say or show titles for items you’ve ordered”
  • Once in the section unclick the box labeled “For items in delivery updates”

Customers can change their settings and turn the notifications back on at any time.

After all, the notification system can be very useful for customers who want updates on incoming items, especially if they're concerned about combating the dreaded “porch pirates.”

Over six in 10 Americans fear the items they purchase this holiday will get stolen, Yahoo! Entertainment reports, citing a study from OnePoll. Out of 2,000 U.S. participants surveyed, 64% said they are worried about items being stolen right off their doorstep.

In addition, 47% of respondents have previously had packages stolen by thieves.

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An Amazon Alexa device is pictured here. Fabian Hurnaus/pexels.com
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