How to View Alexa Shopping List on iPhone

To view your Alexa shopping list on an iPhone, open the Amazon Alexa app, tap More > Lists & Notes, and select Shopping. Checked-off items move to Completed, so look there if something seems to be missing.

Adding an item to the list doesn’t place an order. If accidental orders are a concern, you can turn off Alexa voice purchasing on an iPhone.

Before you open the list

Install or open the Amazon Alexa app on your iPhone and connect to the internet. Use Amazon Alexa; the Amazon Shopping app, Apple's Reminders app, or another grocery app may not show the same list.

Sign in to the Amazon account linked to the Echo that received your shopping requests. The Alexa app and Amazon Shopping app can be signed in separately. Seeing the right account in Amazon Shopping doesn’t mean Alexa is using it too.

If someone else set up the Echo, check which account it uses before treating an empty list as a syncing problem. Also remember the name of the list you requested. “Shopping,” “Groceries,” and a custom list called “Weekend party” can contain different items.

Open the shopping list in the Alexa app

1. Open Amazon Alexa on your iPhone. Wait for the home screen to load. If you see a sign-in screen, use the account linked to your Echo.
2. Tap More in the menu at the bottom of the screen.
3. Choose Lists & Notes. This is the label Amazon’s list help uses.
4. Select Shopping. To see a custom list you created by voice, open that list instead.
5. Read the active items. Tapping an item marks it complete, so only tap the ones you’ve picked up.

Amazon's instructions for marking list items complete confirm the More > Lists & Notes route. Its Alexa Lists help directory also links to the individual list-management tasks.

Check off groceries and find completed items

When you have picked up an item, select it to mark it complete. Amazon says selected items become gray and move to the list's Completed section. That keeps them separate from the items you still need.

Completing an item is not the same as deleting it. A completed item stays in the list’s Completed section, where you can tap it to move it back. A deleted item is gone.

If you checked something off by mistake, open Completed and tap the item to move it back to the active list.

Add and manage list items by voice

You can add items by voice on any Alexa device, then read them later on your iPhone. Name the list in your request, such as “Alexa, add milk to my shopping list.” Alexa repeats the item and the list name, so you can tell right away if it went to the wrong list.

Before clearing a list, review or copy anything you still need. A clear command removes its contents; do not rely on a recoverable trash folder or an undo option. Removing one item is a better choice when only one entry is wrong.

What you want to do	Example command
Add an item to Shopping	“Alexa, add milk to my shopping list.”
Add an item to a custom list	“Alexa, add napkins to my weekend party list.”
Remove one item	“Alexa, remove bread from my shopping list.”
Clear a reviewed list	“Alexa, clear my shopping list.”
Start a separate list	“Alexa, create a list.”
Display a list on an Echo with a screen	“Alexa, show me my shopping list.”

Amazon documents these actions in Use Lists with Alexa. A screenless speaker cannot display a visual list; use the iPhone app when you want to scan several entries at once.

If an item lands in the wrong place, compare the name you spoke with the list you opened. A generic request to add groceries may not be equivalent to naming your custom “Groceries” list. Be explicit, then check the result in the app.

Create a separate list in the Alexa app

Custom lists help separate everyday groceries from a trip, party, or hardware-store visit. Choose a distinctive name that is easy to say and recognize.

1. Open Alexa, then go to More > Lists & Notes.
2. Select Create List. You should reach the field for the new list's name.
3. Enter a clear name, such as Weekend party, and select Done.
4. Open the new list and choose Add Item to enter something you need.
5. Return to the list and check that the item appears under the correct name.

These steps follow Amazon's custom-list instructions. A new custom list does not automatically move entries out of Shopping.

An Echo's device name is also separate from a list name. If you need to identify a particular speaker in the app, see how to rename devices in Alexa. Renaming a speaker does not rename your grocery list.

Use the Amazon Shopping app as an alternative

You can also see your Alexa lists in the Amazon Shopping app, as long as it’s signed in to the same Amazon account. Look for Alexa Lists in the app’s menu.

Open the Alexa list you want, rather than selecting a product Wish List with a similar name. An Alexa shopping list can contain plain reminders such as “milk.” A product Wish List typically stores Amazon products you may want to buy later. Your shopping cart is another separate feature.

Amazon's move-items instructions give this route for transferring an entry:

1. Open Amazon Shopping and select Alexa Lists.
2. Choose the list containing the item you want to move.
3. Open the menu next to that item and select Move to another list.
4. Choose the destination list, then open it to check that the entry moved.

Fix missing lists, items, or updates

Lists & Notes is missing

Update the Alexa app from the App Store, then tap More again.

The list is empty or an item is missing

First check the Amazon account, the selected list name, and Completed. Then make sure your phone has a working connection. If the app and Echo use different accounts, different entries don’t mean Alexa deleted the list.

Add one clearly named test item, such as “test apples,” by voice and reopen the list. If it appears, the list is syncing, so compare the wording of your earlier request with the list name. Don’t clear lists or reset an Echo to find missing items.

You can also review Alexa voice history to check what Alexa understood. Reading or deleting a recording is separate from managing the shopping item created by that request.

Items appear in Alexa but not in AnyList or another app

Older instructions for syncing third-party apps directly with Alexa's lists can be outdated. AnyList reports that Amazon shut down the List Skill API on July 1, 2024. That API allowed list apps to synchronize with Alexa's native lists.

AnyList's updated skill uses commands beginning with “ask AnyList” or “tell AnyList.” Its example is “Alexa, ask AnyList to add apples to my grocery list.” Without the skill name, Alexa may add the item to its own list instead. See AnyList's current integration notice, including its stated recognition issue outside the United States.

Old IFTTT recipes and other former Alexa list integrations may no longer transfer items. Items Alexa saves on its own stay in the Alexa app’s Shopping list. For a separate list app, use that app’s own skill command.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to be near my Echo to see the list?

No. The iPhone app provides access to the account's list, so you can view it away from the speaker with a working connection. Use the account linked to the Echo and open the list you want.

Does adding an item buy it from Amazon?

Adding an item to the shopping list records the entry. It is separate from ordering a product, adding a product to a cart, or completing checkout. Check Alexa's response and the list itself if a request was misunderstood.

Why did a checked item disappear?

Look in Completed. Amazon says marked items become gray and move there. If you are searching for an active grocery, make sure you did not already mark it complete.

Can I open the list in Safari?

Use the Alexa app or the Amazon Shopping app on your iPhone. Amazon’s help mentions managing lists in a browser only for Alexa+ accounts, so the old Alexa web page may not work for you.