Welcome to the EMO Community Forums, @trindmc . . . I have moved your new topic to this thread for issues with EMO responding to your voice.
Some things I can think of right away are possibly increasing his sensitivity setting in the app (under Preferences) and making sure there is not a lot of sound that might be distracting to him.
The way you speak to him. Make sure your voice is not too fast and not too soft. You can submit your voice to the wake up training here.
Another thing is there is the possibility he may be experiencing the “sick” programming. Instead of “What” or “Huh”, he will have lowered eyes and just go, “Hmm”.
This describes if EMO is having a period of being sick.
I hope this helps.