Alexa, a smart virtual assistant by Amazon.com, is an integral part of various smart devices, including Amazon’s smart speakers and Fire TVs. If you are facing the issue of Alexa not responding to your commands, this article can be helpful for you.
There are certain reasons for which Alexa won’t respond to your command on a smart home device. Ask yourself these 8 questions one by one to fix the issue with your smart home device.
Here is a gist of topics we are going to focus on in this article related to smart home devices:
Ask yourself these questions if Alexa is not responding
There are certain reasons for which Alexa won’t respond to your command. Ask yourself these 8 questions one by one to fix the issue.
#1 Is Alexa even receiving my voice command?
This question may have come to your mind while attempting to solve the problem.
The simplest way to check if Alexa is receiving your message on an Alexa-enabled device like the Amazon Echo is to press the Action or Wake button. The Action or Wake button is shown by a raised dot symbol on the button as shown in the image below.
Pressing the wake button would instantly wake Alexa without even saying the wake word. Once Alexa is awake, speak out any command if it is receiving any.
#2 Is Alexa’s microphone on?
A microphone button or mic button on the speaker turns on and off the mic. This button avoids inadvertently waking Alexa with in-house conversations, TV voices, and background noise.
When the speaker’s mic is off, it shows red light or red ring, as shown below.
Your mic being off is why Alexa is red and not responding.
Press the mic button again shown by the mic or slashed circle icon in order to turn on the microphone. The red light will go away as soon as you turn on the mic.
#3 What is the wake word to get Alexa responding?
After a Software update, the default wake word for Alexa is “Alexa”. That means Alexa will start receiving your command when it hears the wake word “Alexa”. However, the wake word is changeable from the Amazon Alexa app on Android & iOS.
If the speaking out “Alexa” doesn’t wake the smart speaker, try saying “Echo”, “Amazon”, “Computer”, and “Ziggy”, which are presumably the only possible wake words.
If Alexa responds to any of the above wake words, it means that the wake word has been changed. Moreover, you can change the wake word back to the old one or choose a different one using the following steps:
- Firstly open the Amazon Alexa app then tap Devices in the settings menu.
- Select the device on which you want to change the wake word.
- Tap on Wake Word.
- Choose the wake word of your choice and tap Ok.
- The new wake word is set once the orange light stops flashing.
#4 Is Alexa’s volume at an audible level?
It might sound silly, but somehow many people fall for it. If the volume is very low or mute, you will not even recognize if Alexa is responding to you. It might be the reason for which is Alexa is not responding but lighting up with blue color.
Use the volume buttons on Amazon Echo to raise the volume. The Volume buttons are shown by Positive (+) and negative (-) symbol as shown below.
If your problem has not been solved yet, we still have much more in the bag.
#5 Does your Alexa have the skills to perform the task?
Another reason why Alexa is not responding to your command is because you have not downloaded the skills required for the command yet. Alexa skills are voice-driven capabilities that are somewhat similar to what we call extensions in browsers and apps on mobile device.
You can enable and disable skills using the Alexa app or web browser.
Click to know more about Alexa Skills.
Rather than commanding tasks that require skill, you can also try simple commands such as “What’s the weather?”
#6 Can Alexa hear you clearly?
Make sure Alexa can clearly hear you. Being a machine, Alexa is quite intelligent but is still a machine after all. So, make sure what you speak reaches Alexa in a clear voice without reverberation and resonance.
Place the device in the center of the room rather than near the walls and other devices. Doing so, it can hear you from every corner of the room and minimizes disturbances and reverberations.
Also, try to speak naturally and clearly at a normal pace to let Alexa know what exactly you are saying. Rephrase your question or make it more specific. Try to break complex commands into simpler phrases with easy-to-pronounce words.
You can change the name of devices connected with Alexa however kindly make sure that the chosen name of the device is not too complex. Simple device names make it easy for Alexa to understand the devices that you want to control.
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#7 Are your devices connected to each other with stable internet?
Alexa needs an active internet connection to work. During an internet outage or when the Wi-Fi network is poor, Alexa will keep on loading and, after a while, it will notify that it was unable to access the internet, fetch results, or hear your voice properly.
Also, make sure the device you want to control with Alexa is turned on and connected to the same Wi-Fi connection provided by your internet service provider with which Alexa or Amazon Echo is connected.
If your Wi-Fi connection is a dual-band, try to connect devices like the Echo Dot in the same band to ensure compatibility and better communication between your internet service provider’s network and your smart devices.
Additionally, ensure that your wireless router is properly configured to support both bands and is functioning optimally to facilitate a stable connection for your smart home ecosystem.
#8 Is it time to give Alexa a fresh start?
I believe that a simple restart of electronic devices fixes most of the problems. You can also try a simple restart of your Alexa or Echo device to fix the problem.
However, if the problem persists, resetting it is a one step higher solution for troubleshooting the problem.
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Conclusion
This article mainly focuses on Alexa Not Responding To Commands in Echo smart speakers and screens, often due to a Wi-Fi connectivity problem. However, you can try out some of the troubleshooting methods in other Alexa-supported devices such as Fire TV to solve a similar Wi-Fi connectivity problem.
Still if you face any kind of issues then try connecting to Amazon Customer Care.
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Frequently Asked Question’s (FAQ’s)
What to do when Alexa is not responding?
When Alexa is not responding, check if the mic and the speaker are not mute and try to give simpler commands.
How to restart Amazon Alexa?
Since there is no power button in Amazon’s Alexa, you have to plug it out and plug it in again to restart.
How to reset Echo button?
There is no option to reset Echo button. At the most, you can disconnect and reconnect it with your Echo.
How to connect Echo button to Alexa?
Place batteries in Echo button and press and hold Echo button until it glows orange. Command “set up my echo button” to Alexa, and Echo button will glow blue light once paired.
