Alexa does not respond: What you can do now

If Alexa suddenly stops responding and no longer makes a sound, your Amazon Echo does not necessarily have to be defective. In most cases, you can fix the problem yourself with just a few simple steps so that the smart home device works properly again.

First aid: Alexa no longer responds

If Alexa no longer responds, this can have various reasons. Especially the obvious sources of error are often overlooked. If Alexa no longer works, you should therefore first check the following:

• First make sure that Alexa can hear you. To do this, there should be no bulky objects directly between you and Alexa. Test whether Alexa responds when you move closer or speak a little louder.

• Test Alexa by asking, “Alexa, can you hear me?” If this does not work, press and hold the action button with a dot on it and ask again.

• If Alexa is standing next to another speaker, the noise might prevent Alexa from hearing you.

• Is Amazon Echo connected to a power source? If so, test a different power outlet to be sure.

• Is the power cable working? Probe it for a broken cable and replace it to be safe.

• Is Alexa set loud enough? If the LEDs respond to your voice input but there is no sound, turn Alexa louder using the buttons on the Amazon Echo. Also, make sure no other audio output is connected and check again to see if Alexa responds.

• Are the LEDs lit up? For example, a red glowing ring tells you that Alexa is muted or has no connection to the Internet. When you say the activation word “Alexa”, the ring should light up blue and turquoise.

Troubleshoot problems with the Amazon Echo

If Alexa is still not responding and you have not been able to identify a cause for the device going silent, follow these tips:

• If Alexa does not respond while you are trying to start up Amazon Echo for the first time, the fault is probably in the setup. Therefore, read how to set up Alexa correctly.

• Also, restart Alexa completely. Unplug it and reconnect it to a power source after about a minute.

• Finally, check your Wi-Fi connection. Do not place Alexa too far from the router so that the signal is not too weak. Since this WLAN error occurs relatively often, we will show you how to fix other WLAN problems with Alexa in a separate article.