“Alexa, start the TV news for me.”
“Alexa, can you turn on the coffee maker for me?”
Alexa this, Alexa that, and whatnot? — Amazon Echo Dot with Alexa speaker does it all. But then, one day, it doesn’t respond to your commands. Now, that must be frustrating.
Especially those who rely on Alexa to even wake them up – count me for that!
And this is not an uncommon problem, as more and more users of voice-controlled virtual assistants are complaining about facing the current ‘Alexa unresponsive’ problem.
So, after facing it myself, I finally came up with some solutions that might help you! Not only that, I also made a list of reasons why Alexa is not working.
Let’s look at the problem briefly, starting with the possible reasons!
The reason behind the ‘Alexa not responding’ issue
With various products like the Amazon Eero Pro 6, Amazon has certainly come a long way. However, one of its most famous devices is Alexa-enabled devices. But no product can be perfect, especially if they involve technology.
So now that you’ve hit the buggy stage, this is where it gets tough. Before talking about ‘how’, let’s learn about ‘why’ and take a look at the causes behind ‘Alexa not working’.
- You speak indistinctly or spontaneously.
- Ask Alexa if it can hear you.
- There is a network connection problem.
- You are not currently using the power adapter provided with the Alexa device.
- The device may be unplugged.
- The device or microphone button is muted.
- There are other noises taking over your voice when you give Alexa commands.
These are some of the reasons that I noticed and can think of could have caused the ‘Alexa not responding’ issue. I’m not saying there can’t be more because there can be. However, here is my attempt that includes most of them.
Enough babbling! Now it’s time for us to move on to the methods that help us get rid of the annoying ‘Alexa device not responding’ problem.
Fixes for ‘Alexa Doesn’t Work’
Well, now that you have an idea of the possible reasons for the problem, it’s time to stop wondering, ‘Why isn’t my Alexa working?’ and follow the aggregation methods here for you.
1. Restart the Alexa device
The first and most common method to follow is to restart the Alexa device. Since we don’t often turn off and on the device, we forget that it needs a break.
And especially for an Alexa device, which is often used for hours, it can be just a push away. So when you restart it, the ‘Alexa unresponsive’ problem may get better.
2. Speak clearly with Alexa
Listen, I’m not saying it’s your fault. Maybe Alexa can’t absorb what you said earlier. There can be many reasons for this – any noisy construction activities around the house; Your washing machine or TV is on. And this can cause problems with Alexa’s ability to understand or even hear you speak in the first place.
So you can try to get close to the Alexa device and speak as clearly as possible. If it’s still unresponsive and you’re stuck with the question ‘Why isn’t Alexa working?’ ask again, move on to try the next method.
3. Check Wi-Fi Connection
Another common method that many people forget to follow is to ensure that the network is in good shape. As you may already know, Alexa devices require Wi-Fi to complete online tasks like playing a video or calling someone using Wi-Fi.
So, if you have a bad network connection, it’s time to check it out, as this could be the reason why Alexa is not responding.
4. Make sure you use the correct Wake Word
Maybe someone in your family changed the wake word for an Alexa device, or maybe you started it up after a long time and forgot the wake word. So if you mispronounce the wake word, it’s obvious that Alexa won’t respond back.
What you can do is go to its app on your mobile device and check the wake word set for it.
5. Find pending software updates
Every device receives updates from time to time to maintain enhanced features. So in this case, we’re talking about the Alexa voice assistant. Therefore, it is quite important to keep it updated.
And one of the reasons why Alexa is unresponsive could be outdated software. So make sure that both your operating software and Alexa app are up to date.
6. Alexa Microphone Test
Another method you can try is to enable the Alexa microphone. As discussed earlier, it is possible that the microphone on the Alexa device has been turned off.
So you can tell if it’s turned off and that’s what’s keeping Alexa unresponsive. Since you can’t hear it respond because the microphone is off, you might think Alexa isn’t responding to your commands. If there is a red light on the microphone button, it means the microphone is disabled.
7. Change Wake Word
For those of you who don’t know, you can choose from different wake words you want to use. These wake words are Alexa, Echo, Computer, and Amazon.
In case any family member has changed Alexa’s wake-up message, that could be the reason why Alexa is not responding to your commands. So what you can do is simply go to the Amazon Alexa app and go to Device Settings > Wake From > Save. From there, simply select the wake word you want to select.
And now you are ready!
note
While you are in the Wake Word section, you can also confirm whether the wake word has been changed.
8. Reinstall the Amazon Alexa App
While you might think that the problem lies only with the device supported by Alexa, resetting its helper can also help. It is possible that the application is malfunctioning or has an error.
And as is often suggested, if you face any issues with the app, you can update them to keep the app refreshed. Similarly, uninstalling the Alexa app and then reinstalling it from the App Store or Play Store can help.
The Amazon Alexa app can be used for a variety of devices, and interestingly, can also be used for the 3rd generation Amazon Fire TV Cube.
9. Check if Amazon Alexa is down
Another possibility for ‘why Alexa isn’t working’ could be the server down. You can check and confirm this by going to Google and simply typing ‘Is Amazon Alexa down?’. When you hit search, you’ll get Downdetector, Is It Down Right Now, Down for Everyone or Just Me, among others in the top results.
Then when you select any of them, just search for the same on it and you will get the result in seconds. If it doesn’t work for everyone, this means you’re not the only one experiencing the ‘Alexa Server Unresponsive’ problem.
10. Contact Amazon Support
In case the methods explained so far don’t work for you, we have a last resort that you can use, which is to contact Amazon Support. It may look hopeless, but you have to be patient and wait for their response.
You can also keep checking Amazon Help on Twitter for updates, as they can often be helpful.
Using these methods, you can fix the problem and stop thinking, ‘Why isn’t my Alexa working?’. In case you don’t, we have an advanced solution guide in the next section to help you troubleshoot the ‘Alexa device not responding’ problem.
Additional advanced methods for ‘Alexa not responding’ error
In addition to the troubleshooting methods explained so far in the article, there are also some additional slightly advanced methods. If the methods explained in the previous section did not work for you, you can try these methods to solve the ‘Alexa not responding’ problem.
Enter the correct Wi-Fi password
If you think I’m saying the obvious, it’s because I have to. There are many people who think they are entering the correct Wi-Fi password, but that is not the case. So it is possible that you might be stuck in this situation.
And it doesn’t take long to confirm that you have an active internet connection. It sounds pretty basic, but sometimes it works!
Voice training option
If you recently received your Alexa-enabled device, there may be a voice barrier standing in your way. But this problem can also be solved with the help of Voice Training option.
All you have to do is open the Amazon Alexa app >> Settings. Then tap on the Voice Practice option and choose from the given phrases. You can choose which one you think Alexa will be easy to understand.
Now there will be no problem with your voice and Alexa will easily understand and respond to your commands.
Alexa Red Ring
If you can notice a red round light on Alexa, it means there is a problem with Alexa. It could be any problem – battery, microphone or internet connection problem. You can also confirm if you’re using an outdated version of the Alexa app.
Problems with the Router
The problem sometimes also lies with the router because Alexa requires internet to work. So what you can do is turn it off and disconnect the cable. You can then plug the cable back in and see if the Alexa device is working properly.
Hopefully the steps mentioned above will help you to fix the ‘Alexa not responding’ problem. One of them has to work; finger pass!
Stop thinking
It’s been a great minute since a user encountered the ‘Alexa unresponsive’ issue. With a list of possible reasons, I have compiled them along with the solutions in this article.
Make sure that you are connected to the Internet and that the Alexa microphone is not turned off. Since many people use voice assistants, Alexa unresponsiveness can happen at any time. And we don’t blame it, as it can be quite useful most of the time when we are busy!
But do your best! One thing Alexa can’t do is –
And I agree that it is quite sad.
Frequently asked questions
A: To reset Alexa on Amazon Echo:
- Press and hold the volume down button and microphone mute button simultaneously for 20 seconds.
- Now wait for the light to flash.
A: The two most common reasons why your dot might not respond is because you don’t have an active internet connection or you’re not using a power adapter.
A: It’s possible that your Alexa-enabled device is malfunctioning. So to fix this problem you can try restarting it.
A: You can try connecting another internet connection to Alexa and see if the problem lies with the internet. If that still doesn’t work, you can try restarting the Alexa device.
Categories: Technology
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
