An Amazon Echo or any device with Amazon Alexa activated makes life a lot easier. Like when you’re on your bed and do not need to stand to get the lights turned off, or when you need to play music while working and you don’t have to take a break from what you’re doing.
However, some problems can occur if you use an Alexa-enabled device in certain situations. The most common problem is called “Alexa Blue Light.” We’ll dive into the solutions and possible fixes and troubleshooting below.
Lights on my Amazon Alexa, what do they mean?
If you use an Amazon Echo device, you’ll realize that Alexa has a different color of lights that indicates the functionality and the specific condition at particular times.
When your Amazon Echo blinks a slow yellow light every few seconds, that is Alexa’s way of telling you that you have a new message or notification.
All you have to do is ask Alexa for your notifications. Once your notifications are cleared, the yellow light goes permanently off.
The green color usually tells you that you’re receiving a call on your device.
Red light indicates that your Amazon Echo device is disconnected from the internet and Alexa is not listening to you.
A blue blinking light on your Echo indicates that your device is coming on. Alexa blue light spinning usually also implies that Alexa is listening to your command or question.
There are different lights meant to pass across various messages to you.
However, there are times when people report a consistent spinning blue light on their Alexa even when they’re not communicating with their device.
So before you start to worry, we have decided to help you understand the possible reasons behind this and how you can fix it.
So, below are some reasons why you might have an Alexa spinning blue light on your Amazon Echo device.
1. Your Amazon Echo is updating its firmware
Asides from the obvious reasons for blue lights on your device, A spinning blue light on your Echo device might also mean that your device is currently going through a firmware update. Alexa is not a “one-time completion” type of service.
Like most products on the market these days, Alexa needs to be updated to work properly. Remember, Alexa works with the internet; therefore, it needs to stay up-to-date at all times for proper functionality.
In most cases, you can check if this is the problem with Alexa by using the phone paired with it.
Unfortunately, you cannot use Amazon Alexa until the firmware update is complete.
Just wait until it finishes updating, and you can restart your device.
2. Your Alexa might be in pairing mode
If you get a new smart home device and want to connect with Alexa and you see the spinning blue light, there’s no need to fret. Your Alexa might be in pairing mode.
This is the mode your smart home hub enters when it tries to pair with a new device.
If you want to pair your device with Alexa, you can use the Alexa app to guide you through the process.
If you have trouble using something like a smart light bulb (then you can also check the individual instructions of the device or call customer service.
3. Your Alexa is confused
Amazon Alexa works with a trigger word or phrase. The trigger tells Alexa to prepare for instruction or get ready to answer your question. Remember, the default is the word “Alexa.”
So, if you feel your Alexa blue lights spinning when you’ve not used the trigger, Alexa might have heard something similar and mistake it for the trigger word.
In most cases, the light will only rotate for a moment before going off when no command or question comes.
4. Alexa is in its “Do Not Disturb” mode
A lot of times, we might want complete peace and silence for a reason or another. In those times, we want all potential sources of disturbance shut out.
Like many projects that involve communication and alerts, you can put Alexa on “Do Not Disturb” or DND mode. That way, your Alexa will not start beeping or playing music randomly.
If you give your Alexa a command on DND, the ring will turn blue and then flash purple at the end. Then, it will not do anything. You will have to switch it out of “Do Not Disturb” to make it work again.
Also, you may put your Alexa in this DND mode without knowing. The spinning blue light brings your attention to this problem. To remove your Alexa from DND mode, open the Alexa app on your mobile and set the DND mode to off.
Is Alexa’s blue light not turning off?
Most times, when you stop pairing your Alexa device, or it stops processing tasks that you gave it, the spinning blue Alexa light will go off.
But, sometimes, you might find your Amazon Echo device with the Alexa spinning blue light that’s persistent and doesn’t go off. Some reasons that could cause this are as follows:
Cause 1. Your Alexa may have electrical problems: if you replace your Alexa’s power cord or plug or get a moment of short circuit, this could cause an electrical problem for your device and trigger the blue light. To solve this problem, get an Amazon-approved replacement power cord, and restart your Alexa.
Cause 2. Alexa got stuck during firmware update: One of the reasons for the Alexa spinning blue light is a firmware update. So, if the blue light becomes persistent and doesn’t go off, it’s possible that your device got stuck while updating. In this situation, the first point of action will be to restart your device. Sometimes this will solve the problem. Other times, you might need to call Amazon technical support for help. They can then help you restart the download.
Cause 3. You have a dead Alexa on your hand: A dead Alexa can also keep the blue light spinning consistently. That could result from something happening to the computer chip inside your Alexa device. If you, for any reason, believe that your Alexa device might be dead, your best bet will be to reach out to Amazon support. Their customer support will help you with possible troubleshooting options that might help you stop the spinning blue light.
Conclusion
The spinning blue light on your Amazon device should not cause you to panic. Instead, you should carefully try to find out what is triggering the blue light.
Once you’ve discovered the problem, you can then check the above troubleshooting options and get your Alexa spinning blue light issue fixed most of the time quite easily.