How to Fix: Why is my Alexa Red?

Amazon’s virtual assistant - Alexa, is among the best gadgets on the market, and it currently counts 100 million sold units.

As the device was getting more and more popular, the device only got more complex.

Since there are over 100 million devices currently running on the same network, as expanded as it may be, bugs and issues are bound to happen.

Earlier this year, there was a major crash on Alexa’s network, which caused almost all Amazon Echo to experience issues with Alexa’s functionality.

After the issue occurred back in January, all users reported that their Amazon gadget turned red, and none of the voice commands were going through.

Consequently, there were issues with Amazon Echo’s website and app as well.

Hence, when an issue with the connection occurs, your smart home virtual assistant is prone to glitches - such as changes on the light on your Alexa.

However, what does it mean when the red light ring shows up, and how do you fix it?

If you’re experiencing an issue such as this one, read through our article and learn how to fix the problem with our step-by-step guide.

Why does my Echo show a solid red ring?

Amazon Echo devices allow users to connect the primary color lights on your smart speaker with possible issues that might happen in the future.

Thus, seeing the red light would mean the same for pretty much anyone - the device is completely disconnected and an issue needs to be fixed.

Seeing the red light on your Amazon Alexa can mean either that the Echo Microphone is turned off, which will consequently cause Alexa to not react to any of your commands, or that there’s an issue with the camera connection.

Additionally, having an unstable Internet connection, or your wi-fi crashing may cause the device to show the red color.

How do I fix the Alexa device?

Fortunately, since there are several possible reasons for the device to stop working, there are several possible fixes. To fix your Amazon Echo device, try the fixes listed below.

1. Enabling the microphone on your device

If the only reason why your Alexa is not working is the muted microphone, this will be fixed easily and quickly.

Press the microphone button on your device, which should trigger the Alexa red ring to change.

Test your device by giving Alexa voice commands, and if this doesn’t fix the problem, move to the next fix.

3. Resetting the device

Resetting the Amazon Echo device should bring everything back to normal. However, bear in mind that to do this, you’ll need to do a factory reset.

The following steps are the same for all possible Amazon Echo devices.

1. Launch the Alexa app on your phone.
2. At the bottom of the screen, click on ‘Devices’.
3. From the list, click on ‘Echo & Alexa’.
4. Find the correct Echo device, and scroll down until you find ‘Factory reset’.

Once the process of factory resetting begins, the orange ring light will turn on and off.

3. Updating the Amazon Echo

Any device that is running on an older software version is prone to bugs and glitches. Hence, updating the device is necessary every once in a while, if not all the time.

To update the device, follow these steps:

1. Launch the Alexa app on your phone.
2. Open the ‘Settings’ section.
3. Under ‘Settings’ find ‘Device option’, and click on ‘About’.
4. From there, select the newest software update.

4. Checking the Internet connection

Since Alexa needs to be connected to the Internet at all times, make sure there’s not an issue with your Wi-Fi or your router.

Try restarting the router in order to reset the connection, an try if Alexa functions properly again.