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Is Alexa Down ... or Is It Just You?

How to tell if it's your device or you with the problem

By Daniel Nations Daniel Nations Writer University of Texas at Arlington Daniel Nations has been a tech journalist since 1994. His work has appeared in Computer Currents, The Examiner, and other publications. He is a developer who has published apps in the Apple App Store, Google Play marketplace and Amazon Appstore; he also has worked as a data analyst and DB administrator. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on April 8, 2020 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

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Expand Jump to a Section Ask Alexa if It's Down Check Down Detectors Down Just for You? Alexa Without the Internet Is Alexa really down? If your Amazon Echo is not responding, are the Amazon servers down? Or is it just you? This is an important question to answer when Alexa is not working. If the problem is on your side, waiting for Amazon's servers to come back up could literally take forever. But don't worry, there are a few ways we can tell if the Amazon Echo service is down as a whole or if it is just you.

" Alexa Are You Down "

The first thing to do is simply ask her. Alexa has the ability to check the network status herself, so she'll let you know if there is an Amazon Echo outage or if the servers are down. If Alexa says everything seems to be working, try using a different skill. Ask her about the weather.If Alexa says she's having a problem, if she's encircled by an orange glowing ring, or if you tried the above step to no avail, you may need to reboot your Echo device and possibly the router.If your Amazon Echo device has a solid red ring and Alexa isn't responding at all, the mute button has been turned on. Tap the Microphone button to toggle mute on or off. You should warn anyone connected to the Internet before rebooting the router. Everyone connected to the router will lose their Internet connectivity for a few minutes.

Check External Sources to See If There is a Larger Problem

If Amazon's servers are down, you might not be able to use your Alexa device so that's a pretty good clue the problem is with Amazon. However, sometimes Alexa can respond locally so you can always try third-party sources before deciding the problem is on your end. Search Twitter for #alexa or #alexadown. Remember to tap the Latest tab at the top of the search results to get the most up-to-the-second results. When a major service like Alexa goes down, it's usually all over Twitter. Check a down detector. These are websites that monitor complaints on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to determine outages. Unfortunately, these aren't perfect as not every complaint is due to a server issue, and highly populated areas can produce slightly more inaccurate reports. However, a major outage is usually pretty clear on the down detectors. A few good websites to try are are downdetector, outage.report or Is It Down Right Now? Check Alexa on your smartphone. The Alexa app isn't just for setting up your new Echo device, you can also use Alexa through it. Tap the blue circle at the bottom to speak with Alexa. If Alexa is working on your smartphone but Amazon Echo service is down, the problem may be with the smart speaker.

What to Do If Alexa Is Down Just For You

If Alexa told you she was having problems, Twitter or down detectors aren't reporting any problems, and especially if Alexa works on other devices, the problem is on your side. This is usually a quick fix, but if the Internet is out on all of your devices, you may have an issue with your provider. Reboot your Echo. This is as simple as unplugging your smart speaker from the wall and then plugging it back in again. It will take a few seconds for the Echo device to fully reboot. You will see a blue light as it reboots. When the blue light stops flashing, it's ready to take instructions. Try asking if she's down again. Reboot the router. Talk of routers can sometimes make people nervous, but rebooting the router isn't much different than rebooting your Echo. Unplug it from the wall, wait a few seconds, and then plug it back in again. Remember to warn anyone in the household. Everyone will lose Internet until the router boots back up and reconnects. This can take several minutes. Make sure you're connected. Double-check that your Wi-Fi network is connected to the Internet. It's easy to use our smartphones and believe we are properly connected, but your smartphone can connect via 4G rather than Wi-Fi. Use a laptop or tablet to verify the connection, or if you don't have access to these devices, turn off data connectivity on your smartphone and then try to access the Internet. If you are having problems with your Internet connection, our guide to troubleshooting wireless networks may help. Re-connect to Wi-Fi. Try connecting the Amazon Echo to Wi-Fi through the Alexa app on your smartphone. This will ensure you have the right password and are connected to the Internet. In the smartphone app, tap Devices at the bottom.Choose Echo & AlexaSelect the Echo device with the problemTap the Change button next to Wi-Fi Network. This will walk you through connecting to Wi-Fi. Try a new password. If your Wi-Fi password uses the asterisk symbol (*), try changing the password to something without this symbol. Some users report problems connecting with the Echo when this symbol is part of the password even when other devices can connect fine. Reset your Echo. The last step is to reset the Amazon Echo to factory default. Refer to Amazon's instructions on how to reset your specific Alexa-enabled device. After the device is reset, you can set it up just as you did when it was fresh out of the box. This should solve most issues with the device itself.

What Can Alexa Do Without the Internet

If Amazon's servers are down or if you can't connect to the Internet, Alexa will be severely limited. Alexa is considered a "thin" client, which means most of the heavy lifting is done on Amazon's side. This includes voice recognition. For Alexa to understand what you are saying, she records your voice and sends it to Amazon to break it down for her. This means even the most basic commands such as setting a timer will require an Internet connection Your Amazon Echo speaker can still act as a Bluetooth speaker, but you must have previously paired the smartphone, tablet or another device with your Echo. The Echo speaker may experience problems pairing new devices without an Internet connection. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Fix It When Alexa says the Echo is Offline How to Fix 8 Common Alexa and Amazon Echo Issues How to Fix It When Your Alexa Alarm Isn’t Going Off How to Put an Echo Dot in Setup Mode How to Set up the Amazon Echo Show How to Connect Alexa to Your Computer How to Connect Your Android Phone to Alexa Can I Call Alexa From My Phone? Fix Alexa's Having Trouble Understanding Right Now How to Fix Alexa Multi-Room Audio Not Working or Unreachable How to Move With Alexa How to Make Calls Through Your Echo Using Amazon's Alexa Is Reddit Down... Or Is It Just You? How to Reset Alexa on Echo Devices How to Fix It When Alexa Won't Connect to Wi-Fi Does Alexa Need Wi-Fi? Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies