Whenever a red ring or red light pops up on your favorite gadget, it’s rarely an indication of something positive. From low-battery warnings to the old Red Ring of Death on your Xbox 360, red lights are universally unwelcome. However, a red ring on your Alexa device isn’t necessarily a bad thing — it does, however, indicate that you won’t be able to issue voice commands to your device.
If you’re not interested in using voice commands with your Alexa gadget, then the red ring is nothing to worry about. But if you’re looking to harness its full potential and control your smart home from across the room, you’ll probably want to get rid of the red ring as soon as possible.
Thankfully, fixing a red ring on Alexa is quite easy. And the steps work for most Alexa devices, too. So whether you’re using an Echo Show, Echo Pop, or anything in between, here’s a look at what the red light means on Alexa and how to make it go away.
Echo or Echo Show, along with some other Alexa devices
For many Echo devices, a red ring simply means the microphone has been turned off. The device can no longer pick up voices, including wake words and voice commands, so the Echo will also stop responding when the red light is on. Sometimes this no-microphone mode is enabled on purpose for privacy reasons; other times, it can happen by accident, especially when you move around an Echo device. That means there might be instances in which you want the red ring to appear, especially if you have privacy concerns.
Other devices where Alexa is built-in may use similar indicator lights as well, so our steps may work for them, too.
Step 1: Look for the microphone button on your Alexa device. Typically, this looks like a small microphone icon or a circle with a slash through it. The button is usually on the top of your Echo and easy to spot. Press it, and see if the red ring disappears. Confirm that your Echo is working by giving Alexa a brief voice command.
Step 2: Pressing the small microphone button is often enough to solve the problem. But if your Echo is stuck on a red ring no matter how much you press the microphone button, it could be frozen or have a similar problem. Unplug it, wait for several seconds, then plug it back in and let your Echo power back up. Now try to use the microphone button and see if it’s working properly.
Step 3: You can also check your Wi-Fi connection and make sure your Echo is connected to your Wi-Fi network. Sometimes this can cause problems with Alexa responding to commands or Echo settings that won’t turn off. Verify the Echo is in range, and try disconnecting it from your Wi-Fi, then reconnecting it. If this doesn’t work, try resetting your Wi-Fi router and see if that helps fix the problem. Spotty Wi-Fi can sometimes trigger the same red ring as a muted microphone, so give you connection a closer look if the microphone button doesn’t do the trick.
Step 4: Check your Echo for physical damage. A drop or dent could be interfering with the microphone capabilities and automatically switching your mic off occasionally or disabling it permanently. This may also be the result of internal damage, such as getting the top of your Echo wet. There’s not much you can do in the case of physical damage, but if you are not responsible for the defect, then Amazon’s limited warranty may help out.
Echo Shows have similar indicators as well — often a bar on the display that will change colors based on the setting. On an Echo Show, a red indicator light can also mean the microphone is not working. In this case, it will also turn off the camera. Fortunately, the steps above should also work to solve any red light issues on a Show. However, on some Show models, the power button and the mic button are the same, so watch out for that and consult your manual if necessary.
The new Echo Pop doesn’t have the same light ring as the Echo Dot lineup, but it does use a similar light bar to let you know its status. And if you see the Echo Pop light bar turn red, there’s a good chance it’s because the microphone has been disabled. You can fix this problem using the same method described above – simply tap the Mute button found on the top of your Echo Pop. If that doesn’t work, try unplugging it, then plugging it back in.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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