Why is Alexa red and not understanding?

Without doubt, Alexa is one of the most convenient AI technology in the market today. However, there are occasions that your Alexa Amazon Echo speaker may turn red and fail to follow your commands.

The Alexa Amazon Echo speaker is equipped with a flashing ring on the top side which illuminates different colors. Well, at first you may assume that these flashing lights are just there to make the speaker look appealing to the eye however, this is not the case. All these lights have their own different meaning and it’s a way in which the speaker can communicate to you about different things. For example, the speaker will show a green light when you are on call using the speaker then turn off immediately you are done with the call. The other colors that are illuminated by the speaker include yellow, orange, purple and the notorious red light.

When your speaker shows a red light, it means that you have muted your microphone therefore Alexa is not able to hear you. Therefore, this also hinders Alexa from understanding what you are saying. This is a common problem that Amazon Echo speaker users experience however, there is really nothing much to worry about. This is because you can easily unmute yourself by pressing the mute button again. Once you have done this, Alexa will be able to hear you clearly and follow your commands.

The table below shows you the different lights that your Alexa Amazon Echo speaker shows and what they mean.

What you should do to manage the lights on the Alexa Amazon speaker

For sure, the ring light is a very important feature that is equipped in every Alexa Amazon Echo speaker. This is because it informs you on what is going on with Alexa. However, you can also switch off these different light colors if you feel like you don’t need them. You can easily download the Alexa app from Google Play store on your phone and control different functions of Alexa. In addition to this, the app comes with a user- friendly interface that is easy to operate even for beginners.

How to switch off yellow light

Once you have downloaded the Alexa app on your phone, you should go to notifications and click on “Amazon shopping”. After you have done this, you should select “remove notifications” so that the yellow light doesn’t light up when you have notifications including delivery of packages. For sure, the Alexa app makes everything much easier as you don’t really have to do much to set up your Amazon Echo speaker.

How to switch off green light

Well, it is also very simple switching off this specific light on your Alexa Amazon Echo speaker. Firstly, you should log in to your Alexa app on your phone and click on settings. After you have done this, head to device settings and choose your Amazon Echo speaker as it is the specific device that you intend to set up. Then click on “do not disturb” to turn on this mode.

Your Alex Amazon Echo speaker will no longer show the green light after you have successfully done this. In addition to this, you can also set specific scheduled times that you’d like the green light to be off by adjusting the “do not disturb” mode times.

How to switch off red light

The red light on your Alexa Amazon Echo speaker basically shows you that Alexa isn’t able to listen to your commands. Therefore, all you have to do in order to turn off this light is pressing the mute button so that you can unmute the Alexa Amazon Echo speaker. Once you have done this successfully, the red light will go off and Alexa will be able to understand you and do as you command.

How to switch off orange and purple light

Unfortunately, you can’t permanently switch off the orange and purple light on your Alexa Amazon Echo speaker. This is because they basically alert you on Wi-Fi connectivity. The best you can do is to ensure that Alexa is always connected to your Wi-Fi for these lights to go off.

How to fix Alexa when it doesn’t understand you even when you have unmuted the Echo speaker

Switch off then switch on the Alexa Amazon Echo speaker

This is the first thing that you should do when you encounter this problem with Alexa. It may sound like a really simple solution but it for sure works wonders. You are supposed to switch off the speaker and unplug it from the power source and let it rest for 5 minutes then plug it back in. Once you have done this, Alexa may be able to understand you again when you say your commands.

Wait for a few hours and then try again

Well, sometimes the issue with Alexa not understanding you may lie on the end of Amazon and not your Alexa Amazon Echo speaker. This is normally caused by an error message which is cleared by the Amazon technical team once reported. Therefore, when this happens you should just wait for a few hours and then try speaking to Alexa again to see if it will understand you.

If Alexa still doesn’t understand you, call the Amazon customer care center and tell them the issue that you are experiencing so that they can help.

Reset you Alexa Amazon Echo speaker

You are required to reset your Amazon Echo speaker if you have tried the above methods and Alexa still fails to understand you.

Conclusion

The Alexa Amazon speaker is equipped with a light ring that lights up in different colors. This is a very convenient feature as it allows the Alexa Amazon Echo speaker to communicate to you. The red light basically shows you that Alexa is not able to understand you however, you can easily fix this by unmuting the Echo speaker. Once you have done this, Alexa will be able to understand you and do as you command.

FAQs

Is the Alexa app free?

Yes, you are not required to pay any money when downloading the Alexa app from Google Play Store. All you need is enough storage space on your mobile phone to download it.

Can Alexa fail to understand me because it is running on an outdated software?

Yes, Alexa may not be able to understand you if your Amazon Echo speaker is still running on outdated software. You are required to frequently update the software on your Echo speaker for Alexa to work properly throughout.v