What To Do When Alexa Turns Red?(10 Fixes)

If you see a red ring on your Echo or other Alexa device, you may wonder what is going on.

When Alexa turns red, there are a few things you can do. Reboot your router. Switch it off, wait for a few minutes, power it back on. Unlink and reconnect your device to the Wi-Fi network. Turn your Alexa off/on a few times. Reset Alexa. Power it off, turn it back on. Perform a factory reset. Open your Alexa app>Devices>Echo & Alexa>choose your device>Factory Reset. Unmute your microphone.

Amazon uses colors that are linked to particular issues so that you can easily troubleshoot your device. So let’s figure out how we can fix that annoying red ring on the Alexa device.

Why Does Alexa Turn Red?

Alexa turns red to alert you that something needs your attention.

In fact, Amazon uses color-coding to match different issues with different colors, which makes it much easier to troubleshoot when your device isn’t doing what it is supposed to do.

Internet Connection Issues

The first thing to check is your Wi-Fi connection on the device.

Alexa turns red when it loses its Internet connection, and it will show a blinking red light.

In this case, you should check your Wi-Fi and see if it is working with other devices in the house.

Microphone is Muted

The second reason that Alexa turns red is that your microphone is muted.

When this happens, Alexa is unable to hear your requests, and it will show a solid red ring. Alexa won’t be able to respond to you until you turn your microphone back on.

Your Camera is Off

If you have an Echo Show, it could also indicate that your camera is off.

On this device, you will see a red line rather than a ring, and it will be steady. It indicates that there is a problem with your camera connection.

What to Do When Alexa Turns Red

When Alexa turns red, you need to determine the reason and solve the problem.

The first thing to do is to note whether the red ring is blinking or solid.

The Red Ring is Blinking

If you see the red ring blinking on and off, it is telling you that Alexa is having trouble connecting to the Internet.

Most of the time, this is due to a problem with your Wi-Fi connection.

1. Test other Devices

Start by checking your Internet connection on other devices in the home.

If you find that your laptop or your phone has trouble connecting to Wi-Fi, then you know that the problem isn’t with Alexa.

You can check your router, and try resetting it to see if your devices are able to connect.

2. Reset your Modem/Router

You can reset your modem and your wireless router to establish a connection.

Usually, there is a reset button on these devices, and you will hold it down until it resets. Wait about five minutes to see if Alexa connects.

Alternatively, you can switch off your router by unplugging it from the power source, wait for a few minutes, then power it back on.

3. Turn it Off/On

This is a simple way to fix almost any software-related issue on electronic devices.

Alexa is not an exception. Simply turn your Alexa off, wait for a minute or so, plug it back in.

Try doing it a few times if, at first, it doesn’t work.

4. Reset your Alexa 

If your Internet is coming into your home and Alexa isn’t connecting, you can also reset your Alexa device to get rid of the red ring.

Power it off or unplug it, wait for about a minute, and then turn it back on.

Once it is on, see if it connects to Wi-Fi. Sometimes rebooting your Alexa device works to get Alexa up and running.

5. Reconnect your Alexa to Wi-Fi Network

If nothing so far has worked for you, let’s go ahead and try to reconnect Alexa to the Wi-Fi network to see if it fixes the issue.

Follow these steps:

1. On your Alexa device, press and hold the Dot button (Action button).
2. Wait till Alexa will start flashing orange.
3. Open the Alexa App on your phone.
4. Click on your Alexa device and select Wi-Fi network.
5. Re-establish the Wi-Fi connection in the Alexa app.

6. Unlink your Alexa 

Sometimes there can be an issue with your Alexa and your phone app communication, which can cause it to malfunction.

Let’s try to unlink your Alexa from your account, and then reconnect it again.

1)First, remove your Alexa device from the list of connected devices.

1. Open the Alexa app.
2. Select Devices.
3. Select All Devices.
4. Select your Alexa device.
5. Select Deregister.
6. Click OK to deregister your device.

2)Now, factory reset your Alexa by holding the dot button(Action button) button on your device until your Alexa flashes orange. Continue holding the button until Alexa says, “Now resetting your device”.

3)Then, wait a few minutes and reconnect your device.

1. Plugin your Alexa device.
2. Open the Alexa app.
3. Open More and select Add a Device.
4. Select your device type.
5. Follow the instructions to set up your device.

7. Factory Reset Alexa 

If none of these options work, and you can still see the red ring, you can reset your Alexa device back to your factory settings. To do this, follow the steps below:

1. Open your Alexa app on your phone.
2. Go to “Devices.”
3. Tap “Echo & Alexa,” and choose which Echo you want to factory reset.
4. Scroll down to “Factory Reset” and confirm your choice.

The Red Ring is Solid

The other potential issue occurs when Alexa has a solid red ring.

In this case, the problem is that the microphone on your device isn’t working. Alexa will not be able to hear your requests.

8. Check the Microphone

You may be able to fix it by pushing the microphone button to turn it on.

This button is on top of your Echo, and you can press it to turn the microphone on or off.

The red ring should turn off when you press the button.

9. Reset your Alexa Device

However, if this doesn’t work, you should reset your Alexa device.

There are a lot of different Amazon Echo devices, but you can reset any of them through your Alexa app.

This works whether you use an Android or an iOS device.

Follow these steps to reset your Echo through the Amazon app:

1. Open the Alexa app on your smartphone.
2. Go to the bottom bar and select “Devices.”
3. Select “Echo & Alexa.”
4. Select the device you want to reset and choose “Factory Reset.”
5. Wait for the ring to turn orange.
6. Set up your device.

When the ring on your Alexa device turns orange, you will know that the Echo received your command to perform a factory reset.

The orange light will turn off and then on again when it is ready for you to set up your device again.

Once you complete the setup, the red light should be gone and Alexa should be working again.

10. Update your Alexa

Another possibility is that you need to update the software on your Alexa device.

Software updates ensure that you have the latest version, and they usually resolve any glitches or bugs.

Sometimes, your red light could come on for no apparent reason, but updating your device will get rid of it.

Follow these steps to update your software:

1. Open the Alexa app on your smartphone.
2. Go to “Settings”
3. Choose “Device option > About.”
4. Look for the latest software and select it.

Alexa will download and install the latest software update, which will get rid of any glitches and technical issues that you may be having.

This is another option when Alexa turns red.

Final Thoughts

When Alexa turns red, you might be worried that something is seriously wrong.

However, Alexa assigns different colors to different issues, and a red ring isn’t difficult to resolve.

Your device may be having trouble connecting to the Internet, or your microphone might be turned off.