If it doesn’t answer your questions, what is the use of a smart speaker? You’d rather get a simple Bluetooth speaker instead. Frustrated by many Amazon Echo users, Alexa does not respond to their voice commands. When they issue a command, Alexa hears it but doesn’t say anything. If your Alexa is also showing on mute, this post will tell you why Alexa is not talking to you and how to fix it.
Some Amazon Echo (Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Echo Show, etc.) users encountering this issue suggest that Alexa received the command but was not working on it. For others, Alexa performs the command without responding to the user or confirming the action.
Let’s understand why Alexa is silent on you and offers several ways to get it to talk.
1. Incorrect Changes
The first thing you should try is restarting your Amazon Echo speaker. Usually we make a specific change to the Alexa app and it is not immediately applied. Thus causing problems. For example, a user changed their Wi-Fi password and caused problems with Alexa. A simple reboot applied the changes and brought back the sound of the Amazon Echo. Unplug the device for 10-15 seconds to restart your Echo. Then plug it back in.
2. Low Volume
While it sounds counterintuitive, the low volume could also be the reason why Alexa isn’t talking back. Use the physical buttons on the Echo speaker to increase the volume. Alternatively, issue commands such as ‘Alexa, volume 5’ or ‘Alexa, volume up’. For those who don’t know, Alexa has ten volume levels. So you can go all the way to volume 10.
You can also check the current volume in the Alexa app settings. To do this, open the Alexa app and tap on Devices. Tap your device under Echo & Alexa.
Change the volume under Audio.
3. Changed the wake word for Alexa
The wake word is the name used to call Alexa. By default it is Alexa, but you can change it to Computer, Echo or Amazon. If Alexa is not listening to you at all, you may have changed the wake word.
For example, one of my colleagues had changed the wake word to Computer and then reset the Echo. Because resetting the Echo cleared customization, Alexa didn’t respond to the previous wake word – Computer and this left her unaware for a while.
So, check the wake word that is currently set. For this, open the Alexa app. Go to your Echo speaker under Devices > Echo & Alexa > (Your Echo device). Scroll down and tap Wake Word. Choose the correct wake-up word.
Note: The wake word is device specific. If you have multiple Echo devices, you will need to authenticate them one by one.
4. Attachment to External Device
If your Echo supports plugging in an external device such as speakers or headphones, you should plug it in once and then unplug it. Sometimes, your Echo thinks it is still connected to the external device due to incorrect removal of the device. So you don’t hear anything from Echo. So, plug and unplug the aux cable of any external speakers or headphones into your Echo.
5. Short Mode
Typically, when you ask or tell Alexa to do something, it responds with a confirmation command. If you use Alexa often, verbal feedback can be annoying at times. To make Alexa a little less talkative, Amazon has a special feature for its voice assistant known as Short mode. When enabled, you will hear a simple beep or chime after commands that are supposed to do something.
This mode could also be the reason why Alexa isn’t talking to you. To fix it, you need to disable the Short mode. For this, open the Alexa app and tap on the three-bar icon at the top. Choose Settings.
In Settings, scroll down and tap Voice Replies. Turn off the toggle next to short mode.
Pro Tip: You should also try disabling Whisper mode in the Voice Replies setting. Alexa may hear your voice as a whisper due to the noise in your location. As a result, he would respond with a whisper (or in a low voice) that you couldn’t hear. So one might think that Alexa is not talking.
6. Follow Mode
Combined with the Short mode, the Follow mode on Alexa can also cause no sound from Alexa. When you give a command to Alexa, it may beep (due to Short mode) and continue listening (due to Follow mode). As a result, you might think Alexa is not responding. But in reality, it does its job well. You can also try disabling the follow mode and see if Alexa works as intended for you.
Launch the Alexa app to enable or disable follow mode. Go to Devices and then Echo & Alexa > your Echo device. Tap on Follow mode. Disable it.
7. Incompatible Last Loaded Skill
Sometimes, Alexa skills may not work as expected, causing Alexa to be silent. Have you recently added a new skill to Alexa? Remove the last added skill and check if Alexa responds after that.
To add or remove skills, open the Alexa app and tap the three-bar icon at the top. Select Skills and Games from the menu. Go to your skills.
Tap the skill you want to disable. Press the Disable Skill button.
Note: Check out the 13 essential Alexa skills for every Amazon Echo user.
8. Paired Bluetooth Devices
It can also happen that Alexa is not speaking if your Echo is connected to a Bluetooth device. Audio is routed from a Bluetooth device, specifically a headset. So, check the paired devices and verify that no device is trying to connect.
Launch the Alexa app to control paired Bluetooth devices in the app. Then go to Devices > Echo & Alexa > (Echo device with problem). Tap on Bluetooth Devices in your Echo device settings. Make sure no devices are trying to connect.
Pro Tip: You can also say “Alexa, Disconnect Bluetooth” to disconnect from any device.
9. Incompatible Default Music Service for Alexa
If you are trying to play music from a particular music provider and Alexa is not responding or playing the music, you will need to make that app a default provider. Learn how to make a music service provider the default on Alexa.
Users encountering this issue were able to play the music directly through the music app like Spotify, but when they asked Alexa to do the same, it did not respond. Learn how to fix Alexa not playing music from Amazon Music and Alexa having problems with Spotify.
Stop Silent Treatment
If Alexa is still not responding or you have to restart it over and over, your internet speed may be an issue. If the problem persists, you can also try resetting your Echo device. After resetting, follow our guide on how to set up Echo like a pro and various tips to fix Echo setup issues.
Next: Alexa can be used to call people and make appointments. Find out how the two features differ in our next post.
