What Does Every Alexa Light Color Mean?

what Alexa lights mean

Discover exactly what the Alexa light on your Echo Speaker means, from error alerts, to call notifications, messages, and speaker statuses.

Aside from the vocal feedback/responses, the main way that Alexa alerts you is by using the light ring that runs around the top edge of every Echo speaker. The light ring on your Amazon Echo speaker is used to communicate several different things to you, letting you know at a glance that an action has been performed or action is needed.

The amount of different Alexa light communications has been reduced recently, simplifying things for users, but there are still a few different light colors to learn.

Red Light Ring

The red Alexa light appears when you have turned the microphone or camera off on your Echo device using the button on the top. Your Echo device is essentially disabled when the light is red, and you cannot ask Alexa anything, make calls or drop-ins, etc. Red also displays when there are device errors, such as Alexa being unavailable or issues with Wi-Fi connectivity.

Cyan/Blue Light Ring

You will see a blue light after you interact with your echo speaker and Alexa, and it means that Alexa is processing your current request. If the blue light is only in one section of the light ring, it means Alexa is listening in that direction.

If the light on your Echo speaker is spinning blue and cyan, it can mean a few different things. Most of the time, it means Alexa is starting up, and the light will stop after a few seconds. If the blue light continues to spin for more than 30 seconds, it signifies a problem.

 

alexa lights

Orange Light Ring

If you see the orange Alexa light, your Echo device is telling you that it is trying to connect to the Wi-Fi or to the Amazon Alexa app. If the orange light persists for more than 3o seconds, try unplugging the Echo and then plugging it back in. You can also check the Alexa app on your phone/tablet for information.

The only other time you should see the orange light is during the initial setup of the Echo speaker.

Yellow Light Ring

A gently pulsing yellow light is Alexa telling you that there is a message or a notification (from Amazon.com for example) waiting for you. To listen to the message or notification, simply say:

Alexa, what are my messages/notifications

Green Light Ring

A pulsing green light means a call is coming in, a spinning green light means that your Echo device is on an active call. A green light can also mean that you are in an active Drop In, if you have this feature set up (you can read how to set up Drop In here). To end the call or drop in, you can say:

Alexa, end the call/end the drop in

Purple Light Ring

A purple light means that the Do Not Disturb mode has been activated. While in this state, your Echo and Alexa will not interact with you. You can control do not disturb mode in the Alexa app on your phone or tablet. You can also enable Do No Disturb by saying:

Alexa, turn on Do Not Disturb

White Light Ring

A white half ring appears when you have asked Alexa to adjust the volume on your Echo speaker, or if you have pressed the volume buttons on the device. If you see a spinning white light, it means Alexa Guard is turned on and in Away mode. You can return Alexa to Home mode in the Alexa app.

 


Ask Alexa What a Light Color Means

If you ever see a light on your Echo speaker and cannot remember what it means, you can also simply ask. Say:

Alexa, why is your light green?

Or

Alexa, why is your light yellow?