The Amazon Echo is considered by many to be the best smart speaker on the market. The Echo functions as a smart home assistant, Bluetooth speaker, trivia machine, intercom system and more, and it all begins with that iconic light ring. However, who among us hasn't been flummoxed by a random ring light and color pattern, and didn't know what our smart assistant was trying to tell us? If you've ever been in that situation, this quick and easy guide will help you decipher what each of the colors and patterns that appear on the Amazon Echo mean.
Note: These notifications are universal to all Echo speaker devices, regardless of generation. They do not apply to the Echo Show or Echo Spot, where the notifications pop up on the screen.
Solid blue with spinning cyan lights
This light appears when you first supply power to the device. It indicates that the device is performing its initial setup, or that the device is powering back on after power is restored. The more cyan that appears while spinning, the closer the device's setup is to finishing.
Solid blue with cyan pointing in the direction that a person is speaking
This light pattern shows up after you utilize the wake word for your Alexa device to issue a request. If you're getting frustrated with seeing this light on every single Echo in your home when you try to talk to a specific speaker next to you, consider changing the wake word for each individual Echo device in your house.
Alternating solid blue and cyan
The device is responding to your request. Depending on the request, it may pulsate alternating blue and cyan for longer periods of time, but no longer than three seconds, depending on your Wi-Fi connection and what the request is.
Spinning (clockwise) orange light
This light pattern is typically seen in setup mode. This light shows up when the Echo device is connecting to the Wi-Fi network that you specified in the Alexa application.
Solid red light
This shows that your Echo device's microphone has been turned off. Press the Microphone button to turn the microphone back on.
Pulsing yellow light
Expecting an Amazon order delivery? Did someone leave a message for you? The pulsing yellow light indicates that there is a message or a notification waiting for you. When this light appears, simply say Play my messages, or What are my notifications?
Pulsing green light
This is related to the Skype, Alexa Communication, and Drop-In features. When this green light pulses, it means that you are either receiving a call or that someone is Dropping In on your device.
Green light spinning (clockwise)
This light pattern only shows when you're on an active call or a Drop-In is active on your device.
White light
This light shows up while you are adjusting the volume level on your Echo device. A full white light is max volume (level 10) while no visible white light means the volume is at its minimum level (level 0/muted.)
Continuous pulsing violet light
This light shows up if there is an issue with your Wi-Fi connection or setup. To repair this, you should either restart your Echo device by removing it from power for three seconds and plugging it back in or restarting your network hardware. Amazon has more on fixes for this in the Echo Device Help section of its website.
Single flash of purple light (after an interaction with Alexa)
This means you have enabled Do Not Disturb on your Echo device manually, or have set up a Do Not Disturb schedule in the Alexa application.
Continous spinning white light
This occurs when you set Alexa Guard to Away Mode. Whenever you return and tell Alexa "I'm home," the light will turn off.
Now you know
Now you know what each light means when it pops up on your Echo device. No more frustratingly scouring Google for you Echo users, just the satisfaction of being able to understand what each of the colors in this Echo rainbow of notification lights means to you.
More helpful products
Here are some additional products that can help you take advantage of the different colored light ring notifications that the Amazon Echo employs to communicate with you.
ecobee4 Smart Thermostat ($200 at Amazon)
The ecobee4 has Alexa built-in, and as such, it plays fabulously well with any of your Echo devices. Ecobee even includes a separate room sensor with the ecobee4 so that it can attune its controls to keep the proper temperature at both ends of your house.
Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Starter Pack ($200 at Amazon)
Philips Hue, which is one of the most popular smart light brands, has unlimited possibilities when it comes to invoking your personality via your lights.
Amazon Smart Plug ($25 at Amazon)
Adding voice control to any outlet is an inexpensive way to make your dumb product smart, and the Amazon Smart Plug is the best way to kick start your smart home experience.
