It seems like everyone has an Alexa nowadays. For all the joy and ease of life these devices bring, sometimes they bring a lot of trouble along with them.
One of the most common problems people are experiencing is that Alexa isn’t listening to voice commands, particularly when playing music.
If your Alexa doesn’t hear you, it’s likely because it doesn’t understand your command. You can fix this by resetting the device, ensuring everything is linked correctly, and giving more specific commands.
Normally, if your Alexa isn’t responding to you, particularly when already in the midst of doing a task, such as playing music, then it’s because Alexa doesn’t understand what you’re asking.
So, let’s talk about some steps you can take to fix this problem.
Alexa not hearing me when playing music: 5 fixes
#1: Start by resetting the device
When having electronic issues, the best thing to do is to start by resetting your device. Even for major problems, a hard reset will often do the trick.
To quickly reset an Alexa, unplug it from the power socket.
Once you reboot, try the commands again and see if this fixes the problem.
You may need to do a factory reset on the device, but you’ll want to try to avoid this option until you’ve tried other things.
Factory resets completely reset the device back to brand new, and no one wants to lose all their settings and information.
However, if you decide the device needs to be reset, you can do it through the Alexa app.
For a detailed explanation of how to do this, check out this article.
#2: Make sure Alexa is synced to WiFi properly
After resetting your Alexa, you’ll want to make sure that it syncs properly to your WiFi and that all interconnected Alexas are synced properly.
The device not syncing is one of the primary reasons Alexa may not be obeying your commands.
Sometimes, if the device connection is going in and out, it can create issues with Alexa’s response time.
If two devices aren’t linked together, something that happens fairly often is that you give a command to an Alexa located in one room, expecting that the command will also affect your Alexa in another room.
Instead, you get no response. This is because Alexa doesn’t recognize the command for that room.
For example, let’s say you have an Alexa in your kitchen and bedroom.
In the bedroom, Alexa is playing music.
“Turn off music, Alexa.”
You say from the kitchen.
If the devices aren’t properly synced, then the kitchen Alexa gets confused and believes the kitchen is silent.
Therefore you don’t get a response.
You can ensure your Alexa is synced with your WiFi connection by using the Alexa app.
It’s a fairly simple process – here’s what you need to do:
- Access your settings by tapping More on the bottom bar and then tapping Settings.
- Go into Device Settings.
- Select your device and tap Change next to the WiFi.
From here, Alexa will continue the setup process.
The device should direct you completely through the process, but just in case it doesn’t, here’s a quick rundown.
You’ll need to select your WiFi network and enter the password.
Afterward, you’ll connect it, and you should be good to go as far as your WiFi sync goes.
To sync multiple Alexa devices together, simply tap Devices and then Add Device.
From here, add each Alexa device and where they are located.
#3: Try pressing the microphone button to ensure Alexa can hear you
Sometimes Alexa just needs an extra push to respond.
If you’ve already tried resetting your device and resyncing everything and find that Alexa is still not responding, this can be a quick test.
If you push the microphone button and it fixes Alexa, you’ll know that the device is still responding to your commands.
Occasionally, the microphone just gets shut off somehow.
If this is the case, you’ll notice a red light on your Alexa, which indicates that the microphone has been turned off.
Once you hit the mic button, your Alexa should recognize your voice again.
Read also: 3 Easy Steps To Get Alexa To Whisper
#4: Ensure there is minimal background noise and speak clearly
The problem with electronics is that you have to speak very clearly for them to understand you.
If you’re muttering or are too far away, the device simply won’t pick up on your voice.
If you’ve already gone through the previous steps and Alexa still isn’t responding, then more than likely, the issue is that you aren’t speaking clearly or that you have too much background noise.
Fix this problem by creating a fairly silent environment.
Of course, this isn’t going to be completely possible if Alexa is still playing music in the midst of it, but you should try to eliminate other background noises such as talking, kids playing, and so on.
Then speak clearly to Alexa. It’s best to enunciate your words and get closer to the device.
Sometimes it’s hard for Alexa to hear you when you aren’t within a few feet of the device.
#5: Perform the dreaded factory reset
I mentioned a factory reset briefly when I talked about unplugging your device.
However, now we’ve reached the time when you may actually need to reset your device if Alexa still isn’t responding.
Just remember to back up all your information before doing a factory reset so that you don’t lose anything important in the process.
The process will differ slightly depending on which device Alexa device you have.
For more information, check out this article for a helpful guide on how to do a factory reset.
You might also be interested in: 3 Ways To Play Apple Music On An Alexa Device (Guide)
Conclusion
So, that’s it! Normally, fixing an Alexa isn’t an overly complicated process, but it can be an issue if your device is especially stubborn.
As a quick review, first try unplugging the device and then restarting it (this is not a factory reset).
Then make sure everything is synced and the microphone is on.
You can also try speaking while pressing the microphone button. Make sure you’re speaking very clearly and with minimal background noise.
If none of these things work, you might need a factory reset. However, most of the time, it won’t get to that.