Amazon’s Alexa, their flagship virtual assistant is a pioneering AI device in the industry.
It has a long and growing list of capabilities including voice interactions with the user, music playback, scheduling tasks and making to-do lists,
setting up reminders and alarms, streaming podcasts, providing searchable information such as the weather, news, sports news, traffic information and more.
Moreover, Alexa makes it easier to connect to others through its hand-free call function that only requires you to ask the intuitive virtual PA to call someone.
Alexa also works as a home automation hub for many other smart devices that can be connected and work as a smart network to make life more convenient for the users.
It also has a sleek, portable, and compact design that delivers clear vocals from a smoothing female voice.
Security and user privacy are two other important factors in this device, giving utmost protection to all the personal information you share with the device.
It comes with multiple layers of privacy and has an option to turn the microphone off when you need some extra confidentiality.
Why Does Alexa Randomly Light Up
The thin light ring in Amazon Echo has always been one of the most distinctive features of the device.
Apart from adding an aesthetical oomph factor to the otherwise minimalistic product, the light ring is how Amazon Echo communicates its various statuses from getting a notification to troubleshooting.
Most of the time, you can give a simple voice command like “Alexa, what does your light mean?” to the device, and you will get a clear answer from the AI virtual assistant.
However, it is always handy to know the meanings of the lights beforehand, so you know what the device is trying to communicate without having to dig too deeper into it.
When you are using the device for a while, you will automatically know and remember what the lights mean.
This article is for the new users who are still getting to know the devices and the others who may see a random change of light and do not know what it means.
If the ring stays off without any flickering, spinning, or still light showing, it means that your device is working well without any issues, and waiting for your command to starting being active.
There are several different colors that communicate various things to you, which can be divided into 3 main categories.
- Conversation colors
- Notification colors
- Setup color
Conversation Colors (Blue, White)
These colors appear when the device is trying to engage in a conversation with you or lack thereof.
These are likely some of the most common colors you will see in the device, and you will know that the device is working properly when they appear.
Blue/Cyan Light (Spotlight/Spinning)
There are two different types of “Blue Light” you will see on the light ring. A Cyan spotlight on a blue, and a spinning Cyan color on blue. Cyan on Blue is a regular color you see in the device.
You see the blue color glow when you say “Alexa” which is the wake-word for the device. A wake-word is what triggers a personal assistant device to become active and start processing the request that comes after.
When the blue light with a cyan spotlight starts glowing on your device, it means that Alexa is listening to you, and is processing your request.
When you see the light ring glimmering briefly, you can expect a response to your request from Alexa soon after.
While Light (Solid)
A white light in your light ring indicates the volume levels of your device. You can increase or decrease Alexa’s volume in two different ways.
There is a plus and minus button in the device that you can use, or you can simply do the command “Alexa, volume up” or “Alexa, volume down” until you get to the desired volume level.
The intensity of the color changes depending on the volume level.
While Light (Spinning)
If the white light is making a spinning movement, it means that the device is turned on but it is set to the “Away” mode. Away mode is a special security feature offered by Amazon.
You can set up the Away mode when you go on vacation, or be away from your home for long periods of time. Away mode works along with Alexa Guard settings.
It will send you smart alerts if the device detects the sounds of glass breaking, smoke, or carbon monoxide alarms.
It also has a handy feature that turns lights on and off to warn a possible intruder if you have smart lights connected to your Alexa app. Once you are home, you can change the “Away” mode to “Home” from your app.
Notification Colors (Yellow, Green, Purple, Red)
Notification colors appear when the device is trying to notify you of something. This could mean a message or a call, or even if there is an issue with the device that you have to look into.
Yellow Light (Blinking)
A blinking bright yellow light is Alexa’s way of telling that there is a message or a notification you have not checked yet. It could also be a reminder that you have previously set but missed.
When you see this notification, you can ask the device “Alexa, what are my notifications?”, and the virtual PA would read out any notifications you may have missed.
Another time you see this light is when you have an upcoming Amazon Prime delivery, and the device has a status update for you.
Green Light (Blinking/Spinning)
A blinking or pulsing green light indicates that you are receiving a call. You have to have the call functions enabled on the device for this to appear.
Once you accept the call, the blinking light becomes a spinning green light while you are actively connected to the call.
You can see this when you are using the Drop-In feature to open an instant conversation with another Alexa-supported device as well.
You can activate it by giving the command “Drop in on Kitchen” or another location with an Alexa-enabled device.
Purple (Blinking)
A slowly blinking purple light means that you have the Do Not Disturb feature on. You can turn it on at night, or when you are working from home and you do not want to hear notifications or other sounds from your Amazon Echo.
If you see the blinking purple light during your initial setup, it may mean that you have wi-fi or connectivity issues.
If you see a flash of purple when you try to interact with the device, it means that it cannot respond since you have the Do Not Disturb setting on.
Red (Solid)
A solid red line appears when the microphone of the device is disconnected and Alexa cannot “hear” you. You can simply press the mic on/off button again to enable it.
If you have an Amazon Echo device with a camera, a solid red line could also mean that you are not sharing any video. Your device has to be connected to a fast and stable internet connection for it to work properly.
When you see a red line, check if your wi-fi connection is working well and that the device is connected to it.
Setup Color (Orange)
Orange (Solid/Spinning)
A solid orange ring in Alexa means that the device is experiencing connectivity issues. It also appears when the device is in set-up mode.
You can look at the way the light spins and get an idea about the speed of your network connection. If it is spinning continuously, it means you have a steady internet connection.
If the spinning keeps stopping and you can see it struggles, it means that the device is struggling to connect to your wi-fi or internet network. If the orange spinning light goes on for long, check your internet connection.
Is my echo dot haunted or is there something nefarious going on here? For no apparent reason, my echo continues to wake me up in the middle of the night with a white solid ring of light and an annoying thing. Any idea what’s going on here?
i asked alexa why it lit up with a spinning blue light for about 45 seconds which gradually turned green and stopped. she told me she did not have that information.
i also have a google device that seems to have much more information than alexa does. can alexa become smarter or learn to access google information?
Did you ever learn what happened ? Mine just did at 4am and I’m a little freaked out
Our Alexa echo has had a blue light come on when no one Amy’s anything and stay on for a seconds
Alexa yellow light came on and stayed on for hours so I told Alexa what are me messages / notifications, Alexa respond then the lights turned off.
I am very happy with my Alexa and I love my Alexa
Alexa yellow light came on and stayed on for hours so I asked Alexa what are my messages/notifications, Alexa respond then the lights turned off.
I am very happy with my Alexa and I love my Alexa.
Mine’s doing that, too. Do you know why?
We have an Echo plus and an Echo Dot. They both have a green/yellow solid light, and they both seem to be working fine. No notifications, no messages. Can’t get the lights to go off. Should I disconnect and re-connect?
Our Alexa Dot randomly lights up in the middle of the night while we’re sleeping. It makes a small ding sound and then flashes for a short while. The ding is what wake us up. We do not have it set up to make/answer calls, or connected to any speakers. It’s a little scary.
I’ve just had this. Did you find out why it does it?
mine will light up blue and stay lit up for a solid minute while nothing is happening. I didnt say a word and the house is quite. I am concerned it is listening when it shouldn’t
mine did that too! worried it caught something i couldn’t hear. spooked out for sure
Same!!