How to fix Alexa not understanding you
Your Amazon Alexa device may run into a few issues which result in the infamous “I’m having trouble understanding right now”, but this issue can be easily resolved by following these steps.
These steps only apply to the following Amazon Products: Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, Echo Flex, Echo Studio & Newer Echo Devices
- Restart your Alexa Device – Turning it off and back on again is the common joke within the IT industry, with good reason. Restarting your echo device can clear any cached files or potentially corrupt software that needs a fresh start.
- Check the WiFi connection – Alexa simply won’t work without a stable internet connection. Whether it’s a 2.4GHz or 5GHz connection, your device should be in range of your router and have a stable connection. When in double remove the current connection and re-add it from scratch.
- Simply wait – Sometimes the issue is due to the Amazon Servers, when you send a voice command, the data is sent over the internet and revived by the Amazon servers which then relays an answer back to your device. If this journey of data has an issue, you won’t be able to control your devices. Check out the Alexa Status Here.
- Check for a system update – I know it sounds simple, but try asking Alexa if she’s due a firmware update. Sometimes having a discrepancy in versions can cause communication issues between the client and server. Simply ask “Alexa, check for updates”. This does require an internet connection.
- Reset your device entirely – Hopefully you won’t need to do this, but should the problem arise, you can follow Amazon’s direct instructions to reset your Alexa device.
