It happens every so often—the blue light on your Alexa keeps spinning as if it’s trying to process something. It can be alarming watching the light turn with no end in sight. Is Alexa broken, or is it something less serious?
Let’s figure out the hows and whys of Alexa’s blue light together.
Why Does My Alexa’s Blue Light Keep Spinning?
When you see that the Alexa blue light keeps spinning, it could mean several things.
Whether your Alexa is in the process of restarting or updating its firmware, there’s a meaning behind that spinning blue light.
Alexa Is Restarting
Your Alexa might be in the process of restarting.
If you recently restarted or unplugged your Alexa to move it to a new spot, the blue light signals that it is turning on.
The same is true if your power went out or you experienced some kind of surge that would have caused Alexa to restart.
How To Solve It
If Alexa is restarting, all you need to do is wait for it to finish powering on.
Alexa Is Updating Firmware
Because Alexa is connected to the internet, it automatically receives software updates through Wi-Fi. The smartphone app can check whether your Alexa is running the most recent software version.
How To Solve It
Alexa will automatically boot up after the firmware update is installed, so unless it gets stuck, there is nothing you need to do on your end.
Alexa Is in Pairing Mode
Your Alexa might be in pairing mode if it’s new and this is your first time turning it on, or you’re trying to connect it to a new Alexa-compatible device. If this is what you’re trying to accomplish, Alexa will confirm when the pairing of both devices finishes.
How To Solve It
To get Alexa out of pairing mode, all you have to do is finish pairing Alexa to your device. If you didn’t intend for your device to go into pairing mode, all you have to do is say, “Alexa, stop pairing.” Alternatively, you can check the pairing status in the smartphone app.
Alexa Was Triggered
If you didn’t intend to wake Alexa, this is what Amazon calls a “false wake.” A false wake occurs when Alexa hears something similar to her name, such as “Alex” or someone waking her during an Amazon commercial.
Amazon’s world-class scientists and engineers work hard to improve Alexa to prevent false wakes. However, it’s not perfect, and Alexa is still learning.
How To Solve It
In the case of a false wake, you don’t need to do anything. Alexa will eventually give up on trying to hear a command.
Alexa Is Processing a Command
When Alexa is processing a command, the blue light will spin to show its thinking. If the blue light continues spinning, it could indicate an issue with your Alexa or Wi-Fi connection.
How To Solve It
When Alexa struggles to process a command, you may need to wait it out so that you can submit your request again.
In the event that the Alexa blue light keeps spinning, you’ll want to turn it off and on. Restarting should resolve the issue.
If you find that it’s still struggling to understand you, you will need to restart your router.
Alexa Is on Do Not Disturb Mode
If your Alexa is in Do Not Disturb (DND) mode, your Alexa will have a blue circle light that has a slight purple flicker to it. To take Alexa out of DND mode, you’ll need to command her to stop.
How To Solve It
You can turn off Alexa’s Do Not Disturb mode in your app settings. Launch the Alexa app and select Menu > Settings > Device Settings. At this point, you’ll need to choose your device and select “Do Not Disturb.”
You can also say, “Alexa, turn on/off. Do Not Disturb.” Alexa will acknowledge your request verbally and let you know that it’s turned the function on or off.
Alexa Guard is Set to Away Mode
If Alexa Guard is set to “Away Mode,” sometimes the devices begins to glitch, resulting in a spinning blue light. Often you can stop the spinning blue light by simply turning Away Mode off.
How To Solve It
Tell Alexa to turn off Guard Mode (Devices > Guard > toggle to “Home”) and see if the spinning blue light stops.
What Should I Do if None of Those Reasons Apply?
The above-mentioned reasons are the most common causes for why the Alexa blue light keeps spinning. If you find that none of these explanations cover why the blue light is on, you may be facing a more serious issue.
Alexa Might Have an Electrical Issue
If your Alexa is still acting up after you tried all the other methods of fixing it, your device may have an electrical issue. Fixing it could be as simple as replacing the cord.
*”Checking the power cord” is common troubleshooting advice that, frankly, isn’t typically useful. However, this is a known and well-documented issue with Alexa. Many users have found that replacing the cord, or simply using the cord that came with the device, causes the spinning blue light to stop.
Alexa Got Stuck During an Update
For whatever reason, your Alexa device was interrupted or stuck in the middle of an update. Maybe the power went out, or your Wi-Fi glitched. Regardless it stopped the update from going through, and now your Alexa is stuck.
Before calling tech support, try unplugging your device and turning it on again. If that doesn’t work, you’ll need to contact technical support, as a representative may be able to assist you with restarting the update.
Your Alexa is Faulty or Dead
If your device was acting up from the moment you turned it on, you likely have a defective or faulty item. On the other hand, if your Alexa is on the older side, your device probably died due to age. All electronics have their own lifespan and will need replacing eventually.
What Does It Mean if the Blue Light Is Spinning Temporarily?
Your Alexa device will respond to being woken up or process commands with a blue spinning light. This indicates that it’s received your command and is processing it. However, the light doesn’t typically spin for more than a few seconds.
If you find that your Alexa’s blue light spins for more than a few seconds, then it’s likely caused by one of the aforementioned reasons.
What Do Other Color Spinning Lights Mean?
Other than the blue spinning light, there are several other colors that may show on your Alexa device. These other colors may spin, flash or blink, or be steady in the display.
Yellow Light on My Alexa
When you notice a yellow light flashing on your Alexa device, it means that you have a new notification. You can ask Alexa, “Alexa, what’s my notification?” The device will answer you and the yellow light will go away.
Red Light on My Alexa
When your Alexa displays a red light, it means that the microphone on/off button was pushed. When the light is on, it means that Alexa isn’t capable of listening for your command as the microphone has been disabled. Press the button again to turn the microphone back on.
Orange Light on My Alexa
The orange light on your Alexa indicates that your device is in setup mode, or is trying to connect to Wi-Fi. Once you finish setting up your Alexa and the device is connected to Wi-Fi, the orange light should stop showing.
Green Light on My Alexa
If you have your Alexa device paired up with your cell phone, it will display a pulsing green light when you receive a call. The green light will spin while you’re on the phone and will go away once you hang up and the call is complete.
White Light on My Alexa
The spinning white light indicates that you have turned on Alexa Guard in Away mode. To correct this, switch Alexa back to home mode.
Summary
If you notice your Alexa blue light keeps spinning, there are several reasons with quick fixes. If you cannot troubleshoot the issue independently, you need to contact tech support for advice.
If your devices were faulty out of the box, you need to contact the place you purchased them from to facilitate a return or exchange.
In the event that a tech support representative cannot help you and your device is not new, it might be time for you to consider an upgrade.
