All Amazon Echo speakers use status lights to help Alexa communicate with you. There are actually scores of different colours and light displays the AI uses to get your attention. On the round speakers these flashing lights are on the top of the device, on the devices with screens they show up as a line across the bottom of the display
You may not have noticed the subtle differences as you interact with Alexa, and that’s fine, but every color tells a story. For example, on the round speakers, the cyan light actually points in your direction when you speak to the speaker for example – pretty neat.
Essential reading: Complete guide to Alexa
If your speaker is glowing green, yellow or - heaven forbid - purple or red you are going to want to know what's going on and Alexa itself isn’t always so great at letting you know what they mean. Read on for a full rundown of Alexa ring colours and what the lights mean.
No light
Let’s start with the basics. If your Echo is operating normally and there is no lights, it's waiting for your command. Or maybe it’s off. Say “Alexa” and you’ll find out.
Blue light (interactions)
A blue light with spinning cyan appears happens when you start up your Alexa speaker and systems are initialising.
If that cyan is still and pointing in your directing, it effectively means Alexa is thinking, before responding. This will also happen when your Echo speaker is starting up normally. When it starts flashing blue it means Alexa is responding to your request.
Orange light (status)
If you put your Alexa into Wi-Fi pairing mode then the orange light will come on. When your Alexa speaker is connecting to the Wi-Fi network, it will spin orange.
Red light (status)
If Alexa is showing a solid red light it means the microphone has been muted with the privacy button on the top. Press it again (marked with a microphone) to unmute.
Red light pulsing (problem)
A pulsing red light means that Alexa can't connect to the internet. The Amazon server may be down or your Wi-Fi may be out. Investigate immediately!
Yellow light (notification)
If your Amazon Echo speaker is pulsing yellow don’t panic – you’ve been left a message. Say "Alexa, play my messages" or "Alexa, what are my notifications?" to find out what’s been happening while you were away.
Green light (notification)
Someone is calling your Alexa speaker. This indicates either an Alexa voice call or a Drop-in – say “Alexa, answer” to connect and find out who’s there. When you’re connected, the green light will spin for the duration of the call.
Purple light (status)
If you see a purple light when you speak to Alexa then you’ve enabled Do Not Disturb. Say "Alexa, turn off do not disturb" to get back to normal.
If the purple light is pulsing then there's a Wi-Fi error, try reconnecting the device to Wi-Fi.
White light (Alexa Guard)
A continuously spinning white light means your Alexa device is in Away Mode and Alexa Guard is on and listening for any trouble.
More Amazon Alexa how-tos
- How to control Sonos with Alexa
- How to control Amazon Fire TV using your Echo speaker
- How to use Alexa to control your lights and devices
- How to use your Amazon Echo with Alexa as the perfect alarm clock
- How to view security camera footage on your Amazon Echo devices
- How to set up and use Alexa Drop-in and Calling on your Amazon Echo
- Alexa and Spotify guide: How to connect and use with your Amazon Echo
- Alexa Brief Mode explained: How to turn it on and how it works