5 Ways to Fix Alexa’s Most Frustrating Problems

Alexa devices are meant to be a key part of any user’s smart home, acting as a bridge between IoT devices such as switches, lights and smart appliances. When an Alexa-powered smart home is running, it’s great, but it can misbehave and cause endless headaches for homeowners. There are many situations where Alexa devices can stop users in their tracks, such as poor voice recognition, task limitations, audio quality, and device compatibility.

So yes, Amazon Echo speakers and other Alexa devices have their flaws, but most of the friction with an Alexa-powered smart home can be resolved with a few simple steps that anyone can follow. Don’t think a paid subscription will help, either, because Alexa+ ($19.99 per month or free for Amazon Prime members) doesn’t necessarily solve basic frustrations. It has some nice features, but it’s not a panacea for misbehaving smart speakers.

We’ve narrowed down the list of common Alexa problems to the top five, along with essential instructions on how to fix them. Think of this article as “Five Things Alexa Does That Drive You Up the Wall,” but with ways to get around each one. We’ve fixed our friends and family’s Alexa technology enough to know a thing or two about pulling out hairs trying to fix them, so hopefully you’ll learn how to keep your sanity intact by the end of this article.

One of the most common problems we have encountered is users misunderstanding or misunderstanding Alexa. There are few first-world problems more annoying than a smart assistant trained in a user’s voice that doesn’t understand it. Accents and background noises play a role, but unless you live in the middle of a construction site, Alexa should just work, right?

One thing you may want to do here is set up or recreate a voice ID, which is used to distinguish your own voice from that of other users in your household. Head to the Alexa app on a smartphone and tap the three-line menu. From there, head towards Settings > Account management > Your profile > Voice ID. If it is not yet configured, Voice ID will ask you to configure a new one. If a Voice ID has already been configured, delete the old one and create a new one.

After agreeing to Amazon’s terms, users are asked to repeat four different questions or commands. Simply say each phrase as it appears, then tap Do. Test Alexa again to see if she has cleared her ears this time. If this continues to happen and Alexa is an existing device, it might be a good idea to check when it stops receiving updates or chat with customer support for the best options. Most Alexa devices released before 2018 are not compatible with Alexa+, and typical update support lasts about four years after a product is discontinued, with third-generation devices receiving support through 2029 and 2030.

There’s a special piece of equipment that pops into our heads when Alexa says “By the way” and lists a series of suggested skills, services and products. For most users, if they want to research an improvement or product, they would rather go find it themselves rather than suffer through a salesperson in their living room. This is a major complaint within the Alexa community, but luckily there are solutions to try.

To make Alexa a little less verbose, head over to Settings > Voice responses and turn on Brief mode. This will cause Alexa to simply play a quick sound in many cases (especially those where simple actions have been requested) instead of talking about what has already been done.

Speaking of upselling, this can also be cured. Again, go to Settings > Notifications > Things to try and turned off Phone notifications And Alexa device notifications. Once this is set, go to Settings > Notifications > Amazon Shopping and turned off Trade Recommendations And Rearrange recommendations. Having trouble finding it? This will be under “Purchasing Recommendations”. Another quick way to nip salesperson behavior in the bud is to say “Alexa, off by the way,” but we recommend making sure the above settings are sorted first.

One of the problems many users have with Amazon smart speakers is having to say “Alexa” before each request. If users continue talking, it ignores everything after the first command or question. Well, unless they take a look at Alexa settings to prevent this from happening.

Enabling tracking mode prevents this from happening. Just say “Alexa, enable tracking mode.” If you prefer to get visual confirmation that the setting has actually been changed, open the Alexa app and go to Devices. From there, find the echo in question and tap Settings > Tracking modethen turn it on.

Once Tracking mode is active, keep an eye on the light ring. As long as the blue light is visible, users can issue subsequent commands without saying “Alexa” 10 times in between. After about five seconds, the light will turn off, meaning “Alexa” needs to be repeated to get an Echo’s attention. Most of the time, just one well-thought-out command is needed for common smart home tasks – but in practice, when someone gets home, they’ll probably just want to issue a series of commands, like “Turn on the lights,” then “Set the thermostat,” then “Turn on the living room TV.” Track mode makes this a reality every time.

If you operate a smart home for your family, an Echo speaker can be quiet or loud depending on who is near it. Everyone is different, but when users are in a hurry to get the kids to school or get ready for work, loud and quiet speakers are just plain annoying.

Fortunately, users have automatic controls to make these moments easier. The first method is to simply say “Alexa, louder” or “Alexa, quieter.” But if a speaker is too loud or too quiet, users will stand in front of an echo for a while and repeat it repeatedly. Users can choose a number between one and 10 and say “Alexa, volume three,” for example. Volume one is the lowest and volume 10 is the loudest, with most people landing between three and four depending on their preferences and the type of Echo speaker being used.

The second method can be done through the Alexa app. Go to Devicesselect the echo in question, then drag the volume slider left or right. For those who wish to speak in a low voice, at night for example, go to Settings > Voice responses. To light up Whisper modewhich allows Alexa to respond by whispering if a user does the same. THE Adaptive volume The option in this same menu is also a nice feature for busy households. Alexa will automatically increase the volume when it detects higher ambient noise levels.

No matter what smart home system people use, everyone gets annoyed when they talk to a smart speaker and the wrong one responds. Saying “Alexa” can often trigger the wrong device, even if it’s in the other room — and don’t get us started on family members being called Alexa. This is one of the biggest complaints from the community, but there are ways to get around this irritating problem.

Users can change the wake word per device, which is very convenient for homes with multiple Echo speakers. In the Alexa app, go to Devices and select the echo that needs to be edited. So head over to Settings > Wake Word and choose another for the most problematic devices, the options being Amazon, Computer, Echo or Ziggy.

For Echo speakers grouped together in close proximity, simply set different wake words on each – and don’t group more than five devices within earshot of each other. Of course, it would be easier for Amazon to allow Alexa to be called whatever the user wants to call it, but on-device processing limits and privacy concerns are likely among the reasons why there isn’t more freedom for users when it comes to this feature.