I’m here today to answer a question that I’m sure many of us have asked ourselves: why does Alexa randomly light up? As someone who has owned an Alexa device for a few years now, I have had my fair share of experiences with this strange phenomenon.
In this post, I will be sharing my knowledge and experience in order to help you understand why Alexa randomly lights up and how to stop it from happening.
Alexa uses different colored lights to communicate important information, such as notifications. In most cases, the lights are there as an alert. If, however, Alexa is randomly lighting up or flickering, it could be a simple glitch that you can correct by restarting the device.
| Light Color | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Blue | Alexa is listening |
| Green | Incoming call |
| Yellow | Notification or message |
| Orange | Alexa is connecting to Wi-Fi or in Setup Mode |
| Red | Microphone is off or there is an error with the device |
| Purple | Do Not Disturb is turned on or Alexa is having difficulty connecting to Wi-Fi |
| White | Volume is being adjusted or Alexa Guard has been switched to Away mode |
Table of Contents
Why does Alexa randomly light up?
The colored light ring that runs around the entire Alexa device is used to communicate with the user. It’s an easy way for the device to let you know important information, alerts, and messages.
In some instances, though not as common, the device may experience a glitch or become triggered by a background noise, such as a television.
If your Alexa has experienced a glitch and lighting up randomly for no reason, resetting the device can often correct the problem.
Press and hold the power button for 10 seconds. This will cause the device to perform a reset. If the issue is still occurring, unplug Alexa from the power outlet, wait 15 to 30 seconds, and then plug it back in.
Why does Alexa randomly light up blue?
Blue is Alexa’s main color that it uses to signify various things. A solid blue light appears whenever you say “Alexa” or any other trigger word you have set to alert Alexa. This lets you know that Alexa has heard you and is listening.
The blue light will start to spin when it is working on executing the command you have given. The light may also turn blue and pulse when it is updating.
It is not uncommon for Alexa to randomly light up blue even if you didn’t say a trigger word.
Background noises from televisions and radios can sometimes trigger the device. You can stop the action by simply stating “Alexa stop.”
Why does Alexa randomly light up green?
If you have your Alexa setup to take phone calls, the device will alert you to an incoming call by pulsing green.
After the call is answered, the light will change from pulsing to a spin until you have finished the call.
Why does Alexa randomly light up yellow?
A pulsing or solid yellow light is Alexa’s way to let you know you have a message or notification.
To play the message or notification, simply state your trigger words, such as “Alexa, what are my notifications?” The light will disappear after the notifications/messages have been read.
Why did my Alexa light up in the middle of the night?
Read more: Why is my Samsung TV blurry?
There are a number of reasons as to why your Alexa is lighting up in the middle of the night. The color of the light will provide you with the exact reason.
Blue lights can occur when Alexa hears, or thinks it hears, a trigger word. A green light indicates a call is coming through, and the yellow light means you have a notification or message. But what about other colors?
Why does Alexa have an orange light?
If you notice the Alexa has a spinning orange light, it means the device is trying to connect to your Wi-Fi network.
The other reason why it would have an orange light is if your smart speaker is currently in Setup Mode.
Why is Alexa turning red?
The red light can mean one of two things. You either have the microphone turned off so that Alexa cannot hear your commands, or there is an error with the device.
If the microphone is turned on, then Alexa has experienced an error and you will need to restart the device or perform a factory reset to get rid of the red light and clear the error.
Why did Alexa light up purple?
When the Alexa has a purple light, it is either having difficulties connecting to your wireless network, or you have the Do Not Disturb mode turned on.
If Do Not Disturb mode is turned off, check your Wi-Fi connection, and restart the router. If that doesn’t fix the connection problem, reach out to your internet provider for further assistance.
Why is the Alexa light white?
Read more: How to set up Alexa with Toshiba TV?
The most common reason why Alexa has a white light is that the volume on the speaker is being adjusted.
If, however, that white light is pulsing or spinning, then Alexa Guard, which notifies you when it detects the sound of your smoke or carbon monoxide alarm, or the sound of glass breaking, has been switched to Away mode.
