Whether you have an Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Echo Show, or any other Alexa-enabled device, you’re certainly familiar with the barrage of color signals that show up.
The rainbow of colored rings can be confusing, especially if you’re new to your Alexa speaker. Green usually means “all good,” but is that the case with Alexa, too? Sometimes your green ring may be solid, flashing, or even spinning in circles – what does it all mean??
Alexa’s green ring means you’re either receiving a call, on an active call, or someone is dropping in on the device. It could also indicate a shipping notification. If Alexa is pulsing or blinking green, someone is calling or dropping in. If it’s spinning green, you’re on a call or drop-in. Alexa’s green light will turn off when you end the call or drop-in.
I’ve had my fair share of issues with Alexa, from issues with it playing Spotify, the device being completely unresponsive, and even dealing with a different type of light… a blue light.
Anyhow, if you don’t like having the green ring feature on your Alexa device, you can turn it off in your app’s device settings. Otherwise, you’ll see the green ring anytime you’re receiving or on a call or drop-in.
What Is the Alexa Green Ring?
Alexa devices have color-coded ring lights which serve as visual notifications. These lights tell the user what’s going on with the device, whether it’s the device’s status or other notifications.
The Alexa green ring can be solid, or it may pulse/flash or spin. Each of these indicates a different notification from the device.
Green lights normally mean the device is either actively engaged in a call or drop-in, or that you’re receiving a call or drop-in but haven’t answered yet. Depending on your device and settings, you may also see the green light to let you know about certain notifications.
Alexa Pulsing Green Ring
Alexa’s pulsing (or blinking/flashing) green ring tells you that someone is calling or attempting to drop-in. Depending on your device type, you may have a screen that tells you who is calling or dropping in. Otherwise, you may have to refer to your phone or app.
The pulsing green light is handy if you don’t always have your phone in-hand when you’re at home, or if you keep it on silent. That way, you’ll still know when you’re receiving a call by seeing your Alexa device.
Once you decide whether or not you want to answer the call, you can tell Alexa to “Answer.” Then, you’ll be connected with whoever is on the other end of the line.
If you want to ignore the call, you can simply say “Drop.” Or, if you don’t say anything, the light will stop flashing automatically after it rings 10 times.
You may not know whether the notification is due to a phone call or drop-in unless your device has a screen or you check your smartphone app. So, the Alexa commands are the same for responding to either one.
If you do answer the call or drop-in, you’ll notice your Alexa’s green ring will stop flashing and begin spinning instead.
Alexa Spinning Green Ring
A spinning green ring light on your Alexa means the device is on an active call or drop-in. You’ll see this clockwise spinning motion anytime you pick up a call, and it will continue for as long as you’re connected to the call or drop-in.
Once you end the call or drop-in, the spinning ring will stop and the light will disappear.
The good part of this feature is that you can tell, at a glance, if you’ve unintentionally answered a call so you know you won’t have someone listening in on your home.
If you notice your green light is spinning and you’re not actively engaged in a phone call or drop-in, you can disconnect by saying “Alexa, hang up.”
Different Types of Notifications
What is the Drop-In Feature?
Drop-In is an optional feature that will allow you to connect with other Alexa-enabled devices. So, you can use your Alexa devices in multiple rooms like an intercom system. If your devices have screens and/or cameras, you can even use the drop-in feature with video.
You can also use your Alexa app to drop-in on your Alexa devices, meaning you can use the intercom feature while you’re on-the-go, making it great for checking on kids and family members.
To use Drop-In, you have to register for Alexa Calling and Messaging inside the Alexa app on your smartphone. You can access this setting through the Conversations icon. You also need to make sure you grant yourself Drop-In permission in the app.
If you want to use Drop-In with contacts outside your household, you can also grant permission to others through this menu. However, they’ll have to do the same thing on their end for the Drop-In feature to work.
When you’re ready to use the feature, you just say “Alexa, drop-in on [name].”
So, you might say, “Alexa, drop-in on kitchen,” to drop-in on your kitchen device.
Or, you could say, “Alexa, drop-in on Jane Smith,” to drop-in on someone from your contacts that’s approved for drop-in.
You can also have a group conversation among all your connected devices in the household by saying, “Alexa, drop-in everywhere.” This will connect all your household devices (as long as they’re not set to do not disturb).
Alexa Delivery
Delivery notifications are available through Alexa, which notify users that their Amazon orders have been shipped or delivered. These notifications may also apply to purchases made with Amazon pay, depending on your device settings.
To turn these notifications on or off, you can select your preferred settings in the Alexa app.
Start by opening the Alexa app, then select More, then select Settings.
Next, Select Notifications.
Then, choose Amazon Shopping, where you can choose to turn delivery update notifications “on” or “off” for your items.
Typically, Alexa delivery is indicated by a yellow light on your device. However, depending on your specific device, the light may appear green. In any case, it notifies you of a message or notification.
To check the notification, say “Alexa, what are my notifications?” or “Alexa, do I have notifications?”
Phone Bill
Like shipping notifications, you can also set your Alexa to give you notifications when it’s time to pay your phone bill or other recurring bills.
Once setup, you can simply say “Alexa, pay my mobile bill” to make a payment using your stored payment information through Amazon Pay.
Or, you can set your Alexa device to give you a reminder when it’s almost time to make a payment.
Alexa Bill Planner can link you with providers and help you stay on top of paying your bills. This depends on whether your provider allows access to use this feature.
To find out, say “Alexa, link my [electric/water/cable/phone] bill.” You’ll need your account number, home address, and email address for the setup.
How to Disable the Alexa Green Ring
Alexa uses the color-coded lights to communicate with users and let them know what’s happening with the device. Still, there may be times when the light show is just too much and you want to disable them.
Follow these steps to stop seeing the green ring on your Alexa device:
1. Open the Alexa app on your smartphone
2. Tap on the menu on the top, left hand corner (looks like 3 horizontal lines)
3. Select Settings
4. Select Device Settings
5. Select Amazon Alexa Device
6. Select Communication
7. Toggle setting to the “off” position
After you turn it off, the Communication selection will turn gray. Now, your Alexa device won’t display the green ring light whenever you receive an incoming phone call or drop-in.
Another option is to turn on Alexa’s Do Not Disturb feature. Of course, this will mean you won’t get any alerts at all, but it will also keep your device from displaying the green ring until you turn off the setting.
To use this feature, you can ask Alexa to “turn on do not disturb.” When you’re ready to resume normal notifications, you can ask Alexa to “turn off do not disturb.”
You can also turn on “do not disturb” using your Alexa app from your smartphone.
Another option is to disconnect Alexa from your phone so it won’t know when you’re receiving a phone call. No phone calls mean no green lights (unless you receive a drop-in). You would also do this in the Alexa app on your smartphone.
Why is My Alexa Green When I’m Not on a Call?
Your Alexa-enabled device may have a green light even when you’re not on a phone call. The green light could mean you’re receiving a phone call, receiving a drop-in request, or on a drop-in.
If this happens, you can tell Alexa to “hang up” and see if that resolves the issue. If it does, it means you were connected to a phone call or drop-in even if you didn’t realize it.
Or, it means you declined an incoming call or drop-in request. You can check your Alexa app on your smartphone to be sure.
Why Won’t My Alexa Stop Blinking Green?
If your Alexa is constantly blinking green, it means you have an incoming call or drop-in request. Alexa will automatically stop flashing after 10 rings, but if someone hangs up and calls again, the device will continue to blink.
To stop the blinking, you can say “Alexa, answer” to connect to the caller and stop the blinking. Or you can say “Alexa, hang up” to ignore the call and stop the blinking.
To find out who is calling, you can check your Alexa display or your smartphone app. Some devices have settings to announce the caller’s name if they’re in your contacts, otherwise you may not want to answer an unknown caller.
Other Echo Dot Alert Lights
Alexa devices have many different alert lights to give you notifications. Here are some of the other most common alert lights you might see.
The first light you’ll probably see is when you first set up your Echo device. Normally, this will be a solid blue and lighter blue spinning light.
When you use a command or wake word, you’ll see your device display a solid blue light with a smaller segment of light blue that spins. The light blue segment will typically be facing whichever direction the speaker is located.
When your device is listening or responding to your command or request, you’ll also see the blue light.
Yellow Light
A pulsing yellow light indicates that your device has a notification or reminder for you. To find out what it is, say, “Alexa, tell me my notifications.”
Red Light
A solid red light could mean an error like a wi-fi or connection problem. It also means that the device is muted or the camera is turned off. If you unmute or turn the camera back on, the red light should go away.
Purple Light
If you’re setting up a new device and see a solid purple light, it means something went wrong while you were setting up the wi-fi, so you may need to go back and do that part again.
You’ll also see purple (briefly) when you put the device in do not disturb mode.
White Light
A spinning white light indicates Alexa Guard is enabled. This feature listens for disruptions and alarms inside your home and will notify you if it picks up on anything.
