Understanding the machine’s lights and sounds can help you effectively use it. When you see a green light coming from the Alexa, it usually signals that someone is trying to get in touch with you.
How the Alexa Uses Colored Lights
Alexa has several light signals that it uses to communicate with users without having to make an intrusive sound. This feature is especially useful in office settings or when silence is preferred for any reason. You can still see the lights without disturbing someone else, muddying a recording, or having a sound go over a movie. Alexa can use lights to either let you know that you have a notification or indicate that it’s currently performing a function. For the green light, it can mean either, depending on how it appears.
Why is Alexa Flashing Green?
Alexa is flashing green in most cases because you have an incoming call. It also goes green during an active Drop-In. Once you’ve answered the call and it’s active, you’ll see a spinning green light as well. That will continue for the duration of your call. There is no way to turn off the green light on the Alexa. How you respond to the call determines what happens with the light. If you answer the call, the lights turn into the swirling, spinning green light for the length of the ring. It will continue until you turn it off, and there is no way to switch the style or color of the light. If you ignore the call, the light goes away when it stops alerting you to the call. It will continue to appear as long as the person calls and will show up again if they call back. If you reject the call, the light stops once the command goes through. So if you want the light to turn off more quickly, be active about rejecting the call.
What Is a Call on Alexa?
A call on Alexa is a typical call routed through the device itself. You have to enable communication on your Alexa device to let this work. If you answer a call through Alexa, you actively have the call through the speaker and microphone on the Alexa as well. It takes the place of other communication devices for that period.
What is a Drop-In on Alexa?
The Drop-In feature can be set up between multiple Alexa devices. There are two ways to do it. You can also enable the Drop-In feature with other Alexa device owners. However, they have to go into their settings and turn it on for you.
Can You Turn Off the Green Light on Alexa?
There is no way to turn off the green light and prevent it from appearing during these functions. However, you can turn off communication with other users. That will prevent the green lights from appearing. Keep in mind that this will prevent Drop-In and calls from functioning correctly.
What Other Lights Appear on the Alexa?
There are a variety of other lights you might see on your Alexa. Each of them has a different purpose.
What to Do if Alexa Isn’t Lighting Up
Sometimes Alexa stops working, and the lights are an excellent way to recognize something wrong. If you usually see a blue light during a Drop-In and then notice it isn’t lighting up anymore, the unit might be broken. You can try to turn it off and reset it. Sometimes this fixes errors that keep certain mechanical parts, including lights, from working. However, you’ll remove any customization and features you’ve added to the device, so ensure that you’ve backed up everything first.