Why Does Alexa Light up When No One Is Talking? (Easy Fix)

Alexa’s illumination is not random. Each particular color corresponds with a certain command. So, why does Alexa light up when no one is talking? 

We will answer everything you need to know so you can understand this issue better. It’s certainly frustrating since you don’t want Alexa randomly lighting up and talking to you without any reason.

Here’s how you do it!

To prevent Alexa from lighting up randomly, you want to change its wake word to avoid accidental triggers. You also want to disable some features like Do Not Disturb as it can cause your device to light up.

But first, here are the different causes of Alexa randomly lighting up to help you understand the problem.  

Different Causes Why Does My Alexa Randomly Light Up

You can tell your Alexa device is functioning properly if you understand the significance of the various colors of the lights.

This is also useful when troubleshooting the device as it allows us to examine why your Alexa lights up when no one is talking to it. 

How do you know Alexa is ready to respond to your request? A solid blue light indicates that Alexa hears your wake word, and the cyan section lights up if you can proceed to make a command.

Your device then randomly lights up because of the following:

✅ Reacting to Your Voice or Noise

Alexa can respond to noise. If you see the cyan segment illuminate without saying a word, your Alexa device might have been accidentally triggered by snoring, a dog barking, coughing, or a baby crying.

✅ Incoming Call

If you see a pulsing green light, it means you have an incoming call. The light will then blink or spin once you receive the call. 

✅ Connectivity Issues

Either your WiFi network can’t meet appropriate speeds, or your connection dropped. When these two happen, you will see a spinning orange color on your Alexa. 

✅ Pending Notification or Message

You will see a flashing yellow light if you have a pending notification, message, or reminder. It can also be due to an update on your Amazon Prime delivery status. 

These are the common reasons why Alexa illuminates when no one is even talking to it.

Now, let’s fix it!

Top Fixes on Why Does Alexa Light Up When No One Is Talking

Seeing the LED ring on Alexa illuminate or spin can be scary, especially when you don’t know what’s causing it.

Most of the time, it’s just your device behaving normally. For instance, if you see a flashing yellow light, simply address the pending notification so that Alexa will turn off its lights. 

However, if you see orange light, your device struggles to establish a connection. Reboot it to fix the issue. 

If your Alexa LED continues to light up, proceed to the solutions below.

1. Forget and Reconnect Your Alexa to Your WiFi

One of the reasons why your Alexa can randomly light up is when it experiences connectivity issues.

Whenever its connection drops off, it can light up to let you know something is wrong with it, and it needs fixing. 

If you see a blinking purple light on your Alexa device, you want to reconnect it to your WiFi.

Before you do that, you want to forget your WiFi network, so it requests brand-new connection settings.

Here are the steps on how to forget your WiFi on Alexa and reconnect:

1. Open the Alexa app on your device.
2. Select the menu icon on the top left, then go to Settings.
3. Scroll down and tap on your Alexa device.
4. Tap on Change on your WiFi network.
5. Choose Forget Network.

Note: You can now reconnect to the WiFi network. You will need to type in your WiFi password again.

2. Change Your Wake Word to Avoid Accidental Triggers

Alexa’s microphone can be a bit sensitive. It’s not all the time, but it can light up since it can sense that you have mentioned its wake word.

If you’re using the word most of the time, you can change it so as not to trigger it accidentally.

This is a useful feature if you have someone in your home named Alex or Alexa to avoid confusion.

Here’s how to change your wake word with Alexa:

1. Open the Alexa app on your device.
2. Go to the Devices menu and choose Echo and Alexa.
3. Select the Device you want to change the name.
4. Tap on the Settings icon and choose Wake Word.
5. Select your new wake word and wait for your Alexa to update.

Note: The available wake word options you have are between Amazon, Echo, Computer, or Ziggy.

3. Adjust Alexa’s Wake Word Sensitivity

After changing the wake word and you’re still experiencing this problem where your Alexa still senses it and lights up, there’s a way to avoid it.

This time, you can adjust Alexa’s wake word sensitivity. Changing this will affect how much Alexa can detect the wake word from the sound patterns it picks up with its microphone.

Here’s how to adjust your Alexa’s wake word sensitivity:

1. Open the Alexa app on your phone.
2. Go to Settings, then Device Settings.
3. Choose the Alexa device you want to change the settings.
4. Select Wake Word, then Sensitivity.
5. Adjust the slider to your desired level, then Save.

Note: The slider ranges from low to high. Setting it too low will make your Alexa less likely to hear your wake word.

4. Disable Do Not Disturb Mode on Your Alexa

Whenever your Alexa’s Do Not Disturb mode is switched on, you will notice that the ring around it will light up blue, followed by a quick purple.

When activated, Alexa also tends to ignore you, which is a tell-tale sign that you need to check if Do Not Disturb is switched on.

Here’s how to turn off Alexa’s Do Not Disturb mode:

1. Go to the Alexa app on your phone.
2. Select Settings, then choose the Alexa device you want to configure.
3. Scroll down and navigate to the Do Not Disturb option.
4. Toggle the switch to the Off position to disable it.

Note: You can also disable this feature using Alexa’s voice commands.

5. Disable Follow-Up Mode on Alexa

If Alexa lights up, even if you have not mentioned the wake word, there’s one setting that you need to look at.

There’s a good chance that Follow-Up mode is enabled on Alexa. It’s a mode where you don’t need to say the wake word to interact with Alexa.

It’s certainly fine if you’re having a conversation with Alexa. But, if you’re not actively interacting with your device, it will light up every time you speak.

Disabling this feature should fix your problem with Alexa lighting up randomly.

Here is how to do it:

1. Open the Alexa app on your phone.
2. Go to Device Settings and select the Alexa device you want to change.
3. Find the Follow-Up mode option.
4. Toggle the switch Off to disable it.

6. Deregister Your Device

If you’ve explored many other solutions and your Alexa still has this issue where it still lights up, you might want to consider deregistering your device.

Doing this disconnects your Alexa from your Amazon account. It refreshes the connection when you link it with your account again.

Here are the steps on how to deregister your device:

1. Open the Alexa app on your phone.
2. Go to the Devices Settings.
3. Select the Alexa device you want to deregister.
4. Find the Deregister option.
5. Tap on it and confirm to deregister your device.

Note: You will need to register it again if you want the device associated with your account again.

These solutions should do the trick and limit the times your Alexa will light up.

However, you can check for software updates if you feel like it’s not yet resolved. You can also reset your device to resolve any software malfunctions.

Alternatively, you can contact Amazon customer support for a more technical approach to fixing this issue.

Bottom Line

Now you know why does Alexa light up when no one is talking. These proven solutions should do the trick, so you won’t be bothered by it lighting up randomly and interrupting you. 

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