Amazon’s light guides for Echo speakers and for Echo devices with a screen link a green light to calls and Drop In. Amazon also has a help page for a green light that won’t turn off. The steps below come from those pages and Amazon’s microphone, camera and restart pages.

What This Problem Means

Green on an Echo is about calls. On an Echo speaker, Amazon says pulsing green means an incoming call, and spinning green means an active call or an active Drop In. On an Echo with a screen, Amazon says green shows you are still on an active call or Drop In after leaving the call screen. So if the green light stays on, Amazon’s light tables point to a call or Drop In that is still going.

Common Symptoms

• A pulsing green light on an Echo speaker
• A spinning green light that won’t stop
• A green bar on an Echo Show after you left the call screen
• The green light stays on after a call seems to have ended

Safe Checks You Can Try

1. Check the pattern

On an Echo speaker, Amazon’s speaker light page says pulsing green is an incoming call and spinning green is an active call or an active Drop In. A pulsing light means someone is calling; a spinning light means a call or Drop In is already connected.

2. On a screen, remember the call may still be running

On an Echo Show or other screen device, Amazon’s screen light page says green shows that you are still on an active call or Drop In after leaving the call screen. In other words, leaving the call screen doesn’t end the call or Drop In.

3. Turn the microphones off if you want privacy

You can press the microphone button. Amazon says solid red then means the microphones are off, and Amazon’s microphone page says Alexa doesn’t respond to voice commands while they are off. On Echo devices with a screen, one press turns off both the camera and microphones, and on camera devices Amazon says a red bar means video won’t be shared. Press the button again to turn them back on. Amazon doesn’t say this ends a call, so treat it as a privacy step.

4. Know what needs the camera on a 2025 Show

On the Echo Show 8 (2025 release) and Echo Show 11, Amazon’s camera settings page says Drop In video needs the camera, while audio calls still work without it. To turn the camera off, open Settings > Privacy & Permissions > Camera Access, or use the Alexa app: Devices > your device > Settings > Camera Settings. A “Camera Disabled” icon shows on screen while it is off. If you don’t want Drop In on a device at all, Amazon lets you turn it off in that device’s communication settings in the Alexa app.

5. Use Amazon’s green light page

If the call has ended and the light still won’t turn off, go to Amazon’s page for a green light that won’t turn off and follow its steps.

6. Restart the Echo

Amazon’s restart page says to unplug the device or its power adapter, then plug it back in. On an Echo speaker, leave it unplugged for 10 seconds, as Amazon’s speaker reset pages say. On an Echo Show, wait 15 seconds, per Amazon’s reset page for screen devices. On the Echo Spot (2024 release), Amazon says a few seconds is enough. On the Echo Hub, press and hold the Mute button for 5 to 10 seconds until it restarts instead of unplugging it.

When To Contact Support

If the green light still won’t turn off after these steps, contact Amazon customer service and say which steps you have already tried, including the restart. Amazon’s Which Echo Device Do I Have? page leads to the support page for your model.

Last resort: factory reset. A reset is the last resort for a light that won’t clear. Amazon’s speaker reset pages say a full factory reset “erases all your personal information and any device and smart home connections”, and every Echo speaker also has a lighter reset that keeps smart home connections. The buttons differ by model, so use our reset guide for yours: Echo Dot (5th Gen), Echo Dot Max, Echo (4th Gen), Echo Pop, Echo Studio (2019 release), Echo Studio (2025 release), any Echo Show, Echo Spot (2024 release) or Echo Hub.