Amazon explains the red light in its guide to the lights on Echo speakers and its microphone on and off guide. These steps use both, with the button names from Amazon’s Echo reset page.

What This Problem Means

A solid red light ring isn’t a fault. Amazon says it means the microphone is off and Alexa isn’t listening. It appears when the Microphone off button is pressed. While the microphones are off, Alexa doesn’t respond to voice commands, but Amazon says the Alexa app still works. Press the button again to turn the microphones back on.

Common Symptoms

• A solid red light ring on the Echo (4th Gen)
• Alexa doesn’t respond to the wake word
• The Alexa app still controls the Echo (4th Gen)
• The red light came on after a button was pressed

Safe Checks You Can Try

1. Press the Microphone off button

Press it once. Amazon says pressing the microphone button again turns the microphones back on, and the solid red light is the sign that they’re off. Amazon’s reset page names the Echo (4th Gen)’s buttons as Action, Microphone off and Volume down.

2. Check it’s red, not another colour

Amazon’s light guide lists colours that are easy to mix up with red. Orange means setup mode or trying to connect to the internet. Purple means Do Not Disturb is on, or Wi-Fi problems during setup. A slow yellow burst every few seconds means a message or notification. Pulsing green is an incoming call, and spinning green is an active call or Drop In. Only solid red means the microphone is off.

3. Don’t wait for a blue light

The light ring doesn’t turn blue to show the microphones are back on. Amazon says a cyan spotlight on the blue light ring means Alexa is listening, which happens after you say the wake word. Say it now and watch for cyan and blue to check the Echo (4th Gen) hears you.

4. Restart the Echo (4th Gen)

If the red light won’t go off when you press the button, restart the Echo (4th Gen). Unplug the Echo (4th Gen), wait 10 seconds, then plug it back in. That’s the wait on Amazon’s Echo reset page. Amazon also says to use the power adapter that came with the device.

5. Update the software

Once the microphones are on, say “Check for software updates.” (Amazon’s software update page). Amazon’s light guide says a slowly spinning teal and blue light means it’s starting up, or restarting after a software update.

6. Reset if the button still does nothing

If pressing the Microphone off button never changes the light, Amazon’s next step for an Echo that won’t respond is a reset. Start with the reset that keeps your smart home connections: press and hold the Action button for 20 seconds.

When To Contact Support

If the red light stays on after a restart and a reset, contact Amazon customer service and say which steps you’ve already tried on your Echo (4th Gen). Amazon’s Which Echo Device Do I Have? page leads to the support page for each Echo model.

Last resort: factory reset. If nothing else works, Amazon’s last step is a reset, done with the buttons on the Echo (4th Gen). Start with the reset that keeps smart home connections: press and hold the Action button for 20 seconds. If that doesn’t help, do a full factory reset: press and hold the Microphone off and Volume down buttons together for 20 seconds. Either way, the light ring turns off and on again, and the Echo (4th Gen) goes into setup mode. Amazon says the factory reset erases all your personal information and any device and smart home connections, so set the Echo (4th Gen) up again in the Alexa app afterwards. Full steps are on Amazon’s Echo reset page.