Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa is an integral part of the company’s Fire TV line of devices. And with Alexa commands plus some other tips for Fire TV, you can take your streaming experience to the next level. But what if Alexa stops responding to you in the first place? Here’s how you can fix Alexa not working on Fire TV.
Fix Alexa Not Working on Fire TV
When Alexa stops working on Fire TV, you are back to using the remote or Fire TV mobile app to navigate the Fire OS. Once you get hang of voice command on Fire TV, it’s hard to revert to the normal routine. Let’s make Alexa functional again on Fire TV.
1. Keep Your Fire TV Remote Near to Mouth While Speaking Commands
All Fire TV devices including the Fire TV Stick come with an Alexa-enabled remote. You can press the Alexa button (or mic button) and summon Alexa to perform tasks.
When you are speaking commands, you can’t keep the remote far away from your face. The remote (and the FireOS) won’t be able to detect what you are speaking due to the far distance and Alexa won’t perform any tasks either.
Keep the remote near to your mouth for Alexa to hear and act on your commands.
2. Check Fire TV Remote for Physical Damage
Did you or your little one accidentally drop the Fire TV remote? You should closely inspect the remote, specifically around the top part. If it’s badly damaged due to the fall, the remote microphone will stop working and understandably, Alexa can’t hear your commands either.
Thankfully, Amazon sells Fire TV remotes separately. You can grab a new one for $30 bucks or so.
3. Check Internet Connection on Fire TV
Unlike Google Assistant on Android or Siri on iPhone, Alexa doesn’t work offline on Fire TV. In order to make Alexa work, you need to keep the Fire TV connected to Wi-Fi all the time. If you are facing issues connecting Fire TV to Wi-Fi, read our dedicated post to troubleshoot the problem.
Once you are dealing with an active internet connection on Fire TV, try Alexa commands and it should work as expected.
4. Setup Voice ID Using Alexa App
Amazon offers a dedicated Alexa app on iPhone and Android. You can download the app and check all the Amazon-branded smart home devices briefly. You can go to the Alexa menu and set up the voice ID. That way, Alexa can remember your voice and respond to your commands more quickly.
5. Check Amazon Servers
If Amazon servers are facing an outage, Alexa won’t work on any device – let alone Fire TV. The assistant can’t check the latest weather condition, can’t pull your shopping list, and won’t be playing the latest show in supported apps either.
You can head to Downdetector, search for Alexa, and confirm the outage. Wait for the company to resolve Alexa issues from their end and then try again. You can follow Amazon on social media to get the latest updates on Alexa.
6. Make Sure the App Supports Alexa
Not every app on Fire TV supports the Alexa voice assistant. For example, when you ask Alexa to open a specific show or movie on Netflix or Prime and it will do so without breaking a sweat. But the same command might not work on Apps like fuboTV, Sling TV, or Hulu.
Amazon does offer relevant APIs to integrate Alexa into the app. It’s up to developers to implement them with future app updates.
7. Deregister Amazon Account on Fire TV
You need to use your Amazon account to get better personalization and recommendations on Fire TV. And once you set up voice ID (check 4th trick) in the Alexa app, it will be saved and associated with your Amazon account only.
If you are using another user’s account on Fire TV, Alexa might not respond to your commands. Here’s how you can deregister your current account on Fire TV.
1. Open Fire TV home and slide to the Settings menu.
2. Select Account & Profile Settings and go to Amazon Account.
3. Select Deregister and confirm your decision.
Sign in using your Amazon account and Alexa should start working now.
8. Use Alexa from Fire TV App
If Alexa is not waking up via the Fire TV remote, you can use the company’s mobile app as well. Here’s what you need to do.
1. Download the Fire TV app for iPhone or Android.
2. Open the app, and keep your phone connected to the same Wi-Fi connection as the Fire TV.
3. Once the Fire TV app detects the device, tap on it.
4. Tap on the Alexa icon on the virtual remote and wake it up.
Utilize Alexa on Fire TV
Alexa is a joy to use on Fire TV. Although, inconsistent voice assistant experience on Fire TV may leave you frustrated and discourage you from using it future as well. Before you ditch it completely, try the tricks above and make Alexa functional on Fire TV.
