3 Issues That May Have Caused Alexa Blue Light Spinning (Answered)

What does the Alexa blue spinning light mean? 

Alexa is equipped with different types of light symbols which are used to indicate a  certain state of the device. You need to understand these light symbols if you want to buy an Alexa echo device but without a screen. These indicators will be very useful for you to operate this device.

There is a blue light symbol on Alexa Echo that spins. It is a very common color and the reason for its spinning can be due to a number of different reasons. Here you will discover some common causes of the spinning blue light or what it might indicate. 

What is Alexa?

Alexa is a creation of Amazon that works as an intelligent personal assistant. With this smart and hands-free device, you will be able to play music, search the Web, set reminders, search for facts, make to-do and shopping lists, and so on. The possibility of the device is endless and you won’t even need to use the smartphone to operate it. It will be solely controlled by your voice which will give it directions.

The responsiveness of the Alexa Echo makes it a unique first-generation voice assistant that is easy to operate. You won’t need an extra button to activate the system. The device can be started simply by using any of the trigger words like “Alexa,” “Echo,” “Amazon,” and so on. Then you can ask it to do the things that you require it to do. If the command is clear it will operate accordingly. 

On this Amazon Alexa device, the Amazon Echo Blue Ring is very stark and noticeable. The ring lights up every time you ask the device something. Alexa lies completely dormant until you use the command words and directions to wake it. However, sometimes the blue LED ring on the top of the Echo and Echo Dot may pop even when the device is not being used. The blue ring that pops actually indicates to users that their request is being processed. Amazon Alexa is super sensitive to sounds and the device may sometimes pick on conversations as commands or directions.

The Echo device when misinterprets sounds and conversations, thinks that you are making a request. It will then try to process the noise and give you results which is why the Alexa glows blue even when you are not commanding anything. 

The blue light generally lights up along the light-blue segment that faces the direction from which the device is listening or from where you are giving the command. To know if Alexa is actually listening to you, the blue light must be checked.

The light ring on the Alexa will become blue and will swirl around as the smart assistant Alexa processes your voice command when you say the trigger word. The light ring will not be on if you are not using it. Even when you plug it and have it connected to a power source, it will stay blank and dormant.

Alexa Blue Light Spinning

As far as we know, there can be three reasons that cause Alexa Blue Light to spin. Here is what they may be:-

1. Constantly spinning blue light

A constantly spinning blue light on the Alexa Echo can point at two things which can be the probable causes. When your device goes into pairing mode or when you try to pair your Alexa with another device, the blue ring will be constantly spinning. At this time, the device will not take in or process any command that you may give it.

If this is the case, you can simply pair your device with your smartphone using the Alexa application. This spinning light will go dormant once the devices are paired successfully.

The second reason that might be responsible for triggering the spinning circle of blue light is that the software may be in the process of updating itself. If your Alexa device is  properly paired with your smartphone but the light still persists then your device might be running software updates in the background. The light will work as an indicator to show when it is over. Do not try to use the device while it’s being updated.

In order to understand the exact problem, you will need to connect the Alexa with your mobile phone and see if it’s paired properly.  If it is indeed paired then the software update might be the reason for the light.

2. Blue light spinning for a moment or two

If the blue light on the device spins just for a few moments, it simply means that the Alexa Echo is trying to process your command or request and give you the required results. This feature has been a constant for all Echo models which have undergone a lot of changes in design and UI. At this point you can say that the ring light is a signature for Echo which makes it easily recognizable.  

The processing period is indicated by a blue circle that is the confirmation you get to know if the device has heard your command. You won’t have to fix anything if this is the case as this is exactly how the device works. It is a good indication for users that they will be able to know if the device is turned on or if they need to repeat the command.

3. Blue light spin followed by a purple flash

Oftentimes, after you give a voice command, the Alexa Blue light will spin and then flash a light of purple colour on the ring. This purple flash indicates that Alexa has tried to process your command but you have a Do Not Disturb mode enabled in the device. This makes it not possible to fulfill your request.

However if you did not intentionally enable the feature or need it to be turned off, then you need to use your mobile to turn it off from the Alexa application. After this your requests will be processed properly and you won’t get the purple light although the quick blue ring will continue to light up.