It’s quite annoying, right? Especially at night.
I’m talking about your Alexa speaker suddenly flashing yellow light.
And, you wanna stop it so badly…
Thankfully, resolving this issue isn’t rocket science!
I mean, you just have to make a few taps on your smartphone.
Want to know how? Then…
Read on to discover:
- What a yellow ring on Alexa means.
- 5 ways to turn off the yellow light on Alexa.
- Wake words that can stop Alexa’s yellow light.
- And a lot more…
Why does Alexa have a yellow ring?
Alexa has a yellow ring due to an unopened notification. The light ring on the Alexa speaker will turn yellow if you receive a notification from Amazon Shopping. Or from Alexa’s “Things To Try” and “Communication.” And you can turn it off by opening the notification via voice or the app itself.
How to turn off the yellow light on Alexa? 5 steps
#1: Ask Alexa to read the notification
Is your Alexa speaker flashing yellow light?
Then that means that you have an unopened notification from the Alexa app.
It’s usually an update about your order from Amazon Shopping. But if not, then it must be from Alexa’s Communication and Things To Try in-app features.
You see, your Alexa speaker can’t really initiate a conversation…
And so, it flashes a yellow light on its light ring. When she does, she aims to tell you that you have received a message.
So, if you want to get rid of the yellow ring on Alexa, open your notifications.
And one way you can do that is by asking Alexa to read the messages for you.
You can command Alexa in many ways.
But here are some of the trigger words you should take note of:
- Give.
- Read.
- What are.
- Messages.
- Notifications.
These specific words help Alexa understand that you want to access your notifications.
Note: Just make sure to say “Alexa” at the beginning of your every command. So that Alexa can activate and hear your request.
“Can Alexa read more than one message with just one command?”
Yes, just use any of these command phrases:
- “Alexa, read my messages.”
- “Alexa, read my notifications.”
- “Alexa, give me my messages.”
- “Alexa, give me my notifications.”
- “Alexa, what are my messages?”
- “Alexa, what are my notifications?”
- “Alexa, what messages do I have?”
- “Alexa, what notifications do I have?”
Suppose Alexa didn’t respond to any of these commands.
Hmm, what could be the problem?
You can find out the answer to that quickly. Just check whether your Alexa speaker is:
- On mute.
- Powered ON.
- Set to a low volume.
- Within a good range.
Tip: Speaking clearly and near the device also helps Alexa understand you better.
#2: Check the notification on the Alexa app
Another way you can turn off the yellow ring on Alexa is by opening the notifications directly on the app.
There’s no way to know which type of message you received unless you ask Alexa.
So, you must open both your Alexa app and Amazon Shopping account to check your notifications.
For Amazon Shopping notifications
If you’re expecting an order from Amazon Shopping, check your Amazon app.
Here’s how to do it on both Android and iOS smartphones:
Step 1: Open the Amazon Shopping app.
Step 2: Tap the Account button at the bottom of the screen. Look for a “human” icon. It’s the second icon from the left.
Step 3: Tap the Notification bell icon at the top-right corner. It’s next to the search icon.
Step 4: Then, click the latest notification to open it. Do this step until you’ve opened all the pending notifications on your Amazon Shopping app.
Since your Amazon Shopping account is connected to your Alexa account…
The yellow light on your device should turn off once you’ve read all your Amazon order notifications.
If not, check whether you have unopened messages on your Alexa Communication.
Check out: 10 Things Alexa Can Do Without a Smartphone (Best Features)
For Alexa Communication notifications
Note: This would only work if you’ve enabled Communication on your Alexa app.
Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Open your Alexa app.
Step 2: Tap the “Communicate” button at the bottom of the screen. It’s the second button from the left.
Step 3: Click the latest message in your inbox. Do this until you’ve opened all the new messages on your Alexa Communication page.
#3: Delete the notification
“I’ve already opened all the notifications on my Amazon Shopping and Alexa app. But there’s still a yellow light on my Alexa speaker…”
If that’s the case, then try deleting some (if not all) of your unopened notifications.
Warning: Once you’ve deleted a notification, you won’t be able to restore it.
So, only delete old messages or messages that don’t have important information you’d need.
On the Amazon app, here are some notifications that you can safely delete:
- Account alert notifications.
- Related product recommendations.
- Order tracking that has already been delivered.
- Messages from a merchant you’ve bought from.
You may also delete shipment status notifications for your in-transit orders. As long as you’ve enabled “Email notifications” on your account.
That way, you can still track your order outside the Amazon Shopping app.
Here’s how to delete a notification on the Amazon Shopping app:
- Open the Amazon Shopping app.
- Tap the Account button.
- Click the notification bell icon.
- Tap a notification to open.
- Press the delete icon at the top-right corner.
Note: Redo step #5 until the yellow ring on Alexa disappears.
For Alexa Communication, here’s how to delete a message:
- Open the Alexa app.
- Tap “Communicate.”
- Click any new message.
- Press and hold the new message.
- Press the delete icon.
If this didn’t resolve anything, try to delete the entire conversation.
To do that:
Step 1: Tap any message on the Communication page.
Step 2: Locate the delete button somewhere on the top.
Step 3: Tap the delete button once.
Step 4: Select “Confirm” or “OK” to confirm the action.
#4: Turn off Amazon Shopping notifications
Okay, I guess that didn’t fix the issue…
But don’t lose your hope yet!
To turn off the yellow ring on Alexa, toggle off Amazon Shopping notifications on the Alexa app.
If you’ve linked your Amazon Shopping account to your Alexa app…
You’ll continue to receive updates on your orders through your Alexa speaker.
But, you can choose to disable its notifications.
To do that:
Step 1: Open your Alexa app.
Step 2: Tap the More button at the bottom-right corner. Look for the three-line icon.
Step 3: Search and select “Settings.” It’s the last option on the page.
Step 4: Look for and tap “Notifications” under the settings section.
Step 5: Click “Amazon Shopping.”
Step 6: Then, toggle off the button notifications you wish to turn off.
Here are the Amazon Shopping notifications you can toggle off:
- Delivered.
- Out for delivery.
- Product answers.
- Reorder notifications.
- Within delivery notifications.
- Within “Where’s my stuff?” requests.
You can choose to turn off some or all of the notifications if you’d like.
Tip: Turning off these notifications also helps avoid spoiling any gifts or surprises.
“Will it affect my orders if I turn off these notifications?”
No. Turning off these notifications doesn’t affect the shipment of your orders.
You can still track your orders within the Amazon Shopping app or your linked email address.
Note: Suppose you want to receive notifications about your orders again. Just follow the same process above.
You may also wonder: Can Alexa be hacked?
#5: Turn off “Communication” on the Alexa app
Note: If you’ve enabled Communication on your Alexa app, follow the instructions below.
Here’s another instance where your Alexa speaker light ring will turn yellow.
It’ll do so when you receive a message in your Alexa Communication inbox.
Alexa Communication allows you to send messages and make calls using Alexa. With this, you can get in touch with your Alexa contacts remotely via voice command.
Just say, “Alexa, call [Alexa contact].”
It sounds fun, right?
Not until the yellow ring on Alexa won’t disappear even after asking Alexa to read your messages. Or after opening the notifications directly on the app.
To troubleshoot this problem, you must disable your Alexa Communication in-app feature. And enable it again once the yellow light disappears.
Warning: Doing this will delete your Alexa contacts. So, do this only after trying all the troubleshooting steps above.
Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Open the Alexa app.
Step 2: Go to “More.” To do that, tap the three-line icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
Step 3: Look for and click “Settings.” It’s at the bottom of the selections.
Step 4: Select “Device Settings” among the options.
Step 5: Tap your Alexa speaker device.
Step 6: Scroll down and click “Communication.”
Step 7: Toggle off the “Calling & Messaging” button.
Step 8: Wait for the yellow light on your Alexa speaker to turn off. If it doesn’t disappear, restart your Alexa speaker.
Step 9: Back to the same page on your Alexa app, toggle on the “Calling & Messaging” button.
Step 10: Set up your Alexa Communication account again.
Need visual instructions on how to do it? Then, watch this short video:
BONUS: Turn off “Things To Try” notifications
If the problem persists, turn off the “Things To Try” notifications on your Alexa app.
Things To Try is an Alexa in-app feature that sends you updates on Alexa’s new built-in features.
Whenever Amazon comes up with a new Alexa trick, you’ll receive a notification about it. And so, your Alexa speaker’s light ring will turn yellow.
You can choose between the two:
Receive notifications about it directly to your smartphone or your Alexa speaker.
If you want to turn off its notification on your Alexa speaker and stop the yellow ring on Alexa…
Follow these instructions:
Step 1: Open your Alexa app.
Step 2: Tap the “More” icon. Look for the three-line icon at the bottom-right corner.
Step 3: Search and tap “Settings” at the bottom of the page.
Step 4: Select “Notifications” among the options.
Step 5: Press “Things To Try.”
Step 6: Toggle off the “Alexa Device Notifications” button.
You can also toggle off the “Phone Notifications” button if you want to disable the whole feature. But if you want to receive news about Alexa’s new features, keep this button ON.
After this, the yellow light on your Alexa speaker should disappear.
If not, contact Amazon support for further assistance. As there might be a problem with your Alexa speaker’s PCB or the light ring itself.
And that would need a repair or replacement to be resolved.
Reading recommendation: 47 Best Alexa Routine Ideas (#13 Will Blow Your Mind)