Alexa app cannot find my Echo or other device
When the Alexa app cannot see your new Echo during setup, the problem is nearly always Bluetooth, location permissions or Wi-Fi on your phone rather than the speaker itself.
Check your phone
- Turn Bluetooth on.
- Make sure your phone is connected to your home Wi-Fi, not mobile data.
- Give the Alexa app any permissions it asks for. On many phones it needs location and nearby devices permission to find an Echo. This is normal and is not tracking you.
- Update the Alexa app from your app store.
Check the Echo
- Is the light ring orange? orange means setup mode. If it is not orange, you may need to put it in setup mode again. How to do this depends on your model, often by holding the action button for several seconds, so check the instructions for your exact model.
- Is the Echo close to your phone?
- Unplug it for 30 seconds and try again.
Try again
- Close the Alexa app fully and reopen it.
- Tap Devices, then +, then Add Device. Menu names in the Alexa app change from time to time, so if yours looks slightly different, look for the closest wording rather than worrying.
- Choose Echo and follow the prompts.
If you have two phones, try the other one. Sometimes an old phone with out-of-date software is the problem.
Router and Wi-Fi problems
Some routers keep phones and speakers on different Wi-Fi bands, with names such as ending in 5G. Echo speakers support both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, so this is rarely the problem, but guest networks can be. Make sure your phone is not using a guest network.
When to get more help
If the app still cannot find the Echo after trying a different phone, ask for support. Do not factory reset an Echo repeatedly. Vision Tech can talk you through it or do it for you.
Did this help? If you are still stuck, email Vision Tech and tell us what you can see on the screen. Menus and button names can differ slightly between versions and makes. If something does not match, stop and ask rather than guess.