Helping Alexa Discover Your New Smart Device
The Echo Show marks another ingenious move on Amazon’s part. It’s designed to fit seamlessly into your automated home assistance system, providing high-definition video call capabilities and so, so much more.If you’re still unsure exactly what the Echo Show is, you can basically think of it as the visual component of the Amazon Echo line.
There’s no doubt that this is the next big thing in the electronic assistance industry, but unfortunately for a lot of users, it’s been more of a no show than an Echo Show.People are reporting that no matter what they do, they can’t get their Echo Show to appear as a device on the Alexa app, so I thought I’d give you 5 handy tips for solving this annoying issue.
How to Fix the Echo Show’s Visibility Issues in the Alexa App
If you don’t actually own an Echo Show and want more details on pricing and functionality, you check it out here. Otherwise, give these solutions a shot, and you’ll have yours up and running in no time.
Echo Show 5
1. Logging in to The Correct Amazon Account
It’s not uncommon for people to have multiple Amazon accounts, but unless you’re logged into the same account on both the Echo Show and the Alexa app, the app won’t be able to pick up the Echo Show’s presence.Many users don’t realize that the account must be unified across all smart devices in order for them to cooperate, so once you log into the correct one, the issue should be resolved.
2. Discovering New Devices
There’s an option on the Alexa app that if you’ve never had to use in the past, you may not be familiar with. It’s a “Discover Device” option.This function essentially puts the feelers out for any new devices in the area and refreshes the available devices list accordingly.You can also trigger this function by waking up Alexa and asking it to “discover devices”. Hopefully, your Echo Show will finally show up (better late than never, right?) and you can get on with your life.
3. Logging Out and Then Logging Back into Your Account
Now, before you start, I know this is very much just the Alexa equivalent of unplugging your internet router, then plugging it back in again, but you’d be surprised how often this method works.Granted, it’s nuts that we’re so technologically advanced that we literally have AI in our homes, and we’re still relying on this ancient fix, but sometimes, the old ways are the best ways.Just log out of your Alexa app, then load it back up, and nine times out of ten, that’s your problem solved.
4. Uninstall and Then Reinstall the Alexa App
If you had no luck getting the Alexa app to discover your Echo Show even after logging out and logging back in, there’s a good chance that something’s not quite right with the app itself. It could be a bug, or it could simply be that you’ve had it for a while, and it has failed to update.Unfortunately, there’s no way to fix it from within the app, so your best course of action is to uninstall it, then reinstall the Alexa app client from the app store.You can still log back in using all your usual details, as it’s not your account that’s been deleted, just the app. Once you’re logged in, the Echo Show should be listed on the nearby devices list. Select it, and start exploring all the possibilities it brings to your home.
5. Contacting an Amazon Support Team Directly
This probably isn’t what you wanted to hear, but if none of these other fixes have worked for you, it’s time to reach out to Amazon and politely asking what the heck is going on!As advanced as it is, this technology can be finicky, and sometimes we mere consumer mortals aren’t capable of fixing it, no matter how many times we log out and log back in again. If there’s something seriously wrong with your Echo Show, it’ll take an expert to fix it.The plus side to this is that if there is something unfixable about your Echo Show, Amazon already has your return, so they can get a new one sent out to you as fast as possible. Hopefully, the new one won’t cause so much grief.
Summing Up
Did any of these solutions work for you? I’d say roughly 99% of the time, they’re all you need to get the Alexa app and your Echo Show acknowledging one another. Once they’re aware of each other’s presence, you can go ahead and start fine-tuning your Echo Show’s behavior.It’s also worth mentioning that the newer Echo Show can be set up entirely on-screen, without the need to use the Alexa app in the first place. You’ll simply dial in all your details and log in to your Amazon account directly through the Echo Show. Enjoy!