Since it was launched in 2014, Alexa has revolutionized home smart devices. Especially in the music-playing speakers and voice assistant category of electronics. It’s easy, premium-looking, and accessible to all kinds of people. All one has to do is command it to play something, and their Alexa will immediately start playing whatever you require. However, sometimes Alexa will just randomly stop playing and become quiet all on its own. You can wonder what’s gotten into it? But more often than not, you cannot find a definitive answer. There are just the following ways you can try and see if you can get it back online.
Further reading: How Long Will Alexa Play Music Before Turning Off?
Solutions to fix your Alexa from stopping randomly while playing music
Restarting the device
The most commonly used method or the method that solves your problems is simply unplugging your Alexa and waiting a minute before you connect it back to your power source and Wi-Fi to run it again. Sometimes, this is just what your Alexa needs to reset itself and get rid of any bugs or software glitches that might affect it from running smoothly. Simply turn off the device, wait for one minute or more, and then activate it again, and you will be back to listening to your favorite tracks as usual.
Resetting the Wi-Fi connection
Another issue that usually stops the Alexa from playing your songs well is a connectivity problem with your Wi-Fi. The most common issue with Wi-Fi is if too many devices are connected to it at once. This can overload the bandwidth and cause your music to buffer or stop. Simply disconnecting the devices that are not currently in use will help clear your bandwidth and give you smooth streaming of your music.
Sometimes, it’s more likely that you just placed your Alexa in the wrong place, such as beside a Bluetooth device or next to a cordless phone. Shifting it to a different position might do the trick. Or, you might have placed your Alexa too low; shift it to a higher position for a better connection.
If the problem persists, check the bandwidth on which your Alexa runs on your Wi-Fi. Shifting your Alexa connection from the usual 2.4 GHz bandwidth to the higher 5 GHz will definitely improve your Alexa and Wi-Fi connectivity, giving you a good time streaming your music.
Issues with the music streaming service
Sometimes, the synchronization itself might not be working properly with your device, and you will have to reset the connection. For example, if Spotify isn’t working with your device, but other streaming services are, simply disconnect Spotify and reconnect it to remove any glitches to help run your device smoothly.
To do this, open the Alexa app on your phone and go to the more section in the bottom section of the app. Scroll until you find the “Skills and games” section and select the “your Skills” tab. After that, find the music streaming service that’s currently not working and tap “disable skill.” Tapping this will uninstall the synchronization between your Alexa and the music streaming application. Once it is removed, you can install it again the same way you previously did.
Factory reset
If all of the above solutions do not work and the problem persists, you could be left with no choice but to do a factory reset. A factory reset is a procedure where the entire data in your Alexa is wiped out, and the device is set back to its original settings as given in the factory before distributing it to shops. This will remove any bugs or glitches that may have been causing problems to your device. The only downside is that you will lose all your saved data, such as your streaming services’ login data. You will have to set up your Alexa like it’s brand new again.
To do a factory reset, go to your Alexa app on your phone and tap on “Devices,” then select “echo and Alexa.” Then select the device that’s having issues with playing your music. On the top right corner of the screen, you will find a gear icon. Tap on the gear icon and scroll down till you find “Factory Reset” and select it. Once you do this, you cannot stop it midway. The entire process has to be completed before you can use your Alexa device again.
Other problems
If neither of these solutions solves your problems, you will have to contact customer care for Amazon’s Alexa. The issue might be with your device’s hardware, or it might be something else entirely. A qualified technician will have to open up your device and run each component separately to identify the problem and replace or repair the malfunctioning component. This process is often long, tedious, and costly if you do not have a warranty. Sometimes, if you have a warranty, the company might give you a brand new replacement. So, always remember to report any issues you may have to customer care, especially if you are still in warranty for your device.
Conclusion
Music streaming is one of the most popular features of Alexa devices. However, it is also one of the most commonly complained about issues with the device. Any of the above methods is likely to resolve your issue. However, in the unlikely event that it doesn’t, the only other alternative is to have an authentic technician look into it and decide its fate. It is unlikely that you would have to do it, especially if you are still under warranty, but such cases do exist.
The issue with streaming music happens for many reasons, and it cannot be easily determined what the current issue is. All one can do is utilize the above troubleshooting methods and see if they can solve the problem.