Blinking or flashing yellow light on an Alexa device means that there is a message or a notification waiting for you.
Warning: You may be confusing Alexa flashing yellow light with Alexa flashing green. For example, on our Amazon Echo Dot, the ring color actually looks lime green in daylight. It is very easy to confuse it with a flashing green light, which indicates that someone is dropping in on your Echo device or trying to call you.
In our house, the most common notification is “Your amazon shipment has arrived” which inevitably means that kids will be curious about the new package. But shipment notifications are not the only notifications that Alexa can relay.
There are Alexa skills that may send you notifications. For example, “Mommy Gram” Alexa skill allows kids to stay in touch with their Mom by asking Alexa to send her text messages. Whenever Mom replies to the text message, Alexa will activate a flashing yellow light to indicate that there is a message waiting to be read.
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How to stop Alexa flashing yellow light:
You can use one of these phrases to clear the messages and notifications on your Alexa device and stop the flashing yellow light:
- “Alexa, what are my messages?”
- “Alexa, read my notifications”
- “Alexa, what are my notifications?”
- “Alexa, what did I miss?”
- “Alexa, next/previous”
- “Alexa, clear all notifications”
- “Alexa, delete all of my notifications”
Alexa notifications are enabled automatically when you set up the Alexa Calling and Messaging feature.
You can also check messages and notifications and manage your notification settings in your Alexa app.
How to change your notification settings in the Alexa app:
Click the “More” icon in the bottom right corner of the home screen in your Alexa app. Then, Choose Settings -> Notifications.
Here, you can choose which skills are allowed to send you notifications as well as configure notifications for other Amazon things like receiving a notification when your Amazon package is delivered.
Amazon shopping gives you a number of options for receiving notifications. For example, you can choose for Alexa to notify you when a package is out for delivery or is delivered on your doorstep or to receive delivery updates.
A very important option for many people is whether Alexa should say or show item title for any items that might be a gift. It is easy to ensure that Alexa doesn’t give out your shopping secrets:
First, select “Amazon Shopping” in the “Notifications” screen.
Then, de-select the following option in “Say or show item titles” section:
“Including items in your shopping cart marked as gifts, or those that might be gifts during major holidays.”
Want to know about other light ring colors that Alexa uses to communicate? We put together Alexa Light Ring Colors Guide for you:
Want to discover some funny Alexa tricks? Check out our list of 25 Alexa Easter Eggs.
