There are 2 types of spinning or flashing white rings on Alexa devices:
1. Continuously Rotating White Ring
Continuously flashing or spinning white ring on your Amazon Echo means that Alexa Guard is in the Away Mode. Say “Alexa, I am home” to turn off Alexa Guard Away Mode. You can also do it from your Alexa app.
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To turn off the Away Mode from the Alexa app, click on “Devices” icon in the lower right corner:
You should see “Guard” section with a blue “Away” button. Just tap that “Away” button to return to “Home” mode.
You can also tap on the entire “Guard” section to see current status, history and hear any recordings that were possibly made while in “Away” mode. You can also drop in on your echo device from here.
We tested Alexa Guard by playing breaking glass recoding while in “Away” mode. She handled it well and sent us an immediate alert.
What if turning off Guard Mode doesn’t work?
We have heard reports that sometimes people return home to find their Echo with a spinning white light and try to turn off the Guard Mode either by asking Alexa to turn it off or via the Alexa app, but the spinning white light is still on.
If that happens to you, your next step should be to check the list of devices associated with the Alexa Guard. On rare occasions, devices seem to disappear from that list, so when you turn the Guard Mode off, the instructions are not sent to your device and the white spinning light doesn’t go away.
How to check the list of Alexa devices associated with Alexa Guard mode:
Navigate to “Guard” screen in Alexa app as described in the previous section. Click on the settings button in the upper right corner of the screen:
Now, click on “Echo Devices” section at the top of the “Guard Settings” screen:
Make sure that the echo device with rotating white ring is in this list. Try re-adding your device and then ask Alexa to turn off Guard Mode again.
Hope it helps!
2. Partial (or full) white ring that appears only for a couple of seconds
White light that appears either as a complete or partial circle and then starts to disappear means that your device is adjusting the volume.
If you set the highest volume (Alexa, set volume to 10), the ring will appear complete. If you mute your echo device (Alexa, set volume to 0), only a small portion of the white ring will appear. In our example, we set Alexa volume to 6.
Want to know about other light ring colors that Alexa uses to communicate? We put together Alexa Light Ring Colors Guide for you:
Now, when you have managed to stop the white ring on your Alexa, why not have some fun with Alexa Easter Eggs.
