Have you ever wondered "why is my Alexa green?" That pulsing or spinning green light on your Alexa device is trying to get your attention – but do you really need the notification?
If the green light annoys you, don‘t worry. You can easily stop Alexa‘s green ring or flashing in a few different ways. I‘ll walk through 9 simple steps so you can disable the green light and get rid of the distraction.
But first, let‘s look at why the green light appears in the first place.
Why Alexa Lights Up: Meaning Behind Each Color
Alexa devices use colored lights to convey information. Understanding what each color indicates will help you use Alexa more effectively.
Here is a quick guide to the most common Alexa light colors:
- Blue – Alexa heard your request and is processing it
- Green – Incoming call or active call in progress
- Red – Microphone off
- Purple – Alexa is connecting to your WiFi
- Orange – Alexa lost WiFi connection
- Yellow – Message notification
As you can see, the lights aren‘t just for decoration. They provide helpful status updates. Now let‘s focus on the green light specifically.
What Does the Green Light on Alexa Mean?
When your Alexa pulses, blinks, or spins green, it means you have an incoming call. The exact behavior of the light indicates whether it‘s a new call coming in or you‘re already on the line:
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Pulsing Green Light: A pulsing or flashing light means you have an incoming call or someone is dropping in. The light keeps pulsing if you don‘t answer the call, typically completing about 10 rounds before stopping.
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Spinning Green Light: The spinning light appears when you answer a call. It continues spinning in a clockwise direction to indicate you‘re on an active call.
According to an NPR-Edison research poll in 2020, 58% of Alexa owners have used the Drop In or calling features. So there‘s a decent chance you‘ll encounter that blinking green light as Alexa alerts you to incoming calls.
Now I‘ll explain 9 easy ways to stop the green ring or pulsing so you can focus without unnecessary distractions.
Step 1: Answer Important Calls
When you receive an incoming call on Alexa, your options are:
- Accept the call
- Decline or ignore the call
If it‘s an important call, go ahead and answer it. Alexa will show a spinning green light while you‘re on the call. Once you hang up, the light stops immediately.
To end the call, simply say "Alexa, hang up" and the spinning green notification will cease. Taking important calls is the fastest way to stop the pulsing light that signals a new call coming in.
Step 2: Decline Unwanted Calls
What about calls you don‘t want to accept? Declining them quickly is an easy way to stop the green pulsing light.
When an unwanted call comes in, just say "Alexa, decline call." The green flashing will stop within about 10 seconds since the call was rejected upfront.
This works great for nuisance calls from solicitors or other sources you don‘t want to speak with. It‘s a fast way to halt the pulsing light warning of an incoming call.
Step 3: Ignore Spam Calls
In some cases, you might not even want to engage by declining a call – you simply want to ignore it. No problem – the green light will stop on its own if you disregard unwanted or spam calls.
When you ignore an incoming call, the pulsing green light persists longer than if you decline upfront. It will keep flashing for about 10 rounds over 30 seconds before stopping automatically.
So while not as fast as declining, ignoring a spam call will cut off the green light faster than letting it ring indefinitely. Once it completes the 10 pulse loop, Alexa will drop the call and the light shuts off.
Step 4: Enable Do Not Disturb Mode with Voice Command
If you want to temporarily stop notifications like the pulsing green light, try Alexa‘s Do Not Disturb mode. This blocks incoming call alerts and other disruptions.
You can easily turn on Do Not Disturb by saying "Alexa, turn on Do Not Disturb." Alexa will confirm she received the command and is disabling notifications.
According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, over 130 million Americans own an Alexa device as of January 2022. If you‘re among them, this voice-enabled Do Not Disturb is a convenient option.
And don‘t worry – you can still enable important notifications when needed. Just say "Alexa, turn off Do Not Disturb" to resume calls and alerts. The voice commands make it simple.
Step 5: Manually Activate Do Not Disturb Mode
Beyond using your voice, you can also enable Do Not Disturb through the Alexa app on your phone. This gives you manual control over blocking notifications.
Follow these steps to turn on Do Not Disturb without any voice commands:
- Open the Alexa app on your smartphone
- Tap the 3 horizontal line menu button in the upper left corner
- Select Devices from the menu
- Choose Echo & Alexa
- Select your specific Alexa device
- Toggle on the Do Not Disturb switch
The Alexa app provides adjustable settings for each of your devices. Toggling Do Not Disturb blocks the disruptive green flashing light.
To reactivate notifications, just open the Alexa app and toggle off Do Not Disturb. The manual app controls are great for discretion when needed.
Step 6: Set a Do Not Disturb Routine
For even more customization, you can schedule Do Not Disturb to automatically enable at certain times. This is great for blocking notifications and lights during meals, movies, bedtime, or any other routine.
Here are the steps to set up an automated Do Not Disturb routine:
- Open the Alexa app and select Routines
- Choose New Routine +
- Give your routine a name like "Dinner DND"
- Set the schedule for when it should run
- Under Voice Responses, select " [device name], enable Do Not Disturb"
- Confirm the settings
At the scheduled time, Alexa will automatically enable Do Not Disturb – no more distracting lights or calls during dinner!
Alexa analytics show 65% of owners have set up custom routines. Leverage this option to automatically stop notifications as needed.
Step 7: Lower Notification Sounds
In addition to the light, incoming calls also trigger a audible ring or beep. Lowering the notification volume is an easy way to reduce disturbances.
You can adjust the incoming call sound in two ways:
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Through the Alexa app – Open your device settings and move the notification slide bar to your desired volume.
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Via voice command – Say "Alexa, turn down the notification volume" and specify a number 1 through 10.
Adjust the volume to a subtle level that doesn‘t distract you or disturb others. This complements disabling the visual light notifications.
Step 8: Disconnect Your Phone from Alexa
For a permanent solution, unlink your phone from Alexa to block all calls and lights. Since your phone enables the Drop In and calling features, disconnecting it will prevent any notifications.
Follow these steps to disconnect your phone:
- Open the Alexa app
- Select Devices
- Choose your Alexa device
- Tap on Bluetooth Devices
- Select your phone name
- Choose Forget to remove it
Repeat the process to disconnect all paired phones. This completely severs the calling connection so no disruptive lights or sounds will come through.
Just know this is permanent unless you re-pair your phone to Alexa. But it‘s an option if you wish to fully disable calling notifications.
Step 9: Disable the Drop In Feature
One final way to stop incoming call notifications is turning off Alexa‘s Drop In feature. Drop In enables direct calling between Alexa devices.
Disabling Drop In means other Alexa device owners won‘t be able to call your speaker. Follow these instructions to turn it off:
- Open the Alexa app and select Communicate
- Choose Drop In
- Toggle Drop In to Off for each paired device
This prevents Alexa-to-Alexa calling. But it also stops any associated flashing green lights for those calls. Disable Drop In if you don‘t need device-to-device calling.
Summary
Now you know several methods to stop the distracting green light on your Alexa. To recap, you can:
- Answer, decline, or ignore incoming calls
- Use Do Not Disturb mode via voice commands or the Alexa app
- Create an automated Do Not Disturb routine
- Lower notification volumes
- Disconnect your paired phone from Alexa
- Disable the Drop In calling feature
The green light means Alexa is receiving a call – but you don‘t have to accept the disruption. Use these 9 tips to customize notifications and enjoy your Alexa without annoying lights.
Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to help friends master their Alexa devices.