Amazon Alexa app doesn't start: you can
The Amazon Alexa app is a mandatory prerequisite for controlling and setting up the Echo (Dot). If the app does not start, we will help you in this practical tip and explain what needs to be done.
Amazon Alexa app does not start - compatibility
Before you go on to any other problem search, you should check to what extent the Alexa app is compatible with your device at all.
- If you are using an iOS device, at least iOS 8.0 must be installed.
- Android 4.4 or higher is required.
- Version 3.0 must be installed as a Fire OS user.
- In addition, Amazon's Alexa only supports the Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft Edge web browsers.
Amazon Alexa app doesn't start - iOS
If the problem arises with the Amazon Alexa app on iOS, you have several options to counteract this.
- The simplest option: just restart your device. To do this, keep the On / Off button pressed until a slider appears on the display.
- Drag this slider to turn the device off. Then press and hold the power button again until the Apple logo appears.
- Then try opening the Alexa app.
- If this still doesn't work, you can stop the app with a forced stop. To do this, double-click on the home button.
- All recently used apps are displayed in the menu that appears. Look for the Alexa app entry and swipe up to force the stop.
- If that doesn't improve either, the only thing left is to uninstall the app and then download it again.
- To do this, press and hold the Alexa app icon until it starts to shake.
- Then tap the "X" at the top left and confirm the message dialog that appears.
- After uninstalling, go to the App Store and look for the Alexa app there.
- Now this should definitely open again.
Amazon Alexa app doesn't start - Android
The steps to troubleshoot the Alexa app on Android and iOS are relatively identical.
- Again, the first attempt is to restart the device.
- To do this, press and hold the on / off switch and select the appropriate option to restart the device.
- Your smartphone should now shut down and start again on its own. Then try opening the Alexa app.
- If this does nothing, you can stop the Alexa app by forcing it to stop.
- To do this, go to your device's settings and select "Apps". Find the Alexa app in the list of installed apps and tap on the impression.
- On the screen that appears, select the "Clear data" and "Force shutdown" options one after the other.
- If this also has no effect, only reinstalling the app will help. To do this, tap "Uninstall" in the app menu you just opened and confirm the following request.
- After uninstalling, go to the Play Store, search for the Alexa app and install it again.
Amazon Alexa app doesn't start - Fire OS
Even under Fire OS there is no alternative to restarting the device, forcing a stop and uninstalling the app.
- To restart your Fire OS device, press and hold the power button, then choose the appropriate option to turn off the device.
- After the device turns off, press and hold the power button to turn the device back on.
- Now open the Alexa app. If that doesn't work, swipe down from the top of your Fire OS device's home page to see the quick settings.
- Then tap "More" and "Applications" or "Apps & Games". Then select "Manage all applications".
- Find the Alexa app in the list that appears and open the corresponding entry. Here too, select "Delete data" and "Force stop" one after the other.
- If the app still cannot be opened, select the Alexa app again in the app menu you just opened and then tap on "Uninstall".
- After uninstalling, go to the Apps library to reinstall the app.
Amazon Alexa app doesn't start - web browser
If the Alexa app does not work in the web browser, you have to do something different than on the mobile devices.
- First reload the page via the corresponding window in the top left corner of the screen.
- If this does nothing, switch to your browser settings and reset both the cache and cookies there. Attention, this will also delete all website settings.
- The last option: completely close the web browser and open it again. Then visit the Alexa website again.
Another practical tip will tell you whether you can also use Alexa only via an app, i.e. without an echo (dot).