How to Fix Alexa Skills Not Working Issue

Amazon Alexa skills not working has hit many Alexa users. When the Alexa users tapped on skills section of the app, a message ‘something went wrong’ flashed across the screen.

Amazon Alexa skills help add some extra functionality to Amazon Echo Dot, Echo Show, and other Alexa-enabled devices. 

They can not only share the weather play music and more. However the error has disrupted the daily routine of Alexa users and left them quite frustrated.  

Amazon has issued a statement regarding the Alexa outage and affirmed that they are working to resolve this as soon as possible. However, here are some solutions to help solve the Alexa Skills Not Working Issue.

Alexa Skills Not Working Reasons:

If Alexa skills are not working, here are a few reasons:

Connectivity Issues: If your internet connection is slow, you may face an error with Alexa.  

If the Skills are not enabled, Alexa won’t recognise voice commands.

If your account and region do not match, you may face an issue while using Alexa. 

Alexa Skills Not Working Fixes:

Here are some troubleshooting methods that can be used to resolve the Alexa Skills not working problem:

Check Skill Status and Account Linking:

Open the Alexa app and go to More, next tap on Skills & Games, and click on Your Skills.

Locate the problematic skill and Disable and re-enable it.  Also, verify that the skill has the necessary permissions to function correctly. 

Restart Alexa & Check Wi-Fi

  • Unplug your Alexa device and plug it back in after a few minutes. 
  • Open the Alexa app on your smartphone.
  • Tap Devices.
  • Select the Alexa device.
  • Tap the gear icon in the top right.
  • Tap Wi-Fi Network and confirm the Wi-Fi network is selected. 

Disable/Re-enable the skill

Disabling and re-enabling skills will also help fix the issue. 

  • Open the Alexa app.
  • Tap More and then click on Skills & Games.
  • Tap on Disable Skill on the skill giving you problems. 
  • Next, tap on Enable Skill and turn it on. 

Check for App Updates:

Amazon often releases updates. Check if your Alexa app is updated to the latest version.  

  • Open the Alexa app on your device.
  • Tap on the Devices tab.
  • Tap on Echo & Alexa.
  • Next, select the device.
  • Tap the Device software version. If a new update is available, follow the prompts to install it.

Verify Amazon Account 

Check if the Alexa-powered device is registered to your Amazon account.

  • Log in to the Amazon website with your username and password.
  • Tap on the Account & Lists under your username.
  • Click on Content & Devices.
  • Check if the Alexa-powered device is registered to your Amazon account under Registered Devices. 

Clear App Cache 

Do try to clear the Alexa app cache to fix the issue:

  • Tap on Settings.
  • Click on Apps and then on Amazon Alexa.
  • Tap Storage & cache. 
  • Tap Clear cache. 
  • Check if the issue is fixed.

Factory Reset of The Alexa Device

If all else fails, a factory reset restores the Alexa device to its original, out-of-the-box state. 

  • Open the Alexa app on your device.
  • Tap on the Devices icon.
  • Tap Echo & Alexa and select the device.
  • Tap Device Settings and click on Factory Reset. 
  • Follow the prompts to finalise the reset.  

You can also initiate a factory reset on an Alexa device.

  • Locate the Action button on the device.
  • Press and hold the Action button.
  • The light ring will soon change colour.
  • Release the button. 
  • Wait for Alexa to fully reboot. 

Contact Support:

If none of the above steps resolve the issue, then you need to contact Amazon’s customer support for further assistance. They will guide you in fixing the issue.

Hope the above solutions have helped fix the error, and you can use Alexa Skills again. 

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