Alexa won't play music from any source but is connected to the internet

[esaathoff]

Several weeks ago Alexa stopped playing music from any source (Prime, iHeart, Pandora, etc.); however she continues to provide Flash briefing, weather, Skill apps, etc.

Alexa understands the command to "Play music Prime ..." and says that she is developing a playlist but no music is ever played.

The same result occurs if I use the iPad app to start music on Alexa.   The input is accepted by the "wheel of death" circles for awhile then the music chosen goes back to the unselected state.

Has anyone else seen this problem or have suggestions for a fix?

[esaathoff]

Called Echo support at Amazon.   Got a quick call back and fixed the problem by unplugging and replugging the Echo ... why didn't I think of that ... forgot it's a computer and may have some Microsoft code in it ... "reboot" the solution to most problems ...

[mike27oct]

In the British TV comedy series, "The IT Crowd," the company's IT guys quickly answer their phone with, "Turn it off, and turn it on," and promptly hang up their phone. 

[jwlv]

Ahh yes, The IT Crowd. It's a very funny show.
It's available on Netflix: http://www.netflix.com/search/it%20crowd?jbv=70140450&jbp=0&jbr=0
Amazon Prime charges $1.99 per episode.

[mike27oct]

Yes, we watched it on Netflix at no charge for streaming.  I just re-added it to our List. The first season shows were the best, but when they brought the new boss into the show it started to be less interesting.

Another great Brit comedy TV series is called Coupling.  One of the best sit-coms we ever saw.

Uh-oh, we are getting off topic again.  Better stop, or the Thought-Police will be on us.

[kis4kori]

I'm having the same issue with my Tap...any fix for that? Since it's wireless, I can't unplug. I did try to reboot and it didn't help

[mike27oct]

If you hold the rear power button in for a few seconds you will hear it completely power down -- equivalent to pulling power plug of a Dot or Echo.  (A quick press of button does NOT completely power down the Tap, it just puts it in standby)  To turn Tap back on, hold in rear power button again.

When completely shut off, there is no battery drain, AND the Tap takes a while to re-boot/reconnect -- like an Echo does when power is reapplied.  Use this procedure for rebooting Tap and for preventing battery drain for a short or long time.

[merkman]

Called Echo support at Amazon.   Got a quick call back and fixed the problem by unplugging and replugging the Echo ... why didn't I think of that ... forgot it's a computer and may have some Microsoft code in it ... "reboot" the solution to most problems ...

DUH.  Just saw the first post in the thread and found the number.  Sorry about that!!! 

You were able to call Amazon for support?  Do you mind sharing the number you called?  My TP-Link light switches are working fine with their app, they show up in the Alexa app just fine, but when I try to use Voice Control with my Echo, Alexa says "ok"... but nothing happens.  Lights that are off don't turn on, etc.  And after reading the TP-Link "FAQ" today, I thought maybe I forgot to turn voice control on in the TP-Link "Kasa" app.  Went home at lunch, and it WAS turned on for all my "Smart Switches".

I did read that at least one guy having similar trouble turned the "Remote Control" or whatever it's called off, then back on, and then his lights worked in the Alexa app.  Gonna try that later tonight when I get home, but if I still have trouble I'd love to speak to someone at Amazon and see if I'm missing anything.  With only a Plug smart switch plugged in, it worked great.  But since I've gone to 4 devices, only one works reliably. 

[Karen]

Interested if anyone knows more about this topic beyond the reset? I have the same issue of Alexa acknowledging my music/stream request, but then silence or she say "sorry, I'm having trouble playing music right now." .I have tried a factory reset and wifi update. She can tell me the correct time, a joke, the weather...but will not complete the task of playing prime music, the radio, or alerting me to a done timer request. The odd part, is that my tp link smart plugs stopped working at the same time too. Thanks in advance!!

[mike27oct]

Have you unplugged the echo device for at least 5 minutes, and then tried again?

[Karen]

GREAT NEWS!! My wonderful brother figured this mystery out! When we had xfinity installed, it included a 5gz wifi and Alexa can apparently only accept a 2.4gz. When we toggled the 5gz off and reset Alexa, she WORKS!! We then were able to rename the 5gz only on the cable modem to a different SSID. This way, we can still use 5gz for other devices, but can specifically connect Alexa and smart plugs to 2.4gz.

[mike27oct]

Great, but the Echos can connect to both 2.4G AND 5G (So, that really was not the problem -- rebooting likely fixed the problem.). 

Nevertheless. It is best to connect the Echos to 2.4G, because it is a low-bandwidth requirement audio-only device, so connect only streaming VIDEO devices to 5G.  I keep my half-dozen Echo devices only on 2.4G, but iPhones, iPads, and Fire TV sticks, etc) are all connected to 5G for the wider bandwidth they need to stream quality video.  30+ devices connected to home network and all work great.

Xfinity should have set up (and designated) separate 2.4G and 5G signals for you.  (And, told you how to use them!) If they didn't; shame on the cable guy!  I also have Xfinity cable, but NOT their rental router/modem.  I own my own router and modem.  My experiences with the cable guy installers has never been good. Most are poorly trained with little experience.

[MikeS]

One other hint that may help, I realised NTP from the Echo which were dropped by my firewall. Once the NTP was unblocked playing music started immediately. Just rebooting didn't do the trick

hope this may help in similar cases / setup behind a ffirewall

[Max]

There is a popular radio station in Utah Z104, great country music, Alexa will not recognize any voice command for this station.  Can search on app but that is annoying.  There are three stations Z104 in US.  How do I get my Alexa to recognize my station... frustrating

[mike27oct]

With some google skills anyone can find it in a second.  Just ask Alexa to play KSOP on tunein.  BTW, there are more than three stations going by the nickname of Z104.