Alexa won’t call

[Debbieohara4195]

I can’t get my Alexa to make or receive phone calls I’ve updated my app and echo software as well as setup my contacts and allowed drop ins. When I try Alexa says sorry I can’t make calls right now or unable to receive incoming calls. Any help or suggestions?

[Laurel]

Quick Fixes for Alexa Calling

If you’re having trouble with Alexa Calling, here are some solutions that may help.

For more information about signing up for Alexa Calling and Messaging and making calls with Alexa, go to Alexa Calling.
Check your Wi-Fi Connection

Alexa uses your compatible Echo device’s Wi-Fi network to make calls, and requires a strong connection. Any problems with your network can affect call quality, or cause the call to drop.

Restarting your Echo device, Internet modem, and router typically resolves most intermittent Wi-Fi issues:

    Turn off your router and/or modem, and then wait 30 seconds.
    If you have both a router and modem, turn your modem back on first and wait for it to restart. Then turn on your router.
    While your network hardware restarts, unplug the power adapter from your Echo device for three seconds, and then plug it back in.

For more help with Wi-Fi connection problems, go to Streaming Issues on Alexa Devices.

Check Your Mobile Contacts

Check the contacts list on your mobile phone to make sure the number you’re trying to reach is saved correctly. Confirm that you’re saying the name as it’s entered, and also check for any typographical issues that might make it hard for Alexa to understand who the contact is.

Note: Alexa periodically checks for updates to your phone’s contacts list. If you just added the contact you’re trying to reach, make sure it’s completely saved, and then try again.

Check the Number You’re Calling

If you’re trying to reach a mobile or landline number, keep in mind that Alexa only supports calls from the US to most numbers in the US, Canada, and Mexico at this time.

The following types of numbers are also not supported:

    Premium-rate numbers or toll numbers (e.g. “1-900” numbers)
    Emergency services numbers (e.g. “911”)
    N-1-1 numbers / abbreviated dial codes (e.g. “211,” “411,” etc.)
    International numbers (i.e. numbers outside of the US, Canada, and Mexico)

[DroMike]

I know you won't believe this, but simply unplug your Echo at the base (plug), wait a few minutes and plug it back in.  Allow it to reset  (another 60 seconds).  You would be surprised how many small electronic hiccups benefit from this fix -- I've had maybe 3-4 myself.  Here's the most recent:  I actually have five Echos (4 full 2nd Gen and a Dot).  When I added my fifth last week in my kitchen, for some reason my well-established Echo in my Master Bedroom wouldn't make phone calls.  After I unplugged it and re-plugged it, everything was fine.

This may or may not fix your problem, but I guarantee it will fix many small problems for many others.  The technology is new and isn't yet perfect.  If, like me, you're, uh, "older" and might remember black & white TVs that -- ha -- you'd need to tune with a pair of pliers, when the picture would often go out or scramble diagonally, you'd have to administer corporal punishment on it.  Consider this the slap on the side of the set for a modern Amazon Echo device.

RESETTING YOUR ECHO DEVICE [I couldn't find a photo of someone smacking the side of an old TV so in the photo below, the hand is the Echo being unplugged and the kid's buttocks is the misbehaving Echo.]: