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Since the original Amazon Echo smart speaker was released, one of the brand's defining design characteristics has been the light ring -- or in the case of Echo Show ( ) smart displays, the light bar. When you say "Alexa," the light turns blue and then swirls around as Alexa processes your voice command. But when the light blinks yellow, swirls white or alternates blue and cyan, what does it mean?

The light ring serves as a status indicator and a notification light for all kinds of information, it turns out. When the Echo's ring or Show's bar light up with different colors, Alexa is trying to tell you something important.

Here's what those colors mean.

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Waiting on you...

Most of the time, the light ring stays off. If the device is plugged in and there are no lights showing, it means the speaker is active and waiting for you to speak the wake word. When you interact with Alexa, you will see white and various tones of blue.

If you speak the wake word or manually wake Alexa, the light ring will turn solid blue and a small section of cyan will point in the direction of the person speaking.

will point in the direction of the person speaking. Solid blue with spinning cyan after you've spoken a command means Alexa is processing your request. This also happens when the speaker is powering on.

after you've spoken a command means Alexa is processing your request. This also happens when the speaker is powering on. Alternating blue and cyan when Alexa is responding to a command or query.



when Alexa is responding to a command or query. The light ring will show the volume percentage in white when you manually turn the light ring on the Amazon Echo or the first-generation Echo Dot second-generation Echo Dot

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Just so you know...

The light ring will tell you if there are any problems with Alexa, as well. Status indicators are red, purple or orange.

Pulsing violet indicates that there was a problem during Wi-Fi setup.

indicates that there was a problem during Wi-Fi setup. Spinning orange means the device is currently connecting to your network.

means the device is currently connecting to your network. Solid red means the microphone has been turned off and Alexa is not actively listening for your commands.

means the microphone has been turned off and Alexa is not actively listening for your commands. A spinning blue light that ends with a purple flash indicates that Do Not Disturb has been activated.

indicates that Do Not Disturb has been activated. A flash of purple after you interact with Alexa means that Do Not Disturb is still enabled.

after you interact with Alexa means that Do Not Disturb is still enabled. A continuously spinning white light means Alexa Guard is on Away Mode.

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Something to share...

Now that Alexa lets you send messages and make calls, Amazon has introduced two new colors for notifications: green and yellow.

A pulsing green light indicates an incoming call.

indicates an incoming call. A spinning green light means you're currently on a call or an active Drop In.

means you're currently on a call or an active Drop In. A pulsing yellow light is telling you that you have messages in your inbox. You can say, "Play my messages" or "Check my notifications" for more information.



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The Show goes on...

Unlike the Amazon Echo smart speakers, the Echo Show benefits from having a full display. But the device still uses similar light signals to its speaker counterparts, and they appear on the bottom of the screen in a thin band. Here are the color meanings: