PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

PCMag UK

Alexa Loses Her Voice in Widespread Outage

Those with Amazon Echo devices are reporting red rings and a variety of error messages.

Chloe Albanesius
 & Chloe Albanesius Executive Editor, News

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS

"Alexa, are you there?"

Amazon's digital voice assistant is having trouble today. Those with Echo devices are reporting red rings rather than blue, as well as a variety of error messages, including: "I'm having trouble understanding right now. Please try a little later"; "I'm not sure what went wrong" and "Sorry, your Echo lost its connection."

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. There have been some connection issues on Amazon Web Services (AWS) this morning, according to the dashboard, but it's unclear if that's related to the Alexa downtime. DownDetector.com is also reporting with Alexa.

The outage comes a few weeks after Amazon's Super Bowl ad featured a world in which Alexa lost her voice. Amazon called on celebrity voices, from Rebel Wilson to Leslie Jones, to fill in for Alexa in the humorous spots. Hopefully, Alexa will return soon so Amazon does not have to call in celeb backup.

About Our Expert

Chloe Albanesius

Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor, News

My Experience

I started out covering tech policy in DC for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag's news coverage.

My Areas of Expertise

Getting my start in DC means I still have a soft spot for tech policy; Congressional hearings can sometimes be as entertaining as a Bravo reality show, for better or worse. But PCMag is all about the technology we use every day, as well as keeping an eye out for the trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead (or flop on arrival). I've covered the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that's now left us with hefty streaming bills, and the effort to stuff artificial intelligence into every product you could imagine. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many times), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I also drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as part of our Best Mobile Networks project. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working team of reporters at PCMag, guiding and editing their robust coverage.

Read the latest from Chloe Albanesius

Read full bio