DOT can’t do sums

[jwlv]

What you are describing seems very unlikely. What exactly are you asking your Dots?
Please give us some examples. Perhaps you can make a quick Youtube video showing us exactly what you are saying and how the Dot responds.

Maybe it just has trouble understanding how you speak numbers. Try asking this: Alexa, set an alarm at 7:11 pm. Or Alexa, set an alarm at 9:05 am. If the alarms were set, check the Alexa app to confirm that the alarm time is correct.

Dots are a bit more hard of hearing than the regular Echoes. They are even more so when placed near a wall or anything solid behind or around it. And because they are much shorter than the regular Echo, they are easily blocked by other things around them.

[Pagemakers]

I’ve had my Dots and Echo since day 1. 

I say alexa what is 4+2.

The Echo replies 4+2 is 6.
The Dot replies Sorry I couldn’t find the answer to that question.

I can ask any maths question to the dot and it’s the same. I can ask the dot any other question...  how far is the moon, how deep is the Atlantic etc etc and it answers every time.

[renegade600]

are you going to try my suggestion and post back the results?   

[Pagemakers]

Here is a voice recording link:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8w8mwl9pcbluh3z/Alexa.m4a?dl=0

[jwlv]

Wow that is just weird that the Dots can't answer those questions.
The only thing I can think of right now is to do a factory reset.

To reset your Echo Dot that has volume buttons:

-    Press and hold the Microphone off and Volume down buttons at the same time until the light ring turns orange (about 20 seconds). Then light ring turns blue.
-    Wait for the light ring to turn off and on again. The light ring then turns orange again, and your Echo Dot enters setup mode.
-    Open the Alexa app to connect your device to a Wi-Fi network and register it to your Amazon account. To learn more, go to Set Up Your Echo Dot

[Pagemakers]

Already done a factory reset as you suggest. The dots (more than one) remain the same.

[Harlandc@gmail.com]

I'm experiencing the exact same symptoms on dots and Echo.

[Pagemakers]

Maybe we are connecting to a fault batch of Echo servers?

[StevenR]

I'm getting the same thing with both of my Echo Dots. I don't have an Echo, so I can't check if it works on that.
Strangely I have got the odd one or two to work, here are some I tried:

"Alexa, What's nineteen plus five" => "The sum of 19 and 5 is 24."
"Alexa, What's seventeen plus five?" => "Hmm, I'm not sure."
"Alexa, what's seventeen plus fifteen?" => "Hmm, I'm not sure."
"Alexa, what's seventeen plus six?" => "The sum of 17 and 6 is 23."
"Alexa, what's sixteen plus seven?" => "Hmm, I don't know that one."

I copied the requests and responses from to history, so it definitely recognised what I said.
Also, I have tried these examples multiple times and it is always the same ones which work and don't work so it doesn't appear to be a random misrecognition.

[Pagemakers]

Amazon tech support are calling me Monday. Glad I’m not the only one. I’ll report back after the call

[StevenR]

I've just done some more testing and found that it seems work better if you don't say "what's" or "what is".

"Alexa, what's two plus four" => "Hmm, I don't know that one."
"Alexa, two plus four" => "The sum of 2 and 4 is 6."

[Pagemakers]

Interesting. I get the same results.

Still a bug though. Never did that before.

[Pagemakers]

Just had a long call with Amazon and they think it may be an issue (intended or not) with the UK dots. It’s been escalated to the developers for a fix.