Lately Echo is not picking up my voice when playing audio

[NapMan]

I've had my Echo since July of 2015.  It's been sitting in the exact same spot in my house since the day I got it.
Lately I've been having trouble with the Echo not hearing me say a command if audio is playing.  I don't keep the volume particularly loud or anything.

My morning routine when I wake up is, I say from my bedroom "Alexa, play station 1320", so I can hear the news.  My Echo is in another room but she never has trouble hearing me from the bedroom.

When I get ready to shower I say, from the hall, "Alexa, stop".  That has always worked until recently.  Today I stood right next to the Echo and shouted "Alexa, Stop!!" and nothing. The blue ring never lit up.  I turned down the volume some and tried again and eventually it worked.

I have loved my Echo but now I'm getting frustrated with it.  Does anyone have any thoughts?  I have tried unplugging it and then plugging it back in.

[mike27oct]

Thanks for all the minute detail in your story; I likely would not have "got it" without all of that.

Just remember, when any electronic device (including an Echo) acts up and doesn't work as it should, your first line of defense is to turn it off and then turn it back on.  So the way this is done (since it doesn't have a power switch) is to pull the darn plug from the wall.  Wait a few seconds and then plug it back in. and all will likely be fine again.

(I add this last level of minute detail, because when my good-est friend told me he had sent his wife out to get a battery for the Fire Stick remote before the Super Bowl began, I asked why -- and said the battery should last forever.  He said it was because the remote could not get the home menu to come on; the TV screen remained black.  So, I said turn it off and back on.  He asked me how, since it does not have a power button!  Well, I in-patiently explained how, and when he turned it back on, the Home menu was there, of course.)

[NapMan]

I did try that and I'm still having trouble.  I know several people have posted about the mic not picking up their voice with music playing but my problem is happening when listening to talk radio or podcasts.

Like I mentioned, everything used to work just fine (as far as I can recall).

[mike27oct]

I think at this point you ought to call Echo Support.  You can Google for that phone number.

[Maff]

Just had a lengthy chat with someone at Amazon, as my first Echo has been getting increasingly hard of hearing when it came to the wake word. It was taking me about 3 attempts to get it to respond to the wake word "Echo".

Apparently Amazon are tweaking the sensitivity of all Echos centrally, in terms of responding to the wake words, as they have had complaints from people when Echos are speaking out during ad breaks etc.

It was an interesting call. The initial Indian call centre guy seemed to be saying he could raise the sensitivity of my Echo remotely, (or at least that's what I understood)  and then he put me onto a guy in the US who seemed a lot more knowledgeable.

I was asked to do several tries, and saying the wake word while facing away etc. I asked if they were tweaking the sensitivity of my echo remotely, and he insisted he wasn't and that he couldn't do such a thing, but I'm pretty sure as an ex technician myself that he was doing exactly that. Miraculously following the phone call my echo is now working perfectly, answering every question, in a way it hasn't for weeks.

Maybe Amazon are a little cagey to admit a technician can reach into peoples Echos and tweak the mic from another continent, as it might be a little freaky to some people!

Successful call and fixed Echo so I'm happy.

[mike27oct]

Your first call was likely to Level 1 (I was told by a person there they are in Philippines) If you are an experienced Echo user, which most of us are, politely tell the person at Level 1 as soon as you can to transfer you to Level 2 ( it is in in Arizona).

Yep, (this ex-technician, agrees,) you bet he was tweaking it. How else could it have gotten more sensitive?