Alexa Not Announcing Reminders? Easy Solutions!

Wondering, why is Alexa not announcing reminders? Stay with us to learn the solution!

Alexa’s verbal commands make it a great tool for smart home automation, and for remaining important scheduled tasks.

However, sometimes Alexa may fail to announce reminders and the problem could be related to the source device or to the application software!

You won’t be able to use Alexa reminders when there is a problem with the Echo device or your Alexa source device. The unit could be muted or the reminder might not be scheduled at all. In some rare cases, you might even miss the reminder!

Let’s move forward to see how you can fix the Alexa reminders problem in minutes!

How To Fix When Alexa Reminders Not Announcing?

If your Alexa reminders aren’t working, don’t panic because this is something that may happen to Alexa users.

However, by following this guide’s quick solutions, you can fix reminder problems and even better, identify why they are not being announced.

Solution #1 Add Alexa Reminder!

As we’ve already hinted at the start of this guide, the reminder might not be properly scheduled or even added to Alexa’s tasks.

There is a simple way, to use the app, to find Alexa’s reminders and check when they are about to be announced. This way we can keep track!

Here is how to discover existing reminders in the Alexa app:

1. Open the Alexa app and Sign in to your account.
2. Then click on the More button.
3. Tap on the Reminder option.
4. Inspect whether there is a scheduled reminder.

To create a reminder, follow the steps below!

Using Vocal Command:

You can easily set the reminder by using your vocal. All you need is to say your command to Alexa by following the below way.

• Alexa, remind me of the action at the date/time.

Using Alexa App:

1. Tap on the Add Reminder option.
2. Set the “Remind me to”.
3. Choose today’s date.
4. Schedule the reminder 3 minutes from now.
5. Tap on Save.

It does not matter which way you’ve gone, the newly created reminder should appear in the list.

What’s left to do now is just wait and check whether our reminder will be announced.

Note: Alexa will repeat the reminder for a second time 60 seconds after the first announcement!

Solution #2 Reboot Alexa Device!

Sometimes, a simple restart is all that is needed for the device to resume working properly.

Hence, you should restart your Alexa-enabled device, regardless of whether you’re using Echo, or simply your smartphone. This will refresh ALL services and hopefully will help!

Here is the most efficient way to reboot your Alexa device!

1. Disconnect an Echo from the power source!
2. Alternatively, turn OFF your smartphone.
3. Wait for at least 1 minute!
4. Plug your device into the power.

When you’re ready, create a new reminder and test the weather Alexa will announce it this time!

Note: The Alexa reminders and alarms do not require a connection to the internet to function!

Solution #3 Reset Time Settings

Your reminders won’t announce on the day they are supposed to if your Alexa timings or date are off or wrong.

Also, there may be a chance that you have set the reminder on the wrong date or time. To make Alexa reminders work, adjust the time settings.

This problem occurs when you have moved and didn’t change the Timezone setting!

Here is a way to reset the time settings on Alexa:

1. Open the Alexa app using your mobile phone.
2. Tap on the Devices option.
3. Look for All Devices or Echo & Alexa.
4. Select the Echo dot that appears on the clock device. 
5. This displays the device’s settings.
6. Tap on the LED Display/Time zone under the General option.
7. Choose your city time zone! 
8. Save the changes!

Note: After resetting the time, re-create a schedule by following solution #1.

Solution #4 Increase Alexa Volume

Alexa might have reminded you, but you didn’t notice. Perhaps you are getting a reminder on the Alexa app, but the Echo device didn’t?

If this is the case, then it is happening due to the low volume. All you need to do is to check the Alexa volume settings!

Here is how you can increase the Alexa volume:

1. Launch the Alexa app on your mobile phone. 
2. Tap on the Devices from the bottom menu. 
3. Tap on Echo & Alexa, and then select your Echo device. 
4. Look for Sounds options under the General. 
5. Increase the volume by dragging the volume slider to the right side.

Tip: Ask Alexa anything to check whether the volume is now audible!

Solution #5 Update Alexa Firmware And Alexa App

Due to the outdated version of the Alexa device and mobile app, Alexa reminders settings got mismanaged.

But whenever your devices are connected to the internet, they automatically start updating their version if available.

Perhaps that’s why Alexa not announcing reminders!

Update Alexa Echo Device:

1. Connect your Echo to a WiFi connection.
2. Your device will automatically start downloading the update. 
3. The installation might take up to 15 minutes.
4. Alexa will update you periodically.

Update The Alexa App:

1. Go to the Play Store or App Store.
2. Search for the Amazon Alexa app. 
3. Check if there is any update available. 
4. Tap on the update button to start the process.

Note: Keep your Echo device and Alexa app up to date to avoid functionality issues!

Solution #6 Factory Reset Alexa!

The factory reset is the final and most powerful solution in this guide.

This method will only help when the reminder problem is present on an Echo device, therefore not on your smartphone.

What the factory reset does is revert ALL device settings to default, and disconnect the unit from the signed-in Amazon account.

What’s important is that any connected smart devices will be also removed from the settings configuration. However, they can easily be added back.

Here’s a way to reset your Echo device with or without the Amazon Alexa app:

Factory Reset Using Echo:

1. Press and hold the Power button and Volume down button for 30 seconds 
2. The Echo Alexa device should show an orange light.
3. When the LED turns blue, the reset is done!

Factory Reset Using Alexa App:

1. Open the Alexa app and click on the Devices option from the bottom bar.
2. By clicking on the Echo & Alexa, select your Alexa device.
3. Look for the Factory Reset option, and click to proceed.

Reminder: Don’t forget to re-connect the devices and set a new reminder to test with!

Why Are Alexa Reminders Are Not Supported On This Device?

Users of Alexa frequently see the message “reminders are not supported on this device” and wonder what’s wrong

As per many conversations online, this problem appears at random and by keeping track of the forums, no clear solution has been found yet.

In most cases, the issue can be solved with one of the solutions above!

It was proven for this message appeared because of a firmware update problem, but the issue was soon fixed by Amazon, therefore can’t be happening now.

We strongly suggest scrolling up and checking whether you’ve tried everything in the guide.

If not, make sure to do so!

Need Help?

In case you believe that your problem is rather unique and there is a need for professional assistance, make sure to navigate to Amazon Customer Support Page to find answers!

With a bit of luck, the problem will be gone in minutes. 

Tip: Share the solutions from this guide with Amazon to save as much time as possible!

Let’s next take a look at what we’ve learned in this guide!

Quick Recap:

Hence, when Alexa is not announcing reminders, start by rebooting the Echo device and re-adding the reminder. Next, ensure that the device is not mute and increase the volume to test with. Lastly, you should perform a factory reset, when nothing else helps!

Wrapping Up:

In this guide, we’ve learned what to do when Alexa not announcing reminders and how to solve the problem in a matter of minutes.

Fortunately, there are many quick fixes available in this guide that will help you out so make sure that you’ve attempted everything!

In case you find this guide interesting and helpful make sure to check our blog to discover much more Alexa-related guides.

We describe how to solve any issues so follow us for more!