Smart assistants like the Amazon Echo are incredibly useful devices, but they can also pose a privacy threat. When you give away or sell your smart assistant, you can’t just reset it on your phone. You need to perform a hard reset, which will completely erase your data, not only to protect your personal information, but also to ensure that the device works properly for all future users.
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Even if you are not going to sell the device, there are times when your echo might stop working or freeze. Restoring factory settings will solve most of the problems. Keep in mind that different devices require different methods to perform a hard reset, but this is not difficult.
Here’s how to reset some of the more common Amazon Echo devices.
How to reset Amazon Echo Dot (3rd generation)
The third generation Amazon Echo Dot is one of the most popular smart devices around. The third generation Echo Dot has over 257,000 reviews on Amazon alone, with hundreds, if not thousands, more sold every day.
As a result, people more often than not want to know how to reset Amazon Echo Dot in order to sell or fix problems. Good news? It’s simple.
- Find the action button (button at the bottom and to the right of volume up with a single dot in the middle). Press and hold for 25 seconds until the light ring flashes orange. After another moment, the light turns blue.
- When the indicator turns off and then lights up again and then turns orange, it will be in setup mode.
- In setup mode, you can open the app on your phone or tablet and complete the setup process as if it were a brand new device.
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How to reset Amazon Echo Show 5 & Echo Show 8
The Amazon Echo Show was the first Echo with a display, but it didn’t catch on for various reasons. On the other hand, the Echo Show 5 and Echo Show 8 are much more popular.
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The recent Black Friday sales of the Echo Show 5 made it one of the best-selling Echo devices in all of Amazon, but users soon found that Amazon Echo Show reset was very different from non-display Echo devices.
- There are two ways to reset Echo Show 5 to its factory settings. The first is to swipe down from the top of the screen to display the Control Panel, then scroll down and select Settings. The second option is to say: Alexa, open Settings .
- In the Settings menu, scroll down until you see Device Options.
- Scroll down and click Restore Factory Defaults .
- Another screen appears, warning you that you cannot cancel the process. Click Reset . This process can take up to five minutes, but after that your Amazon Echo Show 5 will be like new again.
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The same process works with Amazon Echo Show 8.
How to reset Amazon Echo (3rd generation)
The base Amazon Echo model is easy to reset. The process is similar to that of the third generation Echo Dot.
- Press and hold the microphone mute and volume down buttons simultaneously for about twenty seconds. The indicator turns orange.
- After changing the color, Echo will be completely reset to its original settings.
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How to Reset Amazon Echo Plus (2nd Gen)
If you’re a fan of great sound quality in your smart assistant, the Amazon Echo Plus might be the one for you. This is the older cousin of the Echo with sound that suits it. Fortunately, a factory reset is as easy as restoring your device.
- Find the Action button and press it for 20 seconds.
- Wait until the indicator turns off and then turns back on. Once this happens, the device will reboot.
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Note about obtaining hardware reset first
Each device on this list is from the second generation and later because these are the most commonly used devices. Smart assistants only began to gain popularity in the second generation of each device. Later generations have more options and therefore more customer engagement.
The first generation Echo Dot, Echo and Echo Plus have reset buttons that require a paperclip to press. Find this button, usually in a small hole near the base or at the bottom of the device, and press it quickly. Once you’ve done that, wait for the light to turn off and back on. When this happens, the device will reboot.
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The first generation Echo Show and Echo Spot reset in the same way as the Echo Show 5, but you can also press the mute and volume down buttons for fifteen seconds until the Amazon logo appears on the display.
If your devices start to freeze or just don’t work as expected, perform a hard reset. It can solve any problems before Alexa attacks you with HAL-9000. Make sure you perform a reset as well before selling your old device. In the modern age of cybersecurity, one cannot be too secure.
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