Older Amazon Echo speakers are acting up — is yours?

Devices that rely on an internet connection to function are always at risk of aging out of usability as manufacturers drop support or issue destabilizing updates meant primarily for newer models. Today, we’ve seen multiple reports that say first-gen Amazon Echo speakers — the cylindrical model from way back in 2014 — are failing to respond to commands, but it’s not clear why.

Over the past couple of days, several owners of original Echo hardware have posted on the Amazon Echo subreddit with similar stories: Users VolTa1987, Ypoosn, JustSomeUsername99, and mathaic all say that their first-gen Echo speakers are taking an inordinately long time to respond to commands, if they respond at all, sometimes failing to understand commands that previously worked just fine. Commenters on each post say they’ve experienced similar issues.

The first-generation Amazon Echo hasn’t received regular software updates for years now and doesn’t support new features like Alexa Plus. Still, it’s continued to function at a basic level, answering questions, playing music, and controlling supported smart home devices. That no longer seems to be the case for some users. More than one report on Reddit says that the speaker’s indicator light turns on when the speaker hears the Alexa wake word, then stays illuminated as the speaker fails to respond.

We don’t know why the speakers are acting up this way. Amazon hasn’t responded to any of the complaints on Reddit or made any official announcements about the situation. As of publication, Amazon has not responded to Android Authority‘s request for comment.

User ActiveYaw says that when they contacted Amazon about their misbehaving first-gen Echo, the company didn’t solve the problem, but did offer a discount on a newer model. If you’re in the same boat and you’ve been considering an upgrade anyway, contacting customer service might be worth it.

Do you have a first-generation Amazon Echo? Is it still working? Tell us about it in the comments.