Amazon Echo FAQ

Have just brought one back from the States to discover I can't download app from either amazon.com or even .co.uk now that they're selling the Echo. How can I connect it up without the app? Have just seen above reply. Does that mean I download Aptoide and then get Alexa through it? I tried using my laptop to set up from .co.uk but the first thing it did was get me to select the Amazon network in my wifi settings on the laptop but then it would go no further. I couldn't understand how to get it to pick up my wifi that way. As you can tell I'm not that techie..

I managed to get the app installed via aptoide... As for stations I can it to recognise most of the main ones bar newstalk...

Cabaal wrote: »

It was never going to be equal to a Sonos, nobody ever said it was in any reviews

Hmm bk linked to a review that said it was up to the quality of a Sonos and he was pretty vehement about defending the speaker quality... anyway was just curious.

Will be following this thread with interest to see if the Echo really does everything else it promised or if the Google offering is better.

jobless wrote: »

I tried what was suggested above 'play radio newstalk Ireland' and it worked a couple times... Hit and miss

Echo issues apart, I've often had problems with Newstalk on many internet services/apps including TuneIn. Link seems far less stable than RTÉ, BBC etc . So maybe not all Alexa's fault!

yabadabado wrote: »

Yup I have the very same problem.

Me too

Do I need to register my Echo with Amazon. I bought it in store in States and brought it back with me so not ordered through Amazon?

I still have not managed to get it to change time zones since it arrived. I have it set to an address in Dublin, despite being in Limerick. I can live with saying "in Limerick" when asking for weather, but I still cannot for the life of me get the time zone to change from somewhere on west coast US, which is stopping me from using alarms. Anyone have any ideas?


In other news, WeMo socket integration is seamless and fast. A couple more of those and some Hue bulbs will be my next pickup if I can get the damn clock sorted.

Yeah I'm not understanding why it won't change. It's driving me demented, much to the amusement of my better half. I've tried power cycling it a dozen times, and changing the address to a UK one, then a US one, and back to a Dublin one. If I check the list for local radio stations on Tunein, it does show local Limerick stations, but it still refuses to change the time.
I contacted Amazon several times, with no luck. They seem to not want to field any questions on these things.

I might try doing a factory reset on it this evening and starting from scratch (assuming there's actually a factory reset option...).

Good call. I'll do that beforehand. I might even try de-register and re-register before the reset, to see if that makes a difference.

Sorry a bit off topic
Hi Thinking of getting the Echo and hue lighting starter kit.
I want to make sure I order the right bulbs.
Does anyone know what the Small size (Edison Screw Bulbs)screw in bulbs are called

Thanks Donegal. Lucky I asked as I think i need the Candelabra and not the small screw ones

Thank you. Now understand that once I get it connected I can register it then.

i set up my alexa last night and unplugged it.... now when i log into alexa.amazon.co.uk it reroutes to alexa.amazon.com.... this happen to anyone else?

Welp, still no luck with the time zone. Interestingly, it's only now that I've realised I'm getting the US voice for Alexa, as when I did the reset on it, it had a UK voice. Once it completed setup, it switched back to the UK voice.
I'm utterly baffled now. I've tried everything from a hard reset, to de/re-registering, random addresses... I'm completely out of ideas.

Update:
A late night call to Amazon has yielded a potential fix for anyone having similar troubles. It turns out my account was defaulting to the US site in the back end, as that was the way Kindle had been set up. This can be changed by going to Amazon.com, hovering over the "Your account" tab, and going to "Manage your content and devices". From here, there are three tabs on the screen. Click the "Settings" tab and you'll see a "Country settings" section; change this to United Kingdom. Once done, go to the "Your Content" tab where you'll see a message with a link saying "Learn more... at amazon.co.uk". Click that link and it'll take you to the .co.uk digital content page, where you'll find a button in the middle of the page marked "Transfer your Kindle account to Amazon.co.uk"; click that link, and reset your Echo.
After the reset, your Echo should be reset to the full UK account, along with the UK voice pack, and GMT time. If it didn't work - as mine didn't initially - de-register the device, and then re-register it. This should clear the old settings for location and pull you in; again, this didn't initially work for me (but wait, there's more!). Once back connected and ready, go to the settings for your Echo device in the web page. Clear out the address bar, and type "BT36 4" (the space is important) into the postcode box, and hit enter. This is the postcode area for the Nightline Depot on your Parcel Motel account. It'll recognise this, plus the fix above, and immediately switch to GMT (ask Alexa the time to confirm UK voice and time zone).

Sorted!