All Amazon Echo smart speakers have built-in Bluetooth. This makes them Bluetooth speakers, so you can stream music from your phone – along with any other audio, such as the sound from a video or a podcast. You can also use that Bluetooth connection to pair a Bluetooth speaker or Bluetooth headphones with your Echo.
We explain how to do both.
How to put Alexa in pairing mode
The easiest way to pair a phone with your Echo is to say “Alexa, pair”. She will then look for Bluetooth devices that are discoverable. So, make sure Bluetooth is turned on in your phone’s settings and it is also set to be discoverable by other devices.
For those with an Echo Show – an Alexa device with a screen – you can swipe down from the top, tap the Settings cog icon and then tap Bluetooth.
Here you can pair a new device, see which devices are already paired and connect or disconnect Bluetooth to one of those devices.
The other way to pair a phone is to go to your phone’s Bluetooth settings and look through the list of available devices for your Echo (after saying “Alexa, pair”). When the Echo shows up in the list of discovered devices, tap it and then tap Pair when prompted.
You should hear a chime and then Alexa will say “Now connected to [your phone name]”.
It should automatically pair when in range, just like a car stereo, but if it doesn’t just say “Alexa, pair” and she should try to connect to your phone. Alternatively, if multiple phones are paired, say “Alexa, pair with OnePlus 7T Pro” or whatever your phone name is.
To stop streaming to your Echo over Bluetooth say, “Alexa, disconnect Bluetooth”. Or, of course, you could just turn off Bluetooth on your phone.
If you find that your phone won’t reconnect to Alexa, as we have with some phones, unplug your Echo for 10 seconds, plug it back in and try again. This usually fixes the problem.
How to use Alexa with a Bluetooth speaker or headphones
Some Echo speakers, notably the Dot, don’t have amazing sound quality. But you can pair a Bluetooth speaker or your Bluetooth headphones for better quality.
To do it, first make sure your speaker or headphones are turned on and in pairing mode. You might need to check the manufacturer’s instructions if you don’t know how to do this.
Then, in the Alexa app on your phone:
- Tap Settings in the main menu (top left corner)
- Tap Device Settings
- Tap on the Echo that you want to pair with
- Tap Bluetooth Devices under Wireless
- Tap Pair a new device
- Tap on your speaker / headphones name when they’re found
- Tap Pair
Note that Alexa can’t pair with any devices that need a PIN code to pair, but thankfully we’ve yet to find a Bluetooth speaker or set of headphones which does.
Read next: How to make Alexa whisper to you.
Via Techadvisor