Since updating to the latest version my Alexa app now no longer “sees” the 7 smart plugs I have round the house, instead displaying a read exclamation mark in a red circle by each one and showing them as “device unresponsive” if you look at their info. However, you can still turn them on and off, you just can’t see what’s in use or get any info about them anymore. Device with Alexa App and smart plugs are ALL on the SAME WiFi network.The Alex app now also no longer displays the echo device that is playing Music any more, when the app first opens. This would allow me to pause or restart the music. Now I have to go and talk to the Echo device. My son uses it to help him get to sleep by playing Classic FM and I used to be able to stop playback from the app from downstairs. Now I actually have to go upstairs and talk to the device in his room to switch off the playback once he’s asleep.

I bought the original Echo Dot a couple of years ago and recently moved house and bought the new one with the clock face. Original lives in the living room and newbie is on my bedside table. I love just speaking to Alexa to hearing my podcasts, music and to answer my random questions! Setting alarms and reminders is so easy but sometimes you have to shout at Alexa 3/4 times before it works for you. Also if at bedtime I ask it to play something for a set time it will tell me that my music/audiobook/podcast is “playing now”. Very frustrating. It is a minor gripe though. Where I live now we’re having a bit of a heatwave and we can all hear each other shouting “ALEXA….” which is so funny. My next door neighbour and I share the same taste in music so we just put original Alexa between our front doors and play our music and sunbathe which our gorgeous view of the lake. It’s so quiet and peaceful at the front and chaos with 6/7 echo devices playing and everyone turning their own louder then the other person goes louder and it’s madness. Instead we are peacefully enjoying our tunes and relaxing with no other noise. Highly recommend getting one to anyone who doesn’t already have it and I’ll probably be buying another for my guest room!! Love it!

I use the app to control various devices in the house & make groups etc. if I’m at home on WiFi, I can load everything up immediately. If I’m remote on WiFi or 4g I’m constantly having to refresh, close fully, then reopen, update if needed, and so on just to get it to show me what’s online, what’s playing etc. and even then it’s hit and miss. When I go out I put the echos and dots on for the dogs to have a little background noise. I have thin windows so they can hear everything. But when the speakers play it calms them and covers these noises. Great! However, sometimes the stations playing can go off or there may be an error and a quick change in station resolves that… when I’m home!! I can’t properly monitor from afar to make sure everything is still playing as it should be. 9/10 it will tell me it cannot load and to refresh the app! So should it go off the dogs can hear everything and will bark. Tempted to go back to a standard DAB if this app doesn’t get sorted! I don’t get why it doesn’t want to work from afar. Any internet connection should be enough to dial back into my home network. I never have an issue with my cameras so not sure why I constantly have issues with Alexa

I’m up to 9 devices now including the Echo sub and 4K fire stick and can’t fault any of them (the sub being my absolute favourite addition), but wow this app needs a serious overhaul. I just don’t understand how the company with literally ALL the money haven’t got a super slick app by now. Nine times out of ten I have to close this app down as it gets all confused with commands and then spits its dummy out and becomes unresponsive like a toddler lying on the floor in Asda having a meltdown because it can’t have some sweets. It takes 4 clicks to get to the section where you can adjust the bass, treble and mid which is at least two too many in my opinion, then you have to do that for each individual device which, when you have quite a few devices, becomes tedious at best. Why not have them all in one place on one screen so you can get the sound just right? And why the bass, treble and mid are in a different order on some devices compared to others is a bit of a mystery too. This app is probably fine if you have one or two devices, but for a company that wants you to buy into their complete eco system and fill your house with their hardware they really need to re-design this app from the ground up because it lets them down big time.