How to Fix Alexa Drop-In not Working

When Alexa’s Drop-In feature isn’t working, you might notice that your Echo device doesn’t connect or the call drops suddenly. This issue usually happens when the Drop-In feature is disabled or not properly configured in the Alexa app.

The most common causes are incorrect settings, such as the Drop-In feature being turned off, or network issues like a weak Wi-Fi signal. Another possible reason is that the device’s firmware is outdated, which can prevent the feature from functioning correctly. It’s important to ensure that the Drop-In feature is enabled in your device settings and that all permissions are correctly configured.

Additionally, checking the internet connection and restarting the Echo device can help resolve the issue. If the problem persists, updating the device’s firmware or reinstalling the Alexa app might be necessary.

Now that we’ve covered the possible causes, let’s move on to the solutions that have proven most effective for fixing the Alexa Drop-In issue.

Method 1: Using the Manual Drop-In feature

This seems to be the result of an update that was pushed to both the Android and iOS apps simultaneously. It looks like one of the latest updates ended up breaking some of the functionality of Alexa Drop-In.

Several affected users have discovered that even though automatic Drop-In is no longer working as intended, you can still do it manually. You can do so by saying “Alexa Drop-In,” and then you will be given a bunch of options to choose from (with devices that are compatible within your household).

This is not ideal since it requires some manual input, but it’s still better than not using the Drop-In feature at all.

If this solution doesn’t work for you, or you’re looking for an alternative that will bring back the automatic feature, move down to the next method below.

Method 2: Allowing your User Account to Use Drop-In

Another fairly common reason why the Drop-In feature is not working in a household is that the account you are attempting to use is not permitted to use this feature. Several affected users have reported that they’ve been able to resolve the issue by accessing the Contacts tab (inside the Alexa app) from a smartphone and enabling the Drop-In feature for their account.

Note: Alexa might also prompt you to enable this feature via a pop-up if you tap the chat bubble at the bottom of the screen.

If using the chat function didn’t prompt Alexa to ask you whether you want to enable the Drop-In function, you can also do it manually by following the steps below:

1. Open the Alexa app and tap on the action button in the top-left corner of the screen. From the newly appeared drop-down menu, tap on Contacts.

   

2. 1. From the Contacts tab, click on your profile (it should be listed at the top).

   Inside the next screen, make sure that the toggle associated with Allow Drop-In is enabled. Then, confirm your selection by tapping Ok.

3. 

4. Attempt to use the Drop-In feature again and see if the issue has been resolved.

If this method didn’t resolve the issue or you’re looking for a different fix, move down to the next methods below.

Method 3: Ensuring that Communications Are Enabled for Each Device

Another reason why the Drop-In feature fails for some devices is when certain devices are not permitted to communicate with others. These settings can be adjusted via the Alexa App in the Communications tab.

Several affected users who have been encountering this particular issue have reported that they managed to resolve it by accessing the Alexa app and enabling Communications for each device. 

1. Open your Alexa app. If you don’t have it installed, download the appropriate version (iOS or Android).
2. Once you’re inside the Alexa app, tap the menu icon (top-left corner) and select Settings from the newly appeared menu.
3. Inside the settings menu, tap on Amazon Household.

   

4. Inside the Devices screen, tap on the first device and ensure that the toggle associated with Communication is enabled.

   

5. Return to the device’s screen and make sure that all connected devices have enabled Communications.

   

6. Test the Drop-In feature and see if the issue has been resolved.

Method 4: Reinstalling the Alexa App

It seems like Amazon realized the fault in their update and quietly pushed an update that is supposed to revert to the old behavior. Unfortunately, simply letting the Alexa app update is not enough since it will not resolve the issue. A lot of affected users have reported that the issue was only resolved after they uninstalled the app and reinstalled the latest version.

This fix is reported to be effective on both Android and iOS. Below, you’ll find simple guides for uninstalling the Alexa app on each platform.

Reinstalling the Amazon Alexa App on Android

1. On your home screen, launch the Settings app.
2. From the main settings screen, tap on Apps (Apps & notifications), then tap on Apps once again.
3. Scroll through the list of applications, locate Amazon Alexa and tap on it.
4. From the App info screen of Amazon Alexa, tap on Uninstall and confirm to uninstall the application.

   

5. Once the uninstallation is complete, visit this link (here) from an Android device and reinstall the latest version of Amazon Alexa. You can also open the Google Play Store and download the app manually.
6. Attempt to use the Drop-In feature again and see if the issue has been resolved.

Reinstalling the Alexa App on iOS

1. From your home screen, launch the Settings app.
2. Inside the Settings menu, tap on General, then select ‘Device’ Storage.
3. Then, from the next screen, scroll through the list of apps, locate Amazon Alexa and tap on it.
4. From the Amazon Alexa window, tap on Delete App.

   

5. Confirm the deletion of the app by tapping on Delete App once again.
6. Visit this link (here) and download & install the latest version of Amazon Alexa. You can also open iTunes and search for the app manually.