Use this article to manually discover devices, disable the Blink SmartHome Alexa skill, and troubleshoot common Alexa issues.

Before you begin

Before you begin troubleshooting Blink and Alexa, make sure you can answer "yes" to the following questions:

• Have you installed the latest version of the Blink and Alexa apps? Is your Alexa-enabled device up-to-date?
  • If no, update your Blink or Alexa app and your Alexa-enabled device.
• Have you enabled the Blink SmartHome Alexa skill.
  • If no, enable the Blink SmartHome Alexa skill.
• Do you have an Alexa account in one of our supported markets (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, or Germany)?
  • If no, create an Alexa account.
• Do you have Amazon Kids mode "on" for your Alexa-enabled devices? 
  • If so, turn off Amazon Kids mode to see if this resolves your issue.

If none of these suggestions solve your issue, please see the following troubleshooting tips.

1. Alexa does not Discover your devices

If Alexa does not automatically discover your devices when you add the Blink SmartHome Skill, you can manually discover your Blink devices. Watch the video below to learn how or use the following steps to manually discover your Blink devices in the Alexa app.

How to manually discover your Blink devices in the Alexa app

1. In the Alexa app, tap Devices  in the bottom right-hand corner.
2. Tap in the upper right-hand corner.
3. Tap Add Device.
4. From the list of devices, tap Cameras . Then, tap Blink.
5. Tap Discover Devices.

If Alexa still doesn't discover your devices, try resetting the Blink SmartHome skill by following the steps in the next section.

2. Disable the Blink SmartHome Alexa Skill

If Alexa fails to manually discover your Blink devices, you'll need to reset the Blink SmartHome skill.

1. In the Alexa app, tap More in the bottom right-hand corner.
2. Tap Skills & Games .
3. Tap Your Skills.
4. Locate and tap Blink SmartHome.
5. Tap SETTINGS > DISABLE SKILL.
6. Once the Blink SmartHome skill is disabled, tap Devices  in the bottom right corner.
7. Tap Cameras .
8. Select each of the Blink cameras listed. Tap  in the top right corner.
9. Tap  to remove the Blink device from Alexa.

After the Blink SmartHome skill is disabled and all Blink devices are removed, you can re-enable the Blink SmartHome Alexa skill by following the steps highlighted in our Alexa Setup Guide.

3. Why is Alexa Announcing My Old Device's Name?

Occasionally, if you change or update your device name from the Blink or Alexa app, Alexa will continue to announce using the previous name. To resolve this issue, you'll need to disable and re-enable motion announcements and doorbell press notifications.

If re-enabling motion announcements and doorbell press notifications does not resolve this issue, try removing and re-discovering your Blink devices from the Alexa app by resetting the Blink SmartHome Skill. For how to do this, follow the instructions described above.

4. Common Alexa Error Messages

Occasionally, Alexa may prompt you with an error message. Here are some common error messages Alexa might provide you with, and how to troubleshoot.