Alexa Won’t Turn On The TV But Will Turn It Off- 5 Tips

alexa won't turn on tv but will turn off
alexa won’t turn on tv but will turn off

Alexa lets you use voice commands to control all kinds of smart home devices as long as you have them connected to it. This makes it so much easier to manage all your tech at once.

But, it doesn’t always go entirely to plan. Sometimes, there are can be issues prevent Alexa from turning things on or off properly. Most of these are easy enough to deal with, but some in particular can be confusing.

You’re probably having one right now if you’re reading this. So, let’s get down to the point and help you out.

Related: Samsung TV not turning off With Alexa

If your Alexa won’t turn on the TV but can turn it off, here’s what you need to do:

Alexa Won’t Turn On The TV But Will Turn It Off – Solved

  1. Known Issues With Device

First of all, it’s best to make sure your Smart TV or other devices aren’t already known to have issues like this with Alexa.

having issues with alexa

Not every smart home device is compatible with each other, and there can be bugs in their communications. It could be that your TV has this kind of problem with Alexa.

So, make sure to do some snooping on the internet or contacting Amazon Support to ensure this isn’t something that’s a problem for everyone with your TV.

  1. No Power On TV

Lots of people tend to disconnect TVs from the socket when they’re not watching, or have smart plugs that stop them from using up electricity. It’s a pretty easy way of saving energy.

While that’s a smart thing to do, it does mean you won’t be able to turn the TV on with Alexa but will be able to turn it off. That’s because it has no power to turn on, but has power when you need to turn it off.

no power on tv

Alexa can only turn something on if it already has a steady flow of power and is connected to Alexa. Without that, it can’t do anything.

So, if your TV doesn’t have power flowing, Alexa can’t turn it on. That means to fix the situation in this case, you have to leave it plugged in and on the entire time, or it won’t work.

  1. Power Saving Modes

Keeping in line with energy conversion, another thing people use on their TVs in plenty of cases is the power saving mode. Most smart TVs have this, and most users keep it on.

alexa with power consuming devices

But, power saving/eco modes can restrict some features on the device, and this is one of them. So, make sure your smart TV doesn’t have its power saving settings enabled and try again.

The steps for doing this is different depending on what the make and model of your specific device is.

  1. Fire TV Stick Issues

Amazon’s Fire TV Stick works pretty well with Alexa, but sometimes it won’t turn off when you try to use voice commands. Despite this, it turns off without any issues.

This usually happens to users that have the Fire TV Stick connected directly to the TV instead of having it plugged in to the wall. That means the Fire TV Stick doesn’t have power to turn on with Alexa, unless the TV itself is already on too.

firestick tv

So, if you want your Fire TV Stick to work with Alexa and turn on whenever you want it to, make sure it has a direct connection to power.

  1. Create A Routine

This suggestion is just a solution that doesn’t really have a particular problem behind it. It involves using a routine to turn your Smart TV on if it won’t do it with Alexa.

Here’s what you can do for it:

create a routine

  • Open The Alexa App.
  • Go to More on the bottom right and search for Routines.
  • Select +, and then + again on “When this happens”.
  • Now choose Voice and type “Turn TV On”. Save this.
  • Now select + on “add action”.
  • Choose smart home, and then control device.
  • Now select “Turn TV On”, followed by Next>Add>Create, in that order.

Once you make this routine, Alexa will be able to turn your TV on every time you say “Turn TV On” as long as it has power.

Author

  • Eddie Odin

    Hi, I am Eddie Odin, an avid lover of IoT and home automation. With a passion for smart home technology and would like to automate aspects of my home. I share my real personalised DIY smart home experience!

2 thoughts on “Alexa Won’t Turn On The TV But Will Turn It Off- 5 Tips”

  1. I have a 2-gang Zigbee smart switch (Brand: Smatrul)

    The Smart Life app I used to set up this switch properly identifies the position (on|off) of each switch (let’s call the switches S1 and S2), and properly turns on|off the lights controlled by these light switches.

    I linked the Smart Life skill to my Alexa (Amazon Echo 8) and for many months my voice commands properly turns on|off each switch.

    The past week, S1 is detected by Alexa as “on”, when it is actually “off”, and vice-versa.

    Hence to turn on S1, I have to say “Alexa, turn S1 OFF”, and to turn off S1, “Alexa, turn S1 ON”. Weird.

    Alexa has no problem with S2. Alexa properly detects its status.

    Also, the Smart Life app continues to properly identify the correct position of S1 and S2, and properly turns on|off the lights controlled by S1 and S2.

    I will greatly appreciate any suggestions/solutions on getting Alexa to reflect the correct status of S1.

    As added info, I have already unlinked then relinked the Smart Life app; and reset/reinstalled the Zigbee smart switch. This did not solve the problem. S1 is still detected by Alexa as ON when it is actually off, and vice versa.

    Thank you.

    Reply

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