Alexa devices can be registered to a specific phone number, which makes it easier for users to take full advantage of them.
But, sometimes there are problems with connecting a number to a particular Alexa device or account. This can make it hard to create an account or set up the system your way.
One particular problem that bothers some people a lot is the “This Phone Number Is Linked To Another Account” message when trying to link a phone number to Alexa. Here’s what you should know, and what you can do about it.
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Explaining “This Phone Number Is Linked To Another Account” On Alexa
Well, before you can deal with the problem, you should probably know why it’s there. I mean, of course it’s pretty obvious what exactly the issue is. But that’s not what I’m talking about.
Alexa is telling you that a phone number is already linked to another account on the service or device. I’m sure you didn’t do something like that and forget all about it, right?
So, why exactly is this message popping up when you try to set up your phone number with Alexa?
For a lucky few people, this message only pops up because of a mistake or some kind of issue with the registration process.
In a case like that, waiting or being more careful can do the trick just fine. But the much likelier and usual cause for this is something much worse.
Lots of people tend to get recovered phone numbers or something along those lines. This means that those numbers once belonged to someone else.
If you recently got a new number or just had a revised one for who knows how long, that would pretty much put the nail on the coffin. That’s because it’s quite possible that whoever previously had it already made an account or registered an Alexa device using it.
How Can You Confirm This?
Just to be on the safe side before jumping to any conclusions, you should probably contact Amazon support about the issue.
You can do this through the Alexa App by following these steps:
- Open the Alexa App.
- Go to the option for Menu.
- Find and choose Help & Feedback.
- In all the options here, you should see one for Contact Us.
- Now choose which contact method you want.
- You can access the Community Forum, use the Chat feature, or speak directly to an Amazon support representative.
Alternatively, you also have the option of skipping this whole hassle and just calling Amazon support on the official helpline. This is the easier option in most cases and puts you in direct contact with a representative.
This phone number is (+1-844-601-7233). Give it a call and give each question the necessary answer to get into contact with a support representative that’ll confirm whether or not the number is in use.
What Can Support Do About It?
Well, as already mentioned, anyone working on support should be able to relay whether your current number has already be used or not. But, please be nice to the support and understand their limits.
Support workers aren’t magic. They unfortunately won’t be able to give you access to your number if it was already used. They also won’t be able to tell you who or where the number was used from, as that’s an obvious security risk.
If they’re able to confirm whether the number is in use or not is a huge help in itself. That’s because if they tell you it’s not in use, that just means you need to try again another time and it should work.
But, if they tell you that the number is already in use, then you’re in some seriously tough luck. There’s absolutely no way to get the number registered to your device or account without the permission of the original holder.
This means that unless you go to the hassle of locating whoever had your number before you so they can change it on their account and give you access, there’s nothing else to do.
You can’t use that number for your own account, which is a real bummer. But, unfortunately, it’s a real hassle.
Users have constantly urged Amazon to add an OPT verification method for situations like these, but so far there’s nothing like that. So, you’re going to have to find a way around this problem, as there’s no solution for it.
So… What Do You Do Now?
Well, just because the number is already linked to another account doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. If you live with any family members or have a spare number lying around, there’s no problem at all.
You can just ask a family member to lend their phone number for the account, or use one of your spares. This way, you’ll have a number close to you that’s linked and ready for use when needed.
Alternatively, you can go about making/linking an account with some other option, or none at all. When you’re creating an account, the option for a phone number isn’t necessary.
You should be able to go without adding a number at all. This will block you off from some features, but it’s the only other thing to try out.
Other than that, there’s nothing more to do about the situation.
Conclusion
I know I wasn’t able to give a solution for this problem of yours, but unfortunately that’s just because there currently isn’t one. But, I’ll make sure to keep you updated here in case that changes.
Hopefully what I did share though was enough to prevent you from going on some kind of wild goose chase. There’s nothing much to be done about this issue for now, and I’ve gone through pretty much everything related to it.
