Sonos Era 100 Alexa Not Working? FIX IT NOW!

sonos era 100 alexa not working

Sonos Era 100 Alexa not working? Don’t worry, you’re not alone and we’ve got a quick fix!

Sonos Era 100 has a built-in Alexa, and to start using it, you only need to activate the voice assistant in the Sonos app.

However, in many cases, Alexa simply won’t listen or ignore your commands, so in this quick guide, we’ll walk you through everything you can attempt to fix it.

If Alexa is not working on Sonos Era 100, set up the voice assistant correctly, update the speaker, and re-enable the Alexa skill.

If this doesn’t work, reset your speaker to defaults, and check your internet connection.

There is more, so keep reading!

Sonos Era 100 Alexa Not Working – Quick Solutions!

Tip: We recommend trying all steps chronologically!

1. Set Up Sonos’s Alexa Correctly

set up sonos’s alexa correctly

To get started, you must ensure that Alexa is correctly enabled for your Sonos Era 100 speaker, hence we’ve prepared a few easy steps for justification.

  1. First, enter your Sonos app on an Android or iOS.
  2. Go to SettingsManageVoice Assistants.
  3. Then, press the “+ Add a voice assistant” button.
  4. Select Alexa from the list to choose your Era 100.

You will be prompted to sign in to your Amazon account so follow the on-screen steps to enable and link your Amazon and Sonos accounts.

When prompted, it’s very important to allow Alexa to activate when you say “Alexa”, since if you stop this option during the setup Alexa will not work.

Note: If you’re using the Sonos S1 Controller app, go to Settings → Services & Voice → + Add a Service.

2. Enable the Alexa’s Wake Word

enable the alexa’s wake word

So, if you’ve skipped enabling Alexa’s wake word chime during the setup, you can change this option manually at any time.

So, whether you use the Sonos App or Sonos S1 Controller app for Android or iOS, follow the respective instructions below.

2.1 Sonos App for Android or iOS

  1. Enter the Sonos app, and head to the Settings tab.
  2. Head to “Manage” and then to “Voice Assistants.”
  3. Choose “Amazon Alexa” from the list of assistants.
  4. Then go to “Wake Word Chime” and set it to “ON.”

2.2 Sonos S1 Controller App for Android or iOS

  1. Open the Sonos S1 Controller and go to “Settings.”
  2. Then, navigate to the “Services & Voice” section.
  3. Select the room in which your Sonos Era 100 is in.
  4. Go to “Wake Word Chime” and set the feature “ON.”

That’s it. When you say “Alexa” out loud next to your Sonos Era 100 speaker, the assistant will start listening and executing commands.

If not, however, there may be a bug so keep reading.

3. Update Your Sonos Era Speaker

update your sonos era speaker

According to many online discussions, there is a known bug with Alexa on Sonos Era 100, that has been actively under development.

However, the progress of the investigation is unclear, so the best thing you can do is check if there are available Sonos updates and install them ASAP.

This way, if the problem has been solved in a newer firmware build, the issue will go away, if not, well, at least you know that you’ll need a different approach.

Here’s how to quickly update your Sonos Era 100 speaker:

  1. Enter the Sonos app on your Android or iOS.
  2. Then enter Settings to reveal the options.
  3. Go to Manage and then to System Updates
  4. Finally, press on Check for Updates to begin.
Note: If you have the Sonos S1 Controller app, instead of “Manage” head to “System” and then select “System Updates.”

4. Toggle OFF & ON the Alexa Skill

toggle off & on the alexa skill

If you still experience Sonos Era 100 Alexa issues, a very effective and quick way to solve bugs or glitches with the voice assistant is to toggle the skill off and on.

This is possible through the Sonos App for Android and iOS, so here are the instructions:

  1. Enter the Sonos App on your smartphone.
  2. Head to the Settings System Settings.
  3. Choose “Voice Assistants” from the pane.
  4. Select your Sonos Era 100 from the menu.
  5. Finally, choose “Remove Alexa” to unpair it.
  6. Go back to method #1 to re-add your Alexa.

That’s it. Now, when Alexa is re-enabled, test whether you can activate the voice assistant on your Sonos Era 100 by narrating “Alexa” out loud.

If it doesn’t work, continue reading the steps!

Note: Have you tried rebooting the smartphone with the Sonos app?

5. Turn OFF & ON Your Era 100 Mic

turn off on your era 100 mic

Another reason why Alexa won’t activate on your Sonos Era 100 even if set up correctly, is due to a disabled microphone.

Yes, that’s right, there is a microphone switch on the back of your smart speaker, which you must ensure is flipped “ON”, so the speaker can actively listen to you.

When the microphone is flipped on, on the underside of the button you should see the green surface, otherwise, the mic is disabled.

  • Put simply, ensure that the mic’s switch is up, not down.

When you’re ready, say “Alexa” out loud to check whether the voice assistant will now activate!

6. Check Your Internet Connection

check your internet connection

In order for Alexa to function on your Sonos Era 100 speaker, the device must be connected to the internet.

With Sonos Era 100, you can either use Wi-Fi or a wired (Ethernet) connection that requires a combo adapter. 

Assuming that you’re using Wi-Fi, which is the most common way of delivering internet access to Sonos Era 100, you must check if your internet is intact.

What’s very important to note here is that even if connected to the Wi-Fi, if the broadband is down, your Sonos Era 100 will be offline.

So, on your smartphone, try accessing some web pages while connected to Sonos’s Wi-Fi

  • If you cannot access the web, reboot your router, and reconnect Sonos Era 100 to the Wi-Fi.

In case you use an Ethernet cable with an adapter, disconnect everything and reconnect the wires.

Note: If your internet is down, Alexa won’t work on your Sonos Era 100!

7. Factory Reset the Sonos Era 100

factory reset the sonos era 100

If nothing works, and Alexa simply won’t listen to your commands on Sonos Era 100, it’s time to perform a factory reset.

This method will ultimately unpair the speaker from the app, and reset all settings, including the Alexa voice assistant, allowing you to freshly set up everything again.

Here’s how to factory reset your Sonos Era 100 speaker:

  1. First, disconnect the Sonos Era 100 power cable.
  2. Press and hold the Bluetooth button continuously.
  3. While holding, reconnect the power cable back in.
  4. Keep holding until you see white and orange light.
  5. When the light flashes green, the reset is completed.

When your Sonos Era 100 is factory reset, you’ll need to add the speaker to the Sonos app, and by following the steps from method #1 in this guide, set up Alexa.

After everything is ready, you should now be able to activate Alexa.

Reminder: Don’t forget to enable the “Wake Word Chime” for Alexa in the Sonos app (method #2), which is disabled by default.

8. Pronounce Alexa 3 x Times (Workaround)

pronounce alexa 3 x times (workaround)

If nothing works, and your Sonos Era 100’s Alexa is not working, according to many users, you need to say “Alexa” 3 x times, to activate it.

This is a known bug, considering that the light will illuminate when you say “Alexa” but for a few seconds and then go off, ignoring your command.

Hence, according to the majority of users with the same issue, saying “Alexa” 3 times in a row activates the listening, and your command will be accepted.

If you’ve updated your Sonos Era 100, but this is the only way Alexa works, this means they haven’t solved this known issue yet.

Note: Because of this known problem, many people set up Alexa on their Echo Dot, and use Sonos Era 100 only for output.

Wrapping Up

Hence, if your Sonos Era 100 Alexa not working, you should first enable the “Wake Word Chime” for Alexa in the Sonos app and verify that your speaker mic is enabled.

Also, you will need to update your Era 100 or perform a factory reset.

We hope this guide was helpful, so follow us for more Sonos Era 100 troubleshooting!