how-to-troubleshoot-fix-alexa-multi-room-music

How To Fix Alexa Multi-Room Music Not Working [2024]

In Echo & Alexa by Tim Brennan

Affiliate Disclosure

As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

In this article, I’ll show you how to fix Alexa multiroom music when one or more of your Amazon Echo devices stop working on the “Everywhere” group. I’ll provide some quick steps right up front that should resolve the issue for most, some step-by-step instructions with screenshots if you want some handholding, and then a full-blown “start from scratch” procedure you can try if all else fails (near the bottom of this article).

So let’s get the band back together, and get this resolved for you ASAP!


I Love Alexa Multi-room Music (When it Works)

I am a big Alexa and Amazon Prime Music guy. I have at least one Echo in every room of my apartment (eight total at last count) and it just sounds awesome—that is, when it is working properly.

Here is the best way I have found to fix Alexa multi-room music not working:

  1. In the Alexa app, delete all multi-room music groups.
  2. Unplug all of your Echos and leave them unplugged for now.
  3. Unplug your Wi-Fi router and wait for 30-45 seconds.
  4. Plug the router back in and power it on if needed.
  5. Wait a full five minutes for your Wi-Fi network to come back up.
  6. Plug your Echos back in.
  7. Verify all Echos are connected to the same Wi-Fi network (e.g., 2.4 GHz network). Note: the 2.4 vs 5K ghz band matters; add them all to the same network.
  8. Create a new multiroom music group (e.g., Everywhere).
  9. Add your devices to the new group.

That should do it! Well, at least for most of you….read on for additional advice if the above steps didn’t work.


Alexa Multi-Room Music Group Not Working?

alexa everywhere group not workingAre you having a hard time getting your Alexa-enabled devices in your multi-room music setup to play nice? Has one or more of your Alexa devices suddenly left the beautiful music configuration that you worked hard to set up across different rooms a while ago?

This was the exact case for me. More often than not one or more speakers leaves the group. The music service, including Amazon Music, Pandora, and Sirus XM did not matter at all. Neither did the group name.

However, getting to the bottom of a fix for my own Echo speakers was super painful. The one article I found on how to fix Alexa multi-room music was super lame, and the fix didn’t work. It basically said to unplug all your devices and your modem and then plug them back in.
Ouch.

So, I set out to fix the problem on my own, and after more than two hours of troubleshooting, I got to the bottom of it.

In short, you need to make sure that ALL of the devices in your Alexa multi-room music configuration are on the SAME EXACT NETWORK. Check your Wi-Fi Network Settings in the Alexa app for each device you want in the group.

What follows is an illustrated guide with screenshots to help you to recombine or combine speakers this step-by-step.


How to Troubleshoot Alexa Multi-Room Music – Step by Step

Before you begin, make sure to update to the latest version of the Alexa app on your mobile device. This is an important step. Mine was at least two versions behind, and I ran into problems with updating my Wi-Fi settings because of this.

Ensure Alexa Multi-Room Music Devices Are On the Same Network

#Step 1: From your smartphone or tablet, open the Amazon Alexa app.

#Step 2: Click on the little “hamburger” button in the top-left corner of the Alexa app.

alexa app hamburger button

It doesn’t really look like a hamburger?, but that’s what it’s called.

#Step 3: Tap the Settings tab.

tap the settings tab

#Step 4: Tap the Device Settings tab.

device settings

#Step 5: Check to make sure all of the devices in your multi-room music configuration say ‘Online’ underneath them. If any device you want in the group is Offline, click on it and follow the prompts to reconnect.

Note: This is more than likely NOT your problem. Continue reading!

multi-room music online configuration

In my multi-group group, I want my devices named Alexa, Computer, and Echo. So I’m good in that they are all online and working. BUT My problem is that my “Alexa” device is no longer part of my music group, so I am only getting two speakers to play, not all three ☹.

#Step 6: Next review the network settings for EACH device in your multiroom music set up.

multi room-music network settings for each device

Click on the icon for each device in your Alexa multi room music group. In my example, I will review settings for Alexa, Computer, and Echo.

#Step 7: On the Device Settings screen, under Wi-Fi Network, check out Wi-Fi Network for each device. ALL OF THE DEVICES NEED TO BE ON THE SAME WIFI NETWORK. Even better if they are on the same Ghz channel (2.4 or 5K, etc.)

In the example below, my Alexa device is currently assigned to the home_6782 network. This network is an open network that actually belongs to my neighbor! My other two devices are already on my own home network, Kun_Lun2. You need to look very carefully at your network names because you might have a similar-looking name for your internal 4G and 5G network. Again, all your Amazon echo devices as well as any Bluetooth speakers you want to add for music playback all need to be on the same network.

multiroom music wi-fi network setting

To fix, this we need to get Alexa back on the same network as the other two devices.

#Step 8: Click Change in the top right corner beside the network name. Alexa will enter Setup mode.

change multi room music network

#Step 9: Click Continue and follow the on-screen instructions to reconnect your Alexa device to the same network as the others.

reconnect alexa device

In my case, the right network is Kun Lun 2 so I select Kun Lun2 and follow the prompts.

select alexa multi room music network

Once your device is back on the right network, you may need to reattach it to the Alexa multi room music group.

Add The Alexa Device Back to the Multi Room Music Group
(e.g., Everywhere or Living Room or another custom name)

#Step 1: In the Alexa app, click the Device button on the bottom right.

alexa multi room music devices

#Step 2: On the Devices screen SCROLL ALL THE WAY to the bottom to where it says Speaker Groups. Click the speaker group you want to fix. (You most likely just have just one group here.)

alexa multi room music speaker groups

#Step 3: Now, you just need to re-enable the Amazon device that dropped off. In my case, this is Alexa. As you can see, she is unchecked.

alexa multi room music unchecked

#Step 4: Click to enable the device to have it rejoin the group and then click Save.

alexa multi room music checked

It may take a minute or so to reconnect Echo with your multiroom music group.

alexa mult room music connecting

Alexa, play steel drum music on the Everywhere group.”


If All Else Fails, Do This …

I recently tried to add a brand new Echo Show to my multi-room music configuration and even using the above troubleshooting steps I could not get it to work.

Worse, after adding the device, I couldn’t get multi-room music to play at all. When I said Alexa, play Hall & Oats Everywhere on Amazon Music or Apple Music I could no longer get her to play music on my Everywhere group. Ugh! After literally three hours of trying to troubleshoot and fix this multiroom audio issue with my son, here are the steps I took to get it working again.

Do this to completely reset your Alexa multi-room music configuration:

  1. Completely delete any and every multi-room group in the Alexa app.
  2. Delete the Alexa app from your phone.
  3. Unplug ALL of the Echos in your home and leave them unplugged (for now).
  4. Unplug your Wifi router completely and wait for a full 30 seconds.
  5. Restart the router (plug it back in and power it on if needed).
  6. Wait for a full five minutes for your Wifi network to come back up. Confirm wifi connectivity using your phone.
  7. Download and reinstall the Alexa app.
  8. Plug your Echos back in, wait for them to power all the way on, and confirm they are all connected to the same exact network (see above).
  9. Create a new multiroom music group (e.g., Everywhere).
  10. Add your devices to the new group. You can do this using the Alexa app or via your amazon account.
  11. Say, Alexa play Hall and Oats Everywhere. You can also try to set this up with different music services, audiobooks, etc. Mine is set to Amazon Music Unlimited account by default.

That’s it! This worked like a charm for me. Jam on friends!

If it did or didn’t work, would you please leave me a quick comment below and let me know? (“Worked” or “Didn’t Work” is fine.)

If this doesn’t work, I suggest also reviewing the FAQ below or contacting Amazon. as you may have a faulty device.


Back Online? Check Out These Multi-Room Music Commands

OK! So now that you got the band back together, here is that link to my list of multi-room music commands.

You can access this soon-to-be-famous post at the link below:

📚 Related: 19 Rockin Alexa Multi-Room Music Commands


Alexa Multi-Room Music FAQs

Q: Do you have additional troubleshooting tips for Alexa multiroom music?

A: Did you check all of the obvious things:

  • Is your device plugged in, and turned on?
  • Are you able to communicate with it using voice commands?
  • Is it on the same network as the other devices as per the above Steps?
  • Is there a checkmark next to it in your multiroom music configuration as per above?
  • Does your Echo speaker support multi-room music? Here are the supported ones:

If you are still having issues with Alexa multi-room audio, leave a comment below describing your issue, and I will do my best to get back to you within one day.

Q: How do I set up multi-room music in the first place?

A: Amazon has some simple instructions here.

You can also check out Craig’s Tech Talk video if you want a live demo step by step.

Nice job with the video, man.

Q: Why does my Alexa Everywhere Group stop working?

A: lot of Wi-Fi services now offer both 5g and 4g band networks when you purchase the service. This means that for most, you have at least two networks that you can join. In the event of a power blip or any network interruption, you might get thrown off your current network. When Alexa reconnects, she can sometimes connect to the wrong one.

Q: What should I do if my Alexa speakers cut out after a power loss?

A: If your Alexa speakers cut out after a power loss, you basically want to:

  1. Unplug all of your Alexa speakers.
  2. Unplug your Wi-Fi network router and wait three to five minutes.
  3. Plug your router back in and wait three to five minutes for it to fully boot up.
  4. Plug your Alexa speakers back in one at a time.
  5. Confirm they are all on the same wireless network (either 2.4 GHz or 5GHz).

Here is a video I just created that steps you through this exact process.

If this doesn’t work for you, follow my “hard reset” process above on how to fix Alexa multi-room music that includes deleting and re-adding your speakers in the Alexa app.


Alexa Multi-Room Music Not Working: Problem Solved?

Did this article solve your problem? Were you able to successfully fix Alexa multi-room music not working for your smart speakers?

What Amazon Echo speakers were giving you trouble with Alexa multi-room audio? For example, was it an Echo Dot, Echo Show, or maybe even an Echo Studio? Also which music streaming service are you using?

If so, would you mind leaving a quick comment below? I would love to get your feedback.

If not, or if you are having a different issue, would you also leave a comment? We will do our best to solve it and either include the fix here or in another post.

Also, if you found this article helpful, maybe it could help someone else. Would you mind sharing it by pinning the below pin to Pinterest or via the social media buttons at the top of this page? Thanks!

how to fix alexa multiroom music


You Might Also Like

If you enjoyed reading this article about Alexa multi-room music not working, you might also like some of my other articles on the Echo and Alexa. I’ll list a few of them below.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tim Brennan

Tim Brennan, a tech blogger and host of the @TecTimmy YouTube channel, writes about smart homes at oneSmartcrib, home theaters at UniversalRemoteReviews, and AI in writing at Writeinteractive. He holds a Journalism degree from Northeastern University and has covered technology for three decades. He lives on the ocean in Nahant, Massachusetts.


Got Tech?

Please subscribe to my YouTube channel for a fun take on all things tech.