What Does This Error Mean?

Amazon Echo announcements not working is usually caused by Do Not Disturb being active on the receiving Echo, the device volume set to zero, or the Echo being offline. Check Do Not Disturb and volume on each device where announcements are not heard.

Affected Models

Amazon Echo
Amazon Echo Dot
Amazon Echo Show
Amazon Echo Pop
All Amazon Echo models

Common Causes

Do Not Disturb enabled on the receiving Echo device — silences announcements
Echo device volume at zero — announcement plays silently
Echo offline or Wi-Fi disconnected — cannot receive cloud announcements
Devices not in the same Amazon household — announcements only go to devices on the same account
Alexa app communication settings restricting announcements

How to Fix It

Check Do Not Disturb on all Echo devices.

Say 'Alexa, turn off Do Not Disturb' to each Echo that is not receiving announcements. Or open the Alexa app → Devices → select each Echo → Do Not Disturb and confirm it is off. A scheduled Do Not Disturb window can silently block announcements at certain times without any visible indication.
Check the volume on receiving Echo devices.

Say 'Alexa, set volume to 5' on devices that are not playing announcement audio. Announcements play at the device's current volume — if it is muted or at zero, the announcement fires silently. Also check whether the device has a physical mute button (red ring) pressed.
Verify all Echo devices are on the same Amazon account.

Announcements are sent to all Echo devices registered to the same Amazon account. Open the Alexa app → Devices and confirm all your Echo devices appear there. Devices registered to a different Amazon account or Amazon Household member may not receive announcements depending on settings.
Restart the Echo devices not receiving announcements.

Unplug the Echo for 30 seconds and plug it back in. Wait for the device to reconnect to Wi-Fi (this takes about 60 seconds after the orange ring disappears). Then try an announcement again — a temporary cloud communication issue often resolves after a restart.
Check Alexa app communication permissions.

Open the Alexa app → More → Settings → Communication and ensure Announcements is enabled. If Announcements shows as Off, toggle it on. Also check that the Alexa app has notification permissions on your phone — some phones block Alexa notifications which can interfere with announcement delivery.

When to Call a Professional

Announcements are a cloud-based feature. If the issue persists after checking all settings, contact Amazon support — there may be an account configuration issue.