Can Your Echo Show Turn On Your TV?

Evan Gower October 23, 2019

The answer is yes, it can. But to do so requires a special type of TV or a Fire TV. The Alexa voice assistant can easily work with your TV through Echo (including Echo Dot, Show, and Tap) or similar speakers such as Sonos One. You can use Alexa with your TV in one of the following ways:

Using a Fire TV

Fire TV is a series of devices, made by Amazon, that connect to your TV and use your home network to stream audio and video from media providers directly to you. There are two different devices under the Fire name: Fire TV and Fire Stick.

The titular Fire TV is a small box that goes into an HDMI port on your TV. This can be any TV, as long as it has a free HDMI port. Fire Stick, on the other hand, looks similar to a USB stick in a way. It also goes into an HDMI port on your TV.

Once your device is in place, you can find the content you desire to watch using the Amazon Fire user interface. Once you have made your choice, the device will access the chosen content and play it on your TV. While this is usually done with the voice-enabled remote control that comes with your Fire TV or Stick, you can also do it using Amazon Echo.

amazon

If you have an Amazon Echo set up, you can easily link it to a Fire TV streamer. Now you will be able to use most Fire TV features with voice commands, without having to constantly press the microphone button on the remote control. Here is what you need to do to link your Echo with Fire TV:

Open the Alexa app and tap on the Menu icon (it’s the three white lines on the top left corner, to the left of Home).
Tap on Music, Video, and Books.
Find Fire TV and tap on it.
There will appear other setup instructions, so follow them.
Tap on Link Devices and make sure you confirm it

If your TV has the HDMI-CEC feature, this opens up some additional options for you. For example, HDMI-CEC allows Alexa to turn a Fire TV on or off. Keep in mind that while your Fire TV is off or in stand-by mode, it will not be able to receive commands from Alexa. To be able to control a Fire TV while it is off or in stand-by, you will have to enable Turn on TV with Alexa in the settings menu.

Get a TV That Has a “Works with Alexa” Feature

If you are not interested in the Fire TV or Fire Stick devices, there are other TVs that can work with your Amazon Echo without them. Look for a special feature called “Works with Alexa”. TV models that have the “Works with Alexa” feature include Sony (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), Vizio (2017, 2018, 2019), and LG (2018 and 2019). All these models work a little differently with Echo, so here are the step-by-step guides for each:

Sony TV Models

Open the TV Control Setup with Amazon Alexa App from the Home screen of your TV.
Select your Google account and name your TV (or create a new account if you haven’t got one).
Follow the instructions and then find and enable the Sony TV Alexa App on your smartphone and follow additional instructions to link the TV and Echo (any of the compatible Amazon devices).

LG TV Models

Launch the Set-Up TV for Amazon Alexa App from the home screen of your LG TV. (Note: your LG TV needs to be running the webOS 4.0 TV operating system or higher.)
Follow the instructions and log into your LG account, then select the name of your TV (or create a new account).
Go to the mobile setup guide page and then go to the Alexa App on your smartphone to enable the LG SmartThinQ Alexa skill and link your accounts.
Complete any additional setup instructions that are required for your TV.

Vizio TV Models

Launch the Vizio TV SmartCast home screen.
Using your TV remote control, navigate and click on the Extras tab on the menu bar.
Select Voice Settings, and then Pair Display.
Using your smartphone, go to vizio.com/alexa and enter the PIN shown on your TV screen.
When prompted, return to the Alexa App on your phone and enable Alexa voice skills, link accounts, and devices.

Use Echo with Logitech Harmony Remote Control System

There is an additional way you can use Alexa to control your TV. This method requires a Logitech Harmony remote (Harmony Elite, Harmony Ultimate, Harmony Ultimate Home, Harmony Pro, or Harmony Hub). Linking Alexa with a compatible Harmony remote will allow you to access your TV with voice commands via Alexa App or Amazon Echo. It will also work with other Echo-like devices. Linking Alexa with a Harmony remote requires the next few steps:

Open the Alexa App on your Smartphone.
Open Menu.
Tap on Skills and then search for Harmony.
Tap the blue Harmony icon to enable the Alexa/Harmony Skill.
Go to the Select Activities page for further options that will let you customize what devices and commands you want Alexa to associate with the Harmony remote control.
Now, you will be taken to a screen that says Now for The Fun Part. At the bottom of the screen there will be a Link Account Click that, and your setup is now complete!

Enjoy the show

With these few quick and easy guides, you can quickly set up your new devices. Kick back and relax with your favorite shows on TV without having to lift a finger – after all, that’s what Alexa is there for!

Did these guides help? Which method did you choose? Let us know by sharing whatever’s on your mind in the comments!