FAQs for Using Amazon Alexa with BRAVIA TVs

There are two types of Skills in Alexa. The Skill you can select is based on the app installed on your TV:

• For TVs with the TV Control with Smart Speakers app, select Sony's TV skill and enable it.
  
  
  
• For TVs with the TV Control Setup with Amazon Alexa app, select Sony's TV - Basic skill and enable it.
  
  
  

An Alexa-enabled device (such as the Amazon Echo or Amazon Echo Dot), a mobile device (a phone or tablet running Amazon Fire OS 3.0 or higher, Android™ 5.0 or higher, or iOS 9.0 or higher) with the Alexa app, and an Amazon account are required. Start the setup from the TV Control with Smart Speakers app or the TV Control Setup with Amazon Alexa app on your TV and follow the on-screen instructions.

Notes:

• The Alexa app will appear in the Apps section on supported TVs. If you don't see the app in the Apps section, your TV doesn't support this feature.
• A Google account is required when using the TV Control Setup with Amazon Alexa app. Use the same account for both your TV and mobile device.
• A Home network with Wi-Fi® capabilities is required (dual-band Wi-Fi supporting 802.11 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks). The app does not support connecting to ad-hoc or peer-to-peer Wi-Fi networks.

THINGS TO TRY...

• POWER ON/OFF: Alexa, turn on TV / Alexa, turn off TV.
  Note: Remote start must be set to On in your TV settings to turn the TV on and off.
• CHANGE CHANNEL (BY NUMBER OR NAME): Alexa, next channel on TV. / Alexa, tune to channel 5 on TV.
  Note: You must set up your remote control to control your cable or satellite box in order to change channels and use the media controls (such as play, pause, etc.). To set up the remote control, go to your TV’s Settings → Watching TV → External inputs → Cable/Satellite box setup and follow the directions.
• CONTROL VOLUME: Alexa, set volume to 15 on TV. / Alexa, volume down on TV.
  Note: Controlling volume by number is not supported for all external audio systems. CEC systems do not support direct volume control.
• CHANGE INPUT: Alexa, switch input to HDMI 1 on TV.
• CONTROL PLAYBACK FOR DVR OR STREAMING CONTENT: Alexa, play on TV. / Alexa, pause on TV. / Alexa, skip 10 seconds on TV.
• LAUNCH APPS AND TV MENUS: Alexa, launch Prime Video on TV. / Alexa, go home on TV.
  Note: Some apps and menus may not support this command.
• NAVIGATE MENUS: Alexa, go right on TV. / Alexa, move down on TV. / Alexa, select this on TV.
• SEARCH and PLAY: Alexa, search for comedies. / Alexa, select number one. / Alexa, watch Spiderman.
  Note: Supported on select models.
• CHANGE SETTINGS: Alexa, set Sleep Timer on TV to 60 minutes. / Alexa, set Brightness on TV to 50. / Alexa, set speakers on TV to Audio system.
  Note: Supported on select models.
• SCENE FEATURE: Alexa, turn on Good Night.
  Note: Supported on select models.

Please check the See all voice commands section in the app on your TV.

Refer to the Connect your TV to the Amazon Alexa app article.

Yes, if you set up your TV remote to control your cable or satellite box. For details, refer to the How to set up the set-top box control or IR Blaster to control both the TV and the set-top box article.

Scenes allow you to change multiple settings (e.g., TV power ON, change the input to TV, and set the volume to 15) with a single voice command. You can edit Scenes in the settings of the TV Control with Smart Speakers app.

Note: This function is only available in the TV Control with Smart Speakers app.

Yes, as long as both TVs are set up through TV Control with Smart Speakers or TV Control Setup with Amazon Alexa apps. If the apps on the TVs are different, some commands may not be available.

Choose a unique name for each TV you set up—one that is easy to say and remember.

Linking your TV to an Echo device in the same room will allow you to directly control your TV without saying the TV's name.
For example, you can say, "Alexa, change the channel to 7," instead of "Alexa, change the channel to 7 on the living room TV."

Your TV must be linked with your Alexa device via the TV & Video settings section of the Alexa app on your mobile device.

Note: Only one TV & Video skill can be linked to each Alexa device.

No, video skills use the same commands. Your satellite or cable box may also have a video skill that would conflict with Sony’s TV skill.

Note: Only one video skill can be linked to each Alexa device.

Pairing the remote control allows the TV to control your cable/satellite box and download TV guide data for your service. If the remote control is not paired with the box, you can set up the remote control. For details on how to set up the remote control, refer to the How to set up the set-top box control or IR Blaster to control both the TV and the set-top box article.

No, we recommend an Alexa device without a display so you can play content on the TV. The Echo Show or any Alexa device with a screen will show content on its own screen and not play on the TV.

If the TV cannot be turned on using an Amazon Alexa-enabled device, follow these steps:

1. Set Remote start in the TV to ON.
   1. Open the Settings screen. How to access Settings
      • If the remote control has a Quick Settings ( or ) button, press the Quick Settings button and select Settings.
      • If the remote control does not have a Quick Settings ( or ) button, press the HOME button and select Settings.
   2. The available menu options vary by model. Select the path that appears on your TV.
      • Select Network and Internet → Remote device settings → Control remotely → On.
      • Select Network & Internet → Remote start, then select ON or On (Powered on by apps).
      • Select Network → Remote start, then select ON.

   If you are using the BRAVIA 3 II (XR30M2) series, the steps above do not apply to your TV. Refer to the following. Steps for the BRAVIA 3 II (XR30M2) series

   1. Set Energy Mode to Increased.
      • Go to Quick Settings → Settings → System → Power & Energy → Energy Modes → Increased.
   2. Turn on the TV's physical microphone switch.
      • The microphone switch is located on the bottom of the TV.
      • When the microphone is turned on, the message "Microphone turned on" appears on the screen.
   3. Enable Hands-free mic.
      • Go to Quick Settings → Settings → Privacy → Voice assistant → Hands-free mic.
        If enabled successfully, a message "You're all set! You can now talk to Google Assistant hands-free." will be displayed.

2. Make sure you are using the same account on the TV and Amazon Alexa-enabled device.
   Note: Use a Sony account or Google account, depending on the model.
3. Make sure the Date & time setting is set automatically. For details, refer to the How to adjust the date and time article.
4. If the issue is still unresolved, try the following:
   • Turn on the TV using the remote.
   • Restart the TV.
   • If a device other than the TV and Amazon Alexa-compatible speaker is connected to the same router, disconnect that device to reduce the number of connected devices.
   • An Alexa device may sometimes fail to turn on with remote start if the TV has been off for an extended period.
   • If you are using the router’s firewall, check that ports 5228, 5229, and 5230 are open.

Depending on the router specifications (including the limit for the number of connected devices) or settings, turning on the TV using an Amazon Alexa-enabled device may not be supported. For details, please refer to the manual or support site of the router.

Your TV may not respond to the Amazon Alexa commands if you have network issues at home. To resolve this issue:

• Use a different wireless router.
• Reduce the number of devices connected to the same router.

Check the following:

1. Connect the TV to the Amazon Alexa app. For the procedure, refer to the Connect your TV to the Amazon Alexa app article.
   Note: The Amazon Alexa app is a mobile application provided by Amazon.

2. Check if you can operate the TV using your Amazon Alexa-enabled device. For example, face the Amazon Alexa-enabled device and say, "Alexa, turn off (the name of the TV you set up)."

If the Amazon Alexa-enabled device fails to discover the TV, check the following:

1. Check that Sony's TV Skill or Sony's TV - Basic Skill is enabled in the Amazon Alexa app.
   Notes:
   • If you are using the TV Control with Smart Speakers app on the TV: Sony's TV Skill
   • If you are using the TV Control Setup with Amazon Alexa app on the TV: Sony's TV - Basic Skill
2. After enabling Sony's TV Skill or Sony's TV - Basic Skill, check that the same account is used for the TV Control with Smart Speakers app or the TV Control Setup with Amazon Alexa app and the Amazon Alexa app.

If you unregister and set up the TV app again, and enable the skill in the Amazon Alexa app, the Alexa app may list both the old TV name and the new one.

To make sure only the new TV name appears, follow these steps in the Amazon Alexa app.

1. Disable the skill.
2. Delete all duplicate TV entries in the Amazon Alexa app.
3. Re-enable the skill.

After completing the setup in TV Control with Smart Speakers for the Amazon Echo device, you may be unable to proceed after using the "Alexa, discover my devices" command.

• Follow the steps below to set up Alexa to control Sony's Android TV.
  For details, refer to the Connect your TV to the Amazon Alexa app article.
• Please note below if your Alexa fails to discover your Sony TV.
  1. Ensure Sony's TV skill is enabled on the Amazon Alexa app*.
  2. Check that the same Sony account is used in both the TV Control with Smart Speakers app and the Amazon Alexa app after enabling Sony's Android TV skill.