My Alexa Skill doesn't open or opens something else
Start with “open” or “launch” and the Alexa Skill's exact name, and add the word “skill” at the end if it still misfires. If a phrase keeps misfiring, wire it to the Alexa Skill with a routine in the Alexa app.
Sound familiar?
- You say “Alexa, play rain sounds”. Amazon's own version answers, not the Alexa Skill you installed and used every night.
- You say “Alexa, open Ambient Visions”. Alexa answers “Sorry, Ambient Visions is not available on this device”, on a device where it is installed and worked before.
- You say “Alexa, ask Big Sky for the weather”. The built-in weather answer replies instead of the Alexa Skill you named.
What to try now
- Say “open” or “launch” with the Alexa Skill's exact name, rather than “play” or “start”. “Open” still reaches the Alexa Skill you installed, while “play” and “start” now tend to reach Amazon's own versions. For example: “Alexa, open Sleep Jar”
Use the exact name as it appears in your Alexa app.
- If “open” alone does not work, add the word “skill” to the end. This is the most reliable phrasing today, and it also gets past the “not available on this device” message, which is usually not accurate. For example: “Alexa, open Sleep Jar skill”
- You can also open an Alexa Skill from the Amazon Alexa app on your phone. This is one of the more reliable ways to reach it, and one of the least convenient, so it is worth knowing about rather than living with. It also shows you whether the Alexa Skill is enabled at all.
- Open the Amazon Alexa app and go to More in the upper left.
- Select Alexa+ Store.
- Scroll down until you find Browse Alexa Skills & Games, and tap it.
- Use the search bar at the top to look up the Alexa Skill you want.
- Open its detail page.
- Tap Launch, then choose which Alexa+ device in your household it should open on.
- If there is no Launch button, the Alexa Skill may not be enabled on your account, which would also explain why saying its name did nothing. Tap Enable to use.
- After enabling it, try again by voice on your Alexa+ device first. If that still does not work, come back to this page in the app and tap Launch, which should now be showing.
Opening it this way works for that one session. It does not change what happens the next time you use your voice.
- If a phrase you are used to keeps misfiring, wire it to the Alexa Skill yourself with a routine. The routine listens for the exact words you choose and opens the Alexa Skill directly, which bypasses the routing that broke it. It takes about two minutes in the Alexa app.
- Open the Amazon Alexa app on your phone.
- Under More in the upper left, select Routines.
- Create a new routine with the + symbol in the upper right.
- Add an event under When this happens and select Voice.
- Enter the phrase you want to say to open the Alexa Skill, for example “play rain sounds”. You can add several phrases. Tap Next to confirm.
- Add an action under Alexa will, select Skills, then Your Skills.
- Select the Alexa Skill you want the routine to open, and tap Next.
- Tap Save to create the routine.
- Go to your Alexa+ device and say one of the phrases you just set. The Alexa Skill should open. If nothing happens, give it a couple of minutes and try again.
Menu names and their positions vary a little between Alexa app versions.
- Right after a request goes to the wrong place, say this. It sends what just happened to Amazon, and it is the most direct signal a customer can send. For example: “Alexa, feedback”
You will not get a reply.
Why is this happening?
When you speak to an Alexa+ device, Alexa decides which experience should answer before any Alexa Skill is involved. If that decision sends your words to a built-in version, the Alexa Skill you installed never receives the request at all, and nothing its developer changes can bring it back.
The “not available on this device” message comes from the same routing, not from the Alexa Skill: the same request with “skill” added usually opens the same Alexa Skill on the same device. The natural conclusion, that it was discontinued, is usually wrong, and customers have cancelled paid subscriptions over it.
Alexa developers report that “open” and “launch” still reach installed Alexa Skills, while “play” and “start” tend to reach Amazon's own versions. That is why the wording above makes the difference.
When will it be fixed?
No timeframe has been shared as of September 8, 2026. Progress on this issue is tracked publicly in the community issue tracker.