Picture of the Amazon Echo Dot 2nd Generation Smart Speaker, Top View

How to Use Echo Dot as Bluetooth Speaker

In this demo, we show how to use Echo Dot as a Bluetooth speaker, linked to an iPad Air tablet. This lets us play any audio that the iPad is playing, through the Amazon Dot.

You might do this if you connect your Dot to your home stereo system for its great sound. And you would like to hear streaming music services through your hi-fi system. Further, you’d like to do this without plugging any cords into your tablet.

This demo assumes that you’re connecting the same iPad as what you’re running the Alexa app on.





How to Use Echo Dot as Bluetooth Speaker, Method One

1. Connect All Devices

Make sure that both your mobile  and your Echo Dot are online and connected to the Internet.

2. Turn Bluetooth On in your Source Device

Turn Bluetooth ON, on the iPad, and assure that you see the “Now discoverable as” message, as shown next.  The Dot will not connect to the iPad unless the iPad advertises itself on Bluetooth.

Picture of the iPad Bluetooth Discovery Mode Screen, showing that Bluetooth is ON. Use Echo Dot as Bluetooth speaker.
iPad Bluetooth Discovery Mode Screen, showing Bluetooth is ON. Use Echo Dot as Bluetooth speaker.

3. Run the Alexa App to Continue with How to Use Echo Dot as Bluetooth Speaker

On our iPad, the Alexa app appears on the third home page, as pictured next.

Picture of the iOS Home screen with the Alexa App highlighted. How to Use Echo Dot as Bluetooth Speaker.
iOS Home screen with Alexa App highlighted.

The Alexa home screen then displays, as shown next.

Picture of the Amazon Alexa App, displaying its Home screen.
Amazon Alexa App, displaying its Home screen.

4. Tap the Settings Item  

This brings up the Alexa Settings screen, as shown next.

Picture of the Alexa App Settings Screen, showing my Echo Dot as online. How to Use Echo Dot as Bluetooth Speaker.
Alexa App Settings Screen, showing my Echo Dot as online.

5. Find your Echo Dot Speaker

Find it in the Alexa Devices list.  Ours is pointed to by the green arrow in the picture just above.

Then, Tap that Speaker.





This brings up the device settungs screen for that Echo Dot, as shown next.

Picture of the Alexa App, displaying the device configuration screen, with the Bluetooth option circled.
Alexa App, displaying the device configuration screen, with the Bluetooth option circled.

6. Tap the Bluetooth Item to Continue with How to Use Echo Dot as Bluetooth Speaker

This is the one circled in the last picture above.

Then the known Bluetooth devices list screen appears, as shown next.

Picture of the Alexa app, displaying the Known Bluetooth Devices List screen, with the Pair a New Device button highlighted.
Alexa app, displaying the Known Bluetooth Devices List screen, with the Pair a New Device button highlighted.

7. Tap the Pair a New Device Button  

This puts your Echo Dot into discovery mode. In this mode, the Dot broadcasts its device name in the Bluetooth domain.  It also scans for other broadcasting devices (others in discovery mode).

Picture of the Alexa App, displaying the Bluetooth Setup Devices Found List Screen, with desired device highlighted. How to Use Echo Dot as Bluetooth Speaker.
Alexa App, displaying the Bluetooth Setup Devices Found List Screen, with desired device highlighted.

8. Tap the Device to Pair with your Echo Dot

In our case here, it’s the  Tom’s iPad   device.

Next, if all goes well, pairing then happens.

Then the Alexa app adds this new device to its  known Bluetooth devices   list.  The app then displays this updated list, as shown next.  It also shows the device as connected by coloring the Bluetooth symbol to the left of the device name, blue.

Picture of the Alexa App, showing the Bluetooth Devices List Screen, with a single connected device displayed.
Alexa App, showing the Bluetooth Devices List Screen, with a single connected device displayed.

When pairing occurs, your Echo Dot tells you this by saying, “Connected to Tom’s iPad.  Now that you’re paired, next time, just say, ‘Connect my phone.’.”

9. Done with How to Use Echo Dot as Bluetooth Speaker, Method 1 !

You have now built a Bluetooth connection between your Dot speaker and a Bluetooth device. Now, Amazon remembers the details of this connection.  You can see this when you go into the Alexa app, to the Bluetooth devices list as displayed above. You will see your new device there.  Connecting to it later is much simpler thus.  E.g. Tap the device in the app, or command your dot to do it by saying, “Alexa, connect to Tom’s iPad.”

At this point, all of our iPad sound plays on our Echo Dot.  So, we’re done.





How to Use Echo Dot as Bluetooth Speaker, Method Two

Sometimes, the Amazon Echo Dot does not find your Bluetooth souce device as it did in step 7 above.  Or, if it does find it, it fails to connect to it when you tap the found device name.  For these cases, start the pairing from the source device instead of the Echo Dot, as follows.

1. Do Steps 1 Through 6 Above  

Remember that step 6 places the Dot into Bluetooth discovery mode. To repeat, that Dot should show up on any other in-range Bluetooth devices that are themselves scanning for in-range speakers.

2. Go Into Bluetooth Settings on your Source BT Device

Since we wish to pair our iPad, we then go into that iPad’s Settings, to the Bluetooth section.

Tapping Bluetooth places our iPad into discovery mode.  It also starts scanning for nearby Bluetooth speakers, as shown next.

Picture of the iOS Bluetooth Found Devices List, showing Echo Dot entry. How to Use Echo Dot as Bluetooth Speaker.
iOS Bluetooth Found Devices List, showing Echo Dot entry.

3. Tap the Echo Dot XXX Entry

Ours shows as Echo Dot-E9W.

In this demo, touching Echo Dot-E9W starts the pairing from this iPad.

Picture of the iOS Bluetooth Found Devices list, showing successfully connected Echo Dot.
iOS Bluetooth Found Devices list, showing successfully connected Echo Dot.

As it did in method one, our Echo Dot announces that the Be link is up by saying, “Connected to Tom’s iPad.” Yours will say something similar, although your source BT device name probably will not be Tom’s iPad.





4. Done with How to Use Echo Dot as Bluetooth Speaker, Method 2 !

Now that you’re paired, next time, just say, ‘Connect my phone.’.”   Also, a good connection made adds your device to the Previously Paired Devices list in the Alexa app.

Go ahead and start playing your tablet music through your Amazon Echo Dot. The Dot now functions as a decent Bluetooth speaker.

Unpairing the Echo Dot from Any Bluetooth Device, Method 1

1. Command your Echo Dot to Disconnect Bluetooth

You can disconnect your Dot from your tablet by saying, “Alexa, disconnect <your device’s name>”

Then, the Dot responds, “Now disconnected from <your device’s name>.”

This ends the Bluetooth link between the Echo Dot and your source BT device.

Unpairing the Echo Dot from Any Bluetooth Device, Method 2

1. Go to the Alexa App Home Page

Or, you may also disconnect by using Alexa app.

2. Get to the Previously Paired Devices List

Go to the Alexa app, to Settings, to your device settings, then to its Bluetooth options, like we did above in steps 3 thru 5 in connection method one.

The Previously Paired Devices list appears as follows.

Picture of the Alexa App, displaying the Bluetooth Devices List Screen, with the options menu down arrow for the connected device highlighted. How to Use Echo Dot as Bluetooth Speaker.
Alexa App, displaying the Bluetooth Devices List Screen, with the options menu down arrow for the connected device highlighted.

3. Expand the Drop Down Menu for your Connected Device

E.g. Tap the down arrow on the right side of the device list entry.

This exposes the  Disconnect   and   Forget Device   options, as shown next.

Picture of the Alexa App, showing the Previously Paired Bluetooth Devices List screen, with the connected device options displayed.
Alexa App, showing the Previously Paired Bluetooth Devices List screen, with the connected device options displayed.

4. Tap the   Disconnect Option

Find the Disconnect item pointed to by the green arrow in the last picture.

This causes the Dot to end its Bluetooth connection with your source BT device.

5. Done!

See the now-gray Bluetooth symbol pointed at by the green arrow in the next picture. The gray tells us that the Dot is not longer linked with our Bluetooth source device.

Picture of the Alexa app, showing the Previously Paired Bluetooth Devices List screen, with one disconnected device listed. Note the grayed Bluetooth symbol.
Alexa app, showing the Previously Paired Bluetooth Devices List screen, with one disconnected device listed. Note the grayed Bluetooth symbol.

We hope this post clears up the confusion that can result when using your Echo Dot as a Bluetooth speaker.

Related Posts to How to Use Echo Dot as Bluetooth Speaker

  1. AC Power Adapter Specs for Amazon Alexa Echo Dot 2 Smart Speaker
  2. Amazon Alexa Echo Dot Setup Help Instructions
  3. Deregister Echo Dot Instructions, How to Deregister Amazon Alexa Echo Dot Speakers
  4. Amazon Echo Dot Smart Speaker Review, Gen 2
  5. Changing WiFi Network on Amazon Echo Dot

References for How to Use Echo Dot as Bluetooth Speaker

  1. Amazon Alexa Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  2. Alexa Echo Help Pages
  3. Amazon Echo on Wikipedia

Revision History

  • 2019-05-18: Removed ad code, added targeting for ‘Use Echo Dot as Bluetooth Speaker’, and added tags.
  • 2016-12-12: Originally published.