Picture of the Microsoft Invoke Cortana speaker light pattern, as displayed when the speaker is talking.

How to Set Up Invoke Speaker via Cortana App

While setting up a brand new or used Harman Kardon Invoke Cortana speaker involves numerous steps, none are very hard.  Just focus on the current step you’re working on, and progress through this list.  In this post, we list the procedure we used for how to set up Invoke speaker.  We’ll do our best to keep it simple and straight forward, so that before you know it, you’ll have your Microsoft smart speaker talking, playing music, giving your the local weather report, and answering your questions in fine style, and with near-excellent sound quality as well.





For this demonstration, we’re running the Cortana app on our iOS-based iPad Air tablet, although this app is also available for Android phones and tablets too, as well as the PC.  In fact, you will need the Cortana app in order to set up your speaker.  So go ahead and get it now before proceeding here.  See our post How to Install and Set Up Cortana App for Microsoft Invoke Smart Speaker for a demonstration of how to get the Cortana app up and running on your mobile device.

How to Set Up Invoke Speaker, Cortana Smart Speaker

Now, to setting up your Microsoft Invoke Cortana speaker.

1. Power Up your Speaker

Connect the power adapter to the speaker, and then plug the big end into a working AC outlet.

Then, after the speaker boots, a new or freshly reset speaker displays a back-and-forth rotating white light pattern on its touch pad, as shown in the next picture.  This indicates that it is ready for setup, and is in fact, in setup mode.  Cortana should also announce through the speaker that the speaker needs set up.

If you see any other light pattern, or your Invoke does not announce that it’s ready for setup after starting within a minute or so, then follow the instructions in our  How to Reset the Harman Kardon Invoke Smart Speaker Back to Factory Default State  post.  There, we show how to restore your Invoke to factory default settings.  Barring any malfunctions, resetting will put the Invoke into correct setup mode.

Picture of the Harman Kardon Invoke voice activated speaker, front top view, showing lights displaying Ready for Setup status.
Harman Kardon Invoke voice activated speaker, front top view, showing lights displaying Ready for Setup status. How to set up Invoke speaker.

Also, please note that you’ll only have several minutes to complete the setup process once the Invoke enters setup.  If you do not finish setting it up before it times out, the lights in the touch pad turn red, as pictured next, and the speaker announces that something went wrong and instructs you to reset it (again) and start over.

Picture of the Harman Kardon Invoke smart speaker, requesting a reset, by showing its red lights rotating. How to Set Up Invoke Speaker.
Harman Kardon Invoke smart speaker, requesting a reset, by showing its red lights rotating.

2. Run the Cortana App

Run this app on your mobile or desktop device.    With the Invoke in setup mode, you can now run the Cortana app on your mobile device or PC.  Since we’re demonstrating this on iOS, we’re running the demo on our iPad Air.  The app is located on the home screen (in our case, on page 3), as shown in the next picture.

Picture of the Cortana app installed on an iOS-based iPad Air tablet, Home screen view.
iOS Home screen on iPad Air, showing installed Cortana app highlighted.

Upon successful startup, the Cortana app displays its home screen, as shown next.

Picture of the Cortana App on iOS, displaying its Home screen, with the Menu hamburger button highlighted. How to Set Up Invoke Speaker.
Cortana App on iOS, displaying its Home screen, with the Menu hamburger button highlighted.




3. Tap the  Hamburger  Menu Button to Continue with How to Set Up Invoke Smart Speaker

The hamburger item is pointed at by the purple arrow in the last picture.  This brings up the main menu, as shown next.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its main menu, with the Devices item circled.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its main menu, with the Devices item circled.

4. Tap the  Devices  Menu Item

This causes the Cortana app to search for any Cortana-enabled speaker devices on the same local network.  In our case, we only have the one Invoke speaker running in setup more.  So we get the following screen, that offers to add a new device.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Add New Device- screen, with -license agreement read and agreed to- not checked.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Add New Device- screen, with -license agreement read and agreed to- not checked.

5. Tap the End User License Agreement (EULA) Circle

This marks it as checked, to indicate that you accept it (assuming you do).  You must accept it in fact, in order to successfully set up your speaker.   The checked circle then appears on the   Add New Device   screen, as shown next, and the  Next  button is then enabled, allowing you to proceed.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Add New Device- screen, with the -license agreement read and agreed to- box checked. How to Set Up Invoke Speaker.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Add New Device- screen, with the -license agreement read and agreed to- box checked.

6. Tap the   Next   Button to Continue Forward with How to Set Up Invoke Speaker

Cortana then asks you to verify that your Invoke speaker is showing the same light pattern as what’s displayed on the next screen; the   See the Light   screen.  The pattern consists of three blips that appear on the speaker’s touch pad, and slowly rotate back and forth.  

Picture of the Cortana App on iOS, displaying its -See The Light- Screen, with the -Next- button highlighted.
Cortana App on iOS, displaying its -See The Light- Screen, with the -Next- button highlighted.

If your speaker is not displaying this light pattern, then press the reset button for five seconds, release, and then wait for this pattern to appear on its touch pad before going on to the next step.





7. Tap the   Next   Button

The app then asks for permission to both, access your Microsoft account information, as well as to sign into your Harman Kardon Invoke speaker, as shown next.

Picture of the Cortana App on iOS, displaying its -Access Info, Sign Into HK Invoke- prompt, with the -Yes- button highlighted.
Cortana App on iOS, displaying its -Access Info, Sign Into HK Invoke- prompt, with the -Yes- button highlighted.

8. Tap the   Yes   Button

Cortana then displays a list of permissions that the app must be allowed to access in order to fully function, as shown in the next screenshot.  You can only allow all of these permissions, or none of them.  You cannot pick and choose among them currently.  Of course, if you disallow them all, your smart speaker will definitely not function at its best.  We suggest therefore, that you grant all of these permissions as follows.  

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Let This App Access Your Info- screen, showing the top part.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Let This App Access Your Info- screen, showing the top part.

Scroll down to the bottom of the   Let this app access your info?   prompt screen, as shown next, and locate the   Yes   button, as illustrated in the next picture.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Let This App Access Your Info- screen, showing the bottom portion, with the -Yes- button highlighted. How to Set Up Invoke Speaker.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Let This App Access Your Info- screen, showing the bottom portion, with the -Yes- button highlighted.

9. Tap the   Yes   Button to Move Forward with How to Set Up Invoke Speaker

The app then displays the   Cortana on Invoke Permissions   screen, as shown next.  These permissions detail precisely what Cortana may access when it interacts with your Invoke speaker.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Cortana On Invoke Permissions- screen, with the -I Agree- button highlighted.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Cortana On Invoke Permissions- screen, with the -I Agree- button highlighted.

10. Tap the  I Agree  Button

See this circled in the last picture.

The Cortana app may then ask you for permission to access your Contacts list.  This refers to the Contacts list on the device you’re running the Cortana app on.  So in our demo here, we’re giving permission to her to access the contacts stored on our iPad Air.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Access Your Contacts Permission- prompt, with the OK button highlighted.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Access Your Contacts Permission- prompt, with the OK button highlighted.

11. Tap the   OK   Button

Thus authorizes contacts access.





The app then shows the   Where’s Your Invoke?   screen, as shown next.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Where Is Your Invoke- screen, with the -Confirm Location and Time- button circled.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Where Is Your Invoke- screen, with the -Confirm Location and Time- button circled.

12. Tap the  Confirm Location and Time   Button to Continue with How to Set Up Invoke Speaker

Then, tap the   Next >  link that appears after confirming.  The app then displays the   Connect to Your Invoke   screen, as shown next.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Connect to Your Invoke- screen, showing the single speaker choice circled. How to Set Up Invoke Speaker.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Connect to Your Invoke- screen, showing the single speaker choice circled.

13. Tap the  HK_Invoke_xxxxxx   Button

This is the Invoke speaker that the app found as available for setup during its scan previously.

Cortana then gathers information about your network, while displaying the next screen, the   AirPort Setup   screen.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -AirPort Setup, Gathering Network Information- screen.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -AirPort Setup, Gathering Network Information- screen.

After a brief delay, the app suggests the Wi-Fi network that your mobile device is currently logged into, to also log your speaker into as well, similar to as shown next.  In our case, this suggestion is the 937T681J4059_5G Wi-Fi network, as shown.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Accessory Setup Network- screen, showing the -Show Other Networks- button highlighted.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Accessory Setup Network- screen, showing the -Show Other Networks- button highlighted.

However, while the displayed network is the one our iPad is currently connected with, this is NOT the network we desire our speaker to connect with.  So we’ll ask to see the other in-range networks in the next step.

14. Tap the   Show Other Networks   Button

Cortana then updates the screen, to show ALL of the in-range Wi-Fi networks it finds, as ours did, as shown next.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, showing its -Accessory Setup Network- screen, displaying more in-range Wi-Fi networks, with the desired network circled.
Cortana app on iOS, showing its -Accessory Setup Network- screen, displaying more in-range Wi-Fi networks, with the desired network circled.

15. Tap the Desired Wi-Fi Network for the Speaker

The  blue  check mark then moves from the one previously checked to your desired network, as shown next.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Accessory Setup Network- screen, showing the desired Wi-Fi network, checked and circled. How to Set Up Invoke Speaker.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Accessory Setup Network- screen, showing the desired Wi-Fi network, checked and circled.

16. Tap the   Next  Button to Continue with How to Set Up Invoke Speaker

Find this in the upper right hand corner of the  Accessory Setup   screen, as shown in the previous picture.





Cortana may then prompt you for the password of the chosen Wi-Fi network, as shown next.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Enter Network Password- prompt screen, with the OK button highlighted.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Enter Network Password- prompt screen, with the OK button highlighted.

Note that you may not be prompted for the password if the device you’re using to set up your Invoke speaker has previously connected to the same Wi-Fi network you ‘re specifying for the speaker now, and still stores this network’s login credentials.

In either case, the app then displays the   Accessory Setup, Joining   screen for a time, as shown next, while it joins the specified Wi-Fi network.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Accessory Setup- screen, while Joining network is in progress.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Accessory Setup- screen, while Joining network is in progress.

Then, the app may display the following version of the   Accessory Setup   screen while it waits for the speaker to connect to the specified Wi-Fi network.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Waiting For Invoke To Connect- screen.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Waiting For Invoke To Connect- screen.

Then, when successful joining has occurs, the Cortana app displays the   Setup Complete   screen, as shown next.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Setup Complete- screen, with the -Done- button circled. How to Set Up Invoke Speaker.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Setup Complete- screen, with the -Done- button circled.

17. Tap the   Done   Button

Cortana then displays the   Almost There   screen, as shown next.  Note that your speaker may update itself to the latest firmware at this point.  Do not disconnect the speaker from power during said updating.  However, you can proceed with the next step while these revisions (if any) are applied.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Almost There- screen, with the -Next- button circled.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Almost There- screen, with the -Next- button circled.

18. Tap the   Next >   Button

The app then shows the   Pick a Preferred Music Provider   screen, as shown next.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, Displaying its -Pick a Preferred Music Provider- screen, with the -Spotify- choice and -Next- button circled.
Cortana app on iOS, Displaying its -Pick a Preferred Music Provider- screen, with the -Spotify- choice and -Next- button circled.

19. Tap your Preferred Music Provider Choice 

20. Then, Tap the   Next >   Button to Continue with How to Set Up Invoke Smart Speaker

We chose   Spotify   in the previous picture, although we could have selected   TuneIn   or   iHeart Radio   as alternatives.

Then, when you tap   Next >, the Cortana app shows the  Connect Your Calendar  screen, as shown next.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Connect Your Calendar- screen, with the -Skip- button circled. How to Set Up Invoke Speaker.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Connect Your Calendar- screen, with the -Skip- button circled.

21. Tap the   Skip   Button

Find the  Skip  button circled in the previous picture.  The app then shows a video introduction to Cortana screen, and begins to play the video.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its introductory video screen, with the -I've Seen It- button circled. How to Set Up Invoke Speaker.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its introductory video screen, with the -I’ve Seen It- button circled.

22. Tap the   I’ve Seen It >   Link

Tap this when either you’ve finished watching the video or at any time during playback that you want to stop watching it.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Finish Setup- screen, with the -Next- button highlighted.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Finish Setup- screen, with the -Next- button highlighted.

Your speaker will display the light pattern in the previous picture when setup has completed successfully.  However, you need not wait for this pattern to proceed with the next step.





23.  Tap the   Next   Button

The app then displays the  Your Invoke is Ready for Use   screen, as captured next.

Picture of the Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Your Invoke Is Ready for Use- Screen, with the -Skip- button circled. How to Set Up Invoke Speaker.
Cortana app on iOS, displaying its -Your Invoke Is Ready for Use- Screen, with the -Skip- button circled.

If you  tap the   Next >   link on this screen, the app will lead you through several more pages that show the basics of what Cortana can do, and how you can ask her to do these things.  However, you may skip these screens if you so desire, by tapping the   Skip   link, circled in the previous picture.  In either case, your speaker is now completely set up and ready for use.

24.  You’re done with How to Set Up Invoke Smart Speaker !

Other Posts About the Invoke Speaker

  1. AC Power Adapter Specs for Microsoft Invoke Cortana Smart Speaker
  2. Demo of Unboxing the Microsoft Invoke Cortana Smart Speaker
  3. Harman Kardon Invoke Smart Speaker Picture Gallery
  4. Adjusting Volume on Invoke Voice Activated Speaker
  5. How to Change Wi-Fi Network on Harman Kardon Invoke Microsoft Cortana Smart Speaker

Related Posts to How to Set Up Invoke Speaker

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  3. Help with How to Set Up Instant Pot Smart WiFi Pressure Cooker
  4. How to Set Up Google Home Mini
  5. Set Up Pandora on Alexa Speakers, How To

References for How to Set Up Invoke Smart Speaker

  1. Harman Kardon Invoke Voice Activated Speaker, Official Product Page from Harman Kardon
  2. Invoke Voice Activated Speaker by Harman Kardon, Graphite Version,  on Amazon.com

Revision History

  • 2020-04-16: Added tags.
  • 2019-03-11: Added key phrase targeting and more tags.
  • 2017-12-09: Originally published.