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So, I've been using my Amazon Echo (the big tower, not the little "dot") as a bluetooth speaker with my Ubuntu laptop without any trouble. BUT a few days ago it started showing up only as an input device, not an output device at all. In fact, "Alexa" started using my laptop's little speakers instead of its own when connected to it! I've run updates and such, rebooted, disconnect-reconnect, made Alexa forget and re-pair to the computer all to no avail.

I'm not a total n00b to Ubuntu, so this is kinda frustrating. Help plz?

SenseiWarren
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1 Answers1

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TLDR: Try unpairing and forgetting echo from Bluetooth devices and then reconnecting it but this time, do it while playing a song :-). This forces to select it as a speaker than as a microphone.

I dont know why it happens, but pulse-audio recognises both output and input capabilities of amazon echo but only selects one profile out of these. There is no combined profile to select from.

pacmd list-cards
name: <bluez_card.50_DC_E7_D7_70_9C>
driver: <module-bluez5-device.c>
owner module: 27
properties:
    device.description = "Echo-0W6"
.
.
profiles:
    a2dp_source: High Fidelity Capture (A2DP Source) (priority 20, available: no)
    a2dp_sink: High Fidelity Playback (A2DP Sink) (priority 40, available: yes)
    off: Off (priority 0, available: yes)
active profile: <a2dp_sink>
sinks:
    bluez_sink.50_DC_E7_D7_70_9C.a2dp_sink/#1: Echo-0W6
sources:
    bluez_sink.50_DC_E7_D7_70_9C.a2dp_sink.monitor/#4: Monitor of Echo-0W6
ports:
    speaker-output: Speaker (priority 0, latency offset 0 usec, available: yes)
        properties:

    speaker-input: Bluetooth Input (priority 0, latency offset 0 usec, available: no)
        properties:

See the active profile is only a2dp_sink. It would be only a2dp_source for you. There is no a2dp_duplex profile. Compare that with my internal card profile

name: <alsa_card.pci-0000_00_1f.3>
driver: <module-alsa-card.c>
owner module: 7
    device.description = "Built-in Audio"
    module-udev-detect.discovered = "1"
.
.
profiles:
    input:analog-stereo: Analog Stereo Input (priority 60, available: unknown)
    output:analog-stereo: Analog Stereo Output (priority 6000, available: unknown)
    output:analog-stereo+input:analog-stereo: Analog Stereo Duplex (priority 6060, available: unknown)
.
.
active profile: <output:analog-stereo+input:analog-stereo>
sinks:
    alsa_output.pci-0000_00_1f.3.analog-stereo/#0: Built-in Audio Analog Stereo
sources:
    alsa_output.pci-0000_00_1f.3.analog-stereo.monitor/#0: Monitor of Built-in Audio Analog Stereo
    alsa_input.pci-0000_00_1f.3.analog-stereo/#1: Built-in Audio Analog Stereo
bunny10245
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