If you ask your Echo Show 15 (2nd Gen) to play music and the screen responds but the speakers stay silent, the culprit is almost always the built-in Fire TV interface. The 2024 model runs two operating systems side by side, and audio focus frequently gets trapped by a Fire TV app running in the background. Try this first: press the Home button on the included Fire TV Voice Remote to return to the Alexa home screen, then say "Alexa, play music." That clears the audio session more often than not.
How the Fire TV Mode Interferes with Music
The 2nd-gen Show 15 is essentially a smart display and a Fire TV Stick in one body. When you open a Fire TV app like Tubi or Netflix, the Fire TV operating system takes full control of the audio pipeline. If you switch back to Alexa without explicitly closing the app, the Fire TV system can hold the audio focus silently.
This leaves you with a device that looks awake but refuses to output sound from Alexa requests. The same problem happens if the Fire TV interface is simply lagging. The 2nd-gen Show 15 is powerful, but the Fire TV menu can slow down after extended use, especially if you haven't rebooted in a while, and a laggy menu can prevent the audio handshake from completing.
Set the Default Music Service in the Alexa App
Open the Alexa app on your phone. Navigate to More > Settings > Music & Podcasts > Default Services. If you use Spotify Premium or Apple Music, set it as the default here. The Echo Show 15 defaults to Amazon Music if you skip this step.
When you ask Alexa for a song, it tries Amazon Music first. If the song isn't available there, it simply stays silent rather than switching to your preferred service.
Stop a Stuck Fire TV App
Press the Home button on the Fire TV remote to open the launcher. Look at the recent apps row at the top of the screen. Highlight any app that looks like it might be open and press the menu button (three lines) on the remote. Select Force Stop from the pop-up menu. This kills the background process and returns audio control to Alexa.
I recommend doing this for any streaming app you used recently, even if it closed normally. The Fire OS background processes don't always release audio resources gracefully.
Adjust Two Separate Volume Controls
The 2nd-gen Show 15 has independent volume systems for Alexa and Fire TV. The rocker switch on the device and the voice command "Alexa, volume up" control the Alexa system volume. The volume buttons on the Fire TV remote control the Fire TV system volume.
If you lower the volume using the remote while watching a Fire TV app, it doesn't affect the Alexa volume. But if the Fire TV volume is muted and you switch to Alexa music, the device might use the wrong volume state. Raise the volume using both methods to rule this out: press the remote volume up button several times, then say "Alexa, set volume to 8."
Reconnect to Your Wi-Fi Network
Music streaming requires a consistent internet connection. The Echo Show 15 (2nd Gen) supports Wi-Fi 6E, which includes the 6 GHz band. In my experience, Wi-Fi 6E is fast but can cause connection drops if your router struggles with band-steering, and the device might negotiate onto the 6 GHz band and lose packets.
Open Settings on the Show 15 by swiping down from the top. Go to Network and select your Wi-Fi network. Choose Forget, then reconnect and enter your password. If your router broadcasts separate SSIDs for 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz, connect to the 5 GHz network. It offers the best balance of speed and stability for streaming music right now.
Re-link Your Music Service
Streaming services occasionally log out of the Alexa ecosystem without warning. This is especially common with Spotify and Apple Music. In the Alexa app, go to More > Settings > Music & Podcasts. Tap your service, select Disable Skill, then Enable to Use and sign in again. The re-authorization takes about 30 seconds and resolves most silent playback issues.
Power Cycle the Device
Unplug the Echo Show 15 from the wall outlet and wait 30 seconds. Plug it back in. The boot sequence takes about 90 seconds and shows the Amazon logo, then the Fire TV logo, then the Alexa home screen. A full power cycle clears any stuck audio pipelines in both operating systems.
Try playing music after the home screen fully loads. If the Family Hub widgets look strange or desynced after the reboot, give the device a few minutes to refresh its data, that's a known quirk after updates or reboots on this model.
Factory Reset the Echo Show 15
If you still can't get audio output, a factory reset will eliminate any persistent software conflict. Swipe down from the top of the screen and tap Settings > Device Options > Reset to Factory Defaults. Confirm the reset. The device will wipe all data and reboot.
You'll need to set it up again with the Alexa app and re-link your music services. Factory resetting also clears the Fire TV interface, which is often the root cause of audio issues. It's a last resort, but it has a high success rate for the 2nd-gen Show 15.
