You plug in the Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen), wait for the setup screen to pop up, connect to it in the Alexa app, and then it just hangs. Maybe it gets stuck on "Checking for updates" for 20 minutes. Maybe the Wi-Fi connection keeps timing out right at the last step. Or maybe it gets all the way through setup and freezes on the welcome screen.
First, slide the camera shutter on the top edge of the device. If it's closed, slide it open. The Echo Show 8 has a physical privacy shutter, and the setup process can behave oddly when the camera is physically blocked during the initial network handshake. It only takes a second to rule out.
Give the Alexa App Full Permissions
The Alexa app relies heavily on Bluetooth Low Energy and location services to discover the Echo Show 8 sitting right next to it. If either permission is denied, the app can disconnect mid-setup without giving you any clear error. The handshake just silently fails.
Open your phone's system settings, find the Alexa app in your app list, and make sure Location (While Using the App) and Bluetooth are both toggled on. On an iPhone, you'll also need to turn on Local Network access. That one is buried in the iOS privacy settings and it trips up a lot of people.
Stick to the Same Wi-Fi Band
The Echo Show 8 supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks, but the Alexa app and the Echo need to be on the exact same network during setup. If you have a mesh system or a dual-band router broadcasting a single SSID, your phone might be on one band while the Echo tries to connect to the other.
The quickest fix is to temporarily disable the 5 GHz band in your router settings for about 10 minutes. This forces your phone onto the 2.4 GHz band, where the Echo can reliably see it and pick up the credentials. Once the Echo is fully set up, you can turn the 5 GHz band back on without any issues.
Do a Full Factory Reset
If the Echo Show 8 was previously connected to a different Amazon account or you bought it secondhand, it might be stuck in a confused setup loop. The device won't always tell you this is the issue, but clearing everything usually fixes it. Go to Settings > Device Options > Reset to Factory Defaults on the device screen.
This wipes the device clean and kicks it back to the yellow-orange setup screen where it displays a QR code. The whole reset takes about three minutes to cycle through before it's ready to pair fresh.
Simplify Your Wi-Fi Password Temporarily
There is a known compatibility issue where Alexa devices hang on setup if the Wi-Fi password contains certain punctuation marks like percent signs, ampersands, or backslashes. If your password looks like P@ssw0rd&More!, the Echo Show might be failing to parse the handshake string correctly without any obvious error.
I'd recommend changing your router's Wi-Fi password to something simple like test1234 just for the setup process. Go through the whole pairing flow until the Echo Show is on your home screen, then change the password back to your original one. You can update the Wi-Fi settings inside the Echo's network settings afterward without going through setup again.
Reinstall the Alexa App
After a few failed setup attempts, the Alexa app's local cache can degrade. You'll tap "Add Device," scan the QR code, and it'll just spin at "Connecting to Device" forever. This is a clear sign the app has corrupted its own setup state. Delete the app, restart your phone, then download it fresh from the App Store or Google Play.
Log back into your account and start the device discovery process from scratch. A clean app install clears a surprising number of stubborn setup hangs that seem to have no other explanation.
Give the Update Screen Time to Finish
The Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen) ships with an early 2023 firmware version. On a fast internet connection, the device starts downloading a large update as soon as it connects to Wi-Fi. The installation can take a solid 15 to 20 minutes, and the screen can look frozen during this time.
If the progress bar hasn't moved for longer than 30 minutes, proceed with a power cycle. Otherwise, just walk away and let it sit.
Verify Your Amazon Account Region
Amazon accounts are tied to specific store regions. If your account was created in the UK but you are trying to set up a device in the US, the Alexa app will fail the registration handshake every time. The Echo Show won't give you a clear error for this mismatch.
Open the Alexa app and go to Settings > Account Settings to confirm your country matches your current location. If it's wrong, you need to contact Amazon customer support to migrate your account region, as you can't change it from the app itself.
Power Cycle and Check the Power Source
The Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen) uses a 30W AC adapter. If the power supply is faulty or not providing a stable current, the screen might light up enough to look normal but fail under the load of Wi-Fi scanning and video processing. This is a classic "looks fine, isn't fine" fix.
Unplug the power adapter from both the wall outlet and the back of the Echo Show. Wait about 30 seconds, then plug it firmly directly into the wall, skipping any power strip or surge protector that might be weakening the draw. Let it fully reboot into setup mode and try the process again.
