Alexa: Plex content never plays from Alexa to TV

Plex Players Streaming Devices
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Server Version#: Version 1.19.1.2630
Player Version#: Plex for LG 4.29.2

I am going in circles with the same thing, Plex app on a brand new LG TV, new Echo Dot, the Plex skill enabled.

I ask the Echo to play an episode, or resume an episode on the TV…

Alexa says ‘OK, now playing’…nothing happens, stream never starts.

I’ve tried relinking the skill, but Alexa thinks she’s playing with no error, no fail message no issues…Alexa just never actually manages to control Plex on the LG TV.

If I have Plex open and manually start an episode, Alexa can pause and resume. But with Plex open, and telling Alexa ‘Ask plex to play episode XYZ’ nothing happens.

Looking in the activity log in Alexa there’s no errors, and Alexa totally thinks she’s playing the ep to my TV…but nothing?

Clearly Alexa thinks she has this right. She can even see that I am in the middle of an ep, and she offers to resume the ep. I say ‘Yes’…then nothing. Nothing plays.

I’ve told Alexa to change the player to the TV (she replies she has) I’ve got no idea why it is so impossible to get an episode playing. At least an error would help, but Alexa seems to think everything is working.

Alexa can see the server, she can see the player, she can even see I am half way through a movie or ep. Alexa clearly thinks this is now playing on my TV…but nothing happens, no fail, no error message just…no tv or movie playing after a command.

Update: Alexa also responds correctly to “What’s on Deck” and can tell me everything I am in the middle of watching. She just can’t actually play it.

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Wow. I have spent a fair few hours now searching for ‘Alexa won’t play plex’ and ‘Alexa never plays plex content’ (April 9, 2020) and there are thousands of people with my exact issue. This makes me sort of glad I am not alone, but really sad that my new TV (Alexa enabled) and my new Echo Dot and my lifetime Plex Pass simply will not work properly.

I have scoured Reddit and Google, and a quick look on Amazon’s reviews for the Plex Skill all seem to have same/similar issues to me. Review after review saying that Alexa hears, says ‘OK’ and then just…never does anything.

Just have a quick look here at how many people using Plex and Alexa can’t get the Echo to play content properly:

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I’m in the same boat. I’ve been fighting through this for the last week trying to get it to work consistently. What I’ve found is that sometimes I can get Alexa / Plex to find my player (my player is a fire stick 4k which is accessing my server which is in the same household) and then an hour later Alexa can’t find my player. When Alexa losses access to the player it will only play on the server side, which in my case doesn’t help me. I tried everything I found in other forum threads to get it so that my player stays visible but I can’t consistently get it to stay.

One thing you might have to try on your setup is to use the Alexa command “Alexa, ask plex to change my player” Alexa should give you options of whatever your accessible players are…hopefully. The other thing is to make sure your plex server is accessible outside of your network, Alexa needs to be able to connect remotely to your plex server or it won’t work.

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I have no problem with Alexa knowing what player I want used, Alexa even replies saying that’s the player she’s going to use, and then says “Enjoy movie”…but plex never starts playing. Alexa knows what I want, seems to even know where in an episode I am up,to, offers to resume but just…nothing ever happens on my tv.

I’ve had the well reported Remote Server disconnected glitch (years of stability, but one of the last updates broke that -lots of others reporting that here and on reddit). Apparently my plex server is still visible, others in my family access it via remote every day, but I don’t see the green tick any more on remote access.

Maybe that’s got something to do with it?

Plex a just never plays, Alexa is sure she’s started a show on the right player. Nothing happens, no error. Just no content.

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Are you using the same username on the player and on the server? I’ve read that the Alexa skill will not work using a shared user.

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I’m the owner/admin user account in all three: Plex app on the LGTV, Plex skill in Alexa, and logged in as admin/owner on the Plex server with the content.

Fo4 me, this is a poorly implemented Plex Skill on Alexa. Looking at seriously hundreds of negative reviews for the Plex skill on Amazon’s skills page suggests that Plex don’t care, and this is basically a failed skill.

I’m so reliant on Plex, I hoped this would improve by Alexa and automation experience. Sadly I’ve spent more time trying to troubleshoot the Plex/Alexa skill this past week than I have watching content!

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Check out the Aberto Sonorus apk that can be added to most android boxes. This can get some additional voice control abilities but I don’t think it would add the perfect integration of calling up a movie by name and having it seamlessly work. What about using Google Home? I haven’t gone down that road yet but I need a fully functional voice control solution for a friend who is dealing with ALS and can’t use his hands anymore. So I’m spending alot of time on it right now and I need a solution.

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Can you try again and get me your PMS logs? Let me know what device and what movie should be playing so I can check. If this is on an LG TV, enable the “log to server” setting in the Plex app before so I can see how the TV responds as well.

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I will do that this afternoon thanks. Logs later today.

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I have the exact same problem as MattScales! Really unfortunate that there are so many people among us that are frustrated by this. How can we fix this?

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I’m going to run those log tests today. Hopefully that will reveal why Plex just never plays, even though Alexa is confident that everything is working even replying “ok, tv show now playing on LGTV, enjoy the show”

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I have sent these to you as a PM. Thanks for any insight.

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Hi there! I am curious to if your problem has been resolved yet?

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No sadly. With Alexa I can open Plex on my tv and that’s about it. I haven’t heard back on what the cause or solution might be yet from Plex, but I sent my logs and stuff and they were going to look into if it was somehow the tv that was the problem.

But the Plex skill for Alexa remains no use and non functioning for me still.

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Too bad! For me it’s the same. I can ask alexa to open the app on my Xbox. But when I ask to play a movie or TV show it says it is going to play it, but nothing happens. Really frustrating!

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@Rick-Ottenhoff

@MattScales
I suggest making sure Alexa has a fixed IP on your net work and then…

No guarantee, but try going to setting > network in the server controls.

Then enter the IP address of Alexa here:

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Remote access has to be enabled and working as well.

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Yes I already have both the Echo Show and the Echo Dot added to the IPs in that section unfortunately.

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Well, I’ve used Alexa mostly to play music. For that it seems to mostly work, but I tried video, and…

Alexa say its playing a movie or TV episode, but it must be another universe. I don’t see it.

Try music, and see if it works for you.

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No you’re correct it doesn’t work for playing tv at all. I get exactly that scenario: Alexa says she’s playing a movie or ep…and nothing ever arrives on the tv.