@anon18523487 thanks for the response, I’m sorry that it seems like you’re in the same “limbo boat” as we are! I’ve tried reaching out to @vanstinator (who seemed involved with the Alexa skill), but no response.
I agree with @Freemgl, the users would at least like to know what we’re doing - if its a “never gonna fix this” issue, just let us know so we (the customers) can make moves accordingly like get new equipment, etc, and stop filling up the forums with questions wondering what’s going on. It seems like a very fixable issue and would be disappointing to hear that we need new devices, but if that’s what it is, let us all know that.
This is a top repeated issue regarding Alexa (Topics tagged alexa) with multiple threads cooking in your support forums with lots of frustrated customers wondering what they themselves have screwed up in settings, etc etc, when in reality it’s NOT them.
There should be a sticky thread saying “Alexa Gen 1 devices - No audio? - READ THIS!”. It’s horrible customer service to leave customers in limbo with no responses and no path for understanding what to do, for long periods of time. Nothing but frustration for everyone with that.
@elan, as CTO, please address this better as a company, there’s lots of threads much like these where its just a blackhole of customer comments hoping for help and resolution and they end with nothing, time out and get auto-closed by the forum.
Couldn’t agree more. What is the point of even having a forum, if the company isn’t going to use it to communicate with the customer base on issues like this?
Maybe the Plex guys are hoping we will all go and trade in our Gen 1 devices and upgrade. If they stay quiet, maybe we will just “go away”. What is sad here is that, in my example, I drank the kool-aid. I have built a fine music library that I really enjoy, I have used the DVR features that I really enjoy, I love my movies. I can view and listen to all of it whenever I travel. It all works. EXCEPT FOR MY STUPID ECHO. Ah, now time to get a cup of Earl Grey and relax.
+1 for another user with a PlexPass that owns first generation Amazon Echo devices and would appreciate some sort of reply from @elan and Plex, whether that is a “won’t fix” or “on the to do list” reply.
I’ve already replied previously that’s it’s on the to do list.
To be clear, Plex did not make a change in our skill that made 1st gen devices not work. We don’t know what broke so it’s taking time to investigate this. If this is something fixable, we will fix it.
Thank you for the response saying it’s on the to do list. I want to reiterate as in the text below that the Alexa skill is not working when running two as stereo plus echo sub 2nd gen devices, not just 1st gen. Works fine on 1 echo dot 2nd gen, but not at all on 2 stereo 2nd gen echos w/echo sub. (See below) …
Wanted to enjoy my Plex library on my Gen 2 stereo echo devices and echo sub for Thanksgiving. That sure would give me something to be thankful for. But, alas… as before… no joy.
Still not working. Alexa says “Playing Library Radio.” Stream never starts or shows up on PLEX dashboard as now playing on the two Gen 2 Echo devices running stereo with Echo Sub. Plays fine and shows up as now playing on one Gen 2 Echo Dot (both .mp3’s and flac files play fine). Wish someone would look into this SOMEDAY SOON. (Thanks again for letting us know it’s on the to do list. I am just trying to be a squeaky wheel and get some grease here)…
Since Plex communicates with Amazon back end (in my case Alexandria, VA) and the back end communicates with my device (i.e. Plex not talking directly to the Echo) I am guessing that the Amazon skill interface has somehow changed and The Developers need to interface with Amazon developers to figure out what they did. If only it was that easy.
Plex has no control over that. That’s all internal to the Echo devices.
That would be a different issue. Currently, the 1st gen devices won’t play at all. Please start a new thread with as much details as you can. Also provide your PMS logs.
Another Plex pass user chiming in that I’ve been experiencing the same problem with my 1st Gen Echo for weeks now. Thank you for looking into it! I figure I’ll pick up a newer echo if the problem isn’t solvable on Plex’s end.
About: I want to reiterate as in the text below that the Alexa skill is not working when running two as stereo…
Re the response: Plex has no control over that. That’s all internal to the Echo devices.
How is it used to work then? It’s a software problem in the Alexa Plex skill. The devices haven’t changed, just dumb hardware, and the same dumb hardware that used to work. There are nothing but complaints about this in the Alexa app. Amazon may be at fault, but it’s a Plex skill. Seems to me you all should work together to figure what broke and fix it. Just like you originally got together to come up with a working Plex skill in the first place. It will work on one Echo dot, not at all on the 2 stereo echo pair w/echo sub. What is the fix?
To be clear, there is nothing specific in the Plex skill to work or not work with echo devices using the home theater mode. Plex sends the music to the 1 device that you tell to play. What happens after is up to the devices. As far as the Plex skill knows, it is only playing on the 1 device.
Perhaps somebody in plex could look into why so many of us are having this issue though. its a plex skill so you have some responsibilty to investigate what the issue is and how it can be resolved either by plex or by lconversing with amazon as to what has happened to something that used to work well, but is now virtually useless.
I have mentioned this before, but Emby’s Alexa skill still works on all Alexas, including 1st gen. I run both Plex and Emby, they don’t get in each other’s way. (I have both a Plex Pass and Emby Premier.)
To make Emby’s skill work, you have to get your own SSL certificate, and set up a subdomain with CNAME and A records. This can be done for free if you are a cheapskate like I am, but then you have to renew the free cert every 3 months, etc. It’s a PITA. But it does work.
Plex’ skill problem with 1st gen Alexas could well be certificate-related. There was a Let’s Encrypt cert that expired on 9/30/2021 and broke a lot of software. It broke the Plex For TiVo code. However, for that, there was a workaround by changing a setting. Good thing, because the TiVo Plex app is not going to be updated.
There is another Alexa music skill, WJST Jet Set Radio, that broke at the same time as Plex on 1st gen devices only. The owner of WJST had a 3rd party outfit set up his skill, and can’t get in touch with them to fix it.
Hope the Plex team eventually works their way down their To Do list.
In the mean time, I use the Emby skill on my 1st gen Alexas. For WJST, I use VNC on my tablet to Bluetooth the audio from a headless Raspberry Pi to my 1st gen Alexas.
You could also Bluetooth Plex from your tablet or phone to a 1st gen. While it isn’t as convenient or fun as voice, you don’t have to remember album, song or playlist names, or music library names, if you have several.
If it is the Let’s Encrypt certificate expiration causing this, that’s not good. We don’t have a way to fix that. Alexa can only use a secured connection. The fix for the Tivo app is to not use a secured connection, which isn’t an option with Alexa.
MovieFan.Plex: “If it is the Let’s Encrypt certificate expiration causing this, that’s not good. We don’t have a way to fix that. Alexa can only use a secured connection.”
The Emby Alexa skill still works with 1st gen Alexa, and it uses a secure connection. However the user must supply his own valid cert for the Emby software to establish a secure connection.
When I let my cert expire, the Emby skill breaks. Once I point the Emby software to a new valid cert, it works again.
For Plex to use a secure connection, a certificate is going to be involved somewhere. That would be one of the first things to check.
Not so much a fix as a user workaround. The TiVo Plex app was coded to be able to use either an unsecured or a secured connection (or to not require secure if the server is local, which is the option I chose).
What happened to cause it to be unable to do secure? Surely an expired certificate is one obvious scenario.
And we know that other software failed around the same time because of the Let’s Encrypt expired cert. Pointing the Plex code (if that is where the pointer is) to a new, good cert could be a potential fix.
This is not the same certificate used between your server and clients that broke. It’s the root certificate on the device to talk to plex.tv. That’s a bigger issue and can only be fixed by the device manufacturer with a firmware update to replace the old root certificate with a new one.
