Send Photos Echo Show: How to Do It

Yes, you can send photos to an Echo Show. You do it through the Alexa app on your phone, either by uploading a photo from your camera roll or by sending a photo directly to a specific Echo Show device. The photo then appears on the screen, either as a slideshow or as a notification you can tap to view.

What You Need Before You Start

To send photos to an Echo Show, you need a few things in place. First, you need the Alexa app installed on your smartphone or tablet (iOS or Android). Second, the Echo Show and your phone must be connected to the same Amazon account. Third, the Echo Show needs to be online and connected to your Wi-Fi network. If you have multiple Echo Shows, you can send a photo to any of them, or to all of them at once.

There is no separate “photo sending” service or subscription. The feature is built into the Alexa app and works with any Echo Show model that supports photo display, which includes all current generations. Older first-generation Echo Show devices also support this feature, though the exact menu wording may differ slightly.

How to Send Photos to Your Echo Show

The process takes about 30 seconds once you have the Alexa app open. Here are the steps for the current version of the Alexa app (as of 2024):

Open the Alexa app on your phone.
Tap the Devices icon at the bottom of the screen.
Tap Echo & Alexa in the top row of device categories.
Select the specific Echo Show you want to send the photo to.
Tap the Photo icon (it looks like a small picture frame) near the top of the device screen.
Choose Upload Photo to pick an image from your phone’s camera roll, or choose Send Photo if you already have a photo in the Alexa app’s photo library.
Select the image, then tap Send.

If you choose “Upload Photo,” the image is stored in your Amazon Photos library and then sent to the device. If you choose “Send Photo” from an existing library, the photo goes to the device immediately. You can also send multiple photos at once by selecting more than one image before tapping Send.

What Happens When the Photo Arrives

When the photo arrives on your Echo Show, you will see a notification on the screen. On most models, a small banner appears at the top or bottom saying something like “You received a photo.” You can tap the banner to view the full image. The photo stays on the screen until you dismiss it or until the screen times out and goes back to the clock or home screen.

If you do not tap the notification, the photo is saved to the device’s photo library. You can view it later by saying “Alexa, show my photos” or by swiping down from the top of the screen and tapping the photo icon. The Echo Show does not automatically save every received photo to your Amazon Photos cloud storage—it only saves to the device’s local library unless you specifically upload it to Amazon Photos.

Using Photos as a Screensaver or Background

Beyond sending a single photo, you can set up a rotating slideshow of your photos on the Echo Show. This is a common use case—people want their family photos or vacation pictures to appear when the device is idle. Here is how to set that up:

In the Alexa app, go to Devices > Echo & Alexa > select your Echo Show.
Tap the Settings gear icon.
Scroll down to Home Content (or Photo Display on some models).
Tap Photo Display and choose Slideshow.
Select the source: Amazon Photos (your cloud library), Device (photos stored on the Echo Show), or Both.
Choose which albums or individual photos to include, then tap Save.

Once set up, the Echo Show will cycle through those photos whenever it is not being used for something else. You can adjust the slideshow speed (fast, normal, slow) in the same settings menu. Note that if you have not uploaded any photos to Amazon Photos, the “Amazon Photos” source will be empty.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Sometimes sending a photo does not work as expected. Here are the most common issues and their solutions:

Photo won’t send: Make sure your phone and Echo Show are on the same Wi-Fi network. If they are on different networks (e.g., phone on cellular data), the send may fail. Also check that the Alexa app is updated to the latest version.
Photo arrives but is blurry: The Echo Show screen resolution is 1280×800 on most models. Sending a very low-resolution image (like a screenshot from a website) will look pixelated. Use a photo that is at least 1280 pixels wide for best results.
No notification appears: Some Echo Show models have “Do Not Disturb” mode enabled, which suppresses notifications. Swipe down from the top of the screen and check if the moon icon is highlighted. If it is, tap it to turn off Do Not Disturb.
Photo is rotated sideways: This happens when the original image has EXIF orientation data that the Echo Show does not read correctly. Open the photo on your phone, rotate it 90 degrees and back, then save it and resend.
Cannot find the “Photo” icon in the Alexa app: The icon may be hidden if your device is not an Echo Show. Make sure you selected the correct device. If you have an Echo Dot or Echo Plus, they do not have screens, so the photo option will not appear.

Privacy and Storage Considerations

When you send a photo to an Echo Show, the image is transmitted over the internet to Amazon’s servers and then to your device. Amazon states that photos you upload to Amazon Photos are encrypted in transit and at rest. However, if you are concerned about privacy, you should know that photos sent to the device are stored locally on the Echo Show’s internal storage until you delete them. You can delete received photos by saying “Alexa, delete my photos” or by going to the photo library on the device and removing them individually.

Storage is rarely a problem—Echo Show devices have several gigabytes of storage, and a typical photo is only a few megabytes. But if you send hundreds of photos, you may eventually run low. To free space, go to the photo library on the device, select multiple photos, and delete them. You can also disable the photo display feature entirely in settings if you do not want to store any photos.

Note that Amazon Photos offers free unlimited storage for full-resolution photos if you have an Amazon Prime membership. Without Prime, you get 5 GB of free storage. This matters if you plan to upload a large library to use as a slideshow source.

Alternative Ways to Get Photos on Your Echo Show

Sending from the Alexa app is not the only method. You can also:

Use voice commands: Say “Alexa, show my photos” to view the device’s local library. You cannot send a specific photo by voice, but you can ask to see photos from a specific album if you have set up albums in Amazon Photos.
Upload via the Amazon Photos website: Go to amazon.com/photos on your computer, upload photos there, and they will appear in your Alexa app’s photo library. Then you can send them to your Echo Show from the app.
Use a USB drive: Some Echo Show models (like the Show 8 and Show 10) have a USB port. You can plug in a USB drive with photos and say “Alexa, show photos from USB.” This works without any cloud upload.
Send from another Echo Show: If you have two Echo Shows, you can say “Alexa, send a photo to [device name]” and then select a photo from the screen. This is a less common method but works.

Each method has its own quirk. The USB method is the most private because nothing goes to the cloud. The Amazon Photos method is the most convenient for large libraries.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I send a photo to an Echo Show from my iPhone?

Yes. The Alexa app is available for iOS, and the steps are identical to Android. You grant the app access to your photo library when you first try to upload a photo. If you denied access earlier, go to your iPhone’s Settings > Privacy > Photos > Alexa and change it to allow full access.

Why can’t I send a photo to my Echo Show from the Alexa app?

The most common reasons are: the device is not an Echo Show (no screen), the device is offline, or the Alexa app is outdated. Also, check that you are selecting the correct device in the app. If you have multiple Echo devices, the photo icon only appears for Echo Show models.

Do I need Amazon Prime to send photos?

No. Sending a photo from your phone to an Echo Show works without Prime. Prime only affects how much storage you get in Amazon Photos for cloud backup. Without Prime, you have 5 GB of free cloud storage, which is enough for several thousand photos.

Can I send a video to an Echo Show?

No. The Alexa app’s photo-sending feature only supports still images (JPEG, PNG, and BMP formats). You cannot send a video file this way. To watch videos, you can ask Alexa to play a video from a supported service like YouTube or Amazon Prime Video, but you cannot send your own video files from your phone.

How do I delete a photo that was sent to my Echo Show?

Say “Alexa, delete my photos” to delete all photos stored on the device. To delete a single photo, open the photo on the screen, then look for a trash icon or say “Alexa, delete this photo.” The exact command may vary by model and software version.

Will sending a photo to an Echo Show use my data plan?

Yes, if you are on cellular data. The photo is uploaded from your phone to Amazon’s servers, which counts against your mobile data. If you are on Wi-Fi, it uses your home internet. A typical photo is 2-5 MB, so sending a few photos is negligible.

Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.

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