How to Enable Guest Connect in Amazon Alexa on an iPhone

You can no longer enable Guest Connect in the Alexa app on an iPhone. Amazon has discontinued the feature, so the old Allow Guests to connect switch either does nothing or is no longer offered. The quickest replacement for a visitor is Bluetooth: in the Alexa app, tap Devices, select your Echo, open Device Settings, tap Bluetooth Devices, and choose Pair A New Device. Your guest can then play audio from their own phone through your speaker.

This guide explains what happened to Guest Connect, then walks through the two options Amazon currently documents: Bluetooth pairing for short visits, and a profile invitation for adults who live in your home.

What Happened to Alexa Guest Connect

Guest Connect was an account-level setting that let a visitor temporarily link their own Amazon account to your Echo by voice, so they could ask for their own music and news. In the Alexa app it was found under Settings > Account Settings > Guest Connect, with a switch labeled Allow Guests to connect.

That switch no longer works. Amazon staff replying on Amazon’s own Digital and Device Forums stated in December 2024 that the feature had been deprecated, and in March 2025 that Guest Connect “has been discontinued and can no longer be used.” Amazon’s help library also has no current Guest Connect article. Amazon has not published an exact end date that we could find, and it has not announced a direct replacement.

What this means for you:

• There is no setting to turn on, on any iPhone model or iOS version. Updating the Alexa app or your Echo will not bring it back.
• Voice requests such as “connect my account” are not expected to work. One forum user reported that Alexa answered that it did not know that.
• If a Guest Connect row still shows in your version of the app, tapping it may do nothing. That is the retired feature, not a fault with your phone.
• Guides that still list Guest Connect steps, including ones that describe pairing codes or per-device guest settings, describe something you cannot use today.

Before You Start

• Who does what: the Bluetooth steps below are done by the Echo owner in the Alexa app, with the guest’s iPhone nearby and unlocked.
• App version: menu names come from Amazon’s current help pages. Amazon changes the Alexa app often, so update it from the App Store if a label does not match.
• Echo is online: the speaker should already be set up. If it is not, see our guide on how to connect Alexa to Wi-Fi first.
• Know the device name: if you own several Echo speakers, it helps to rename your devices in the Alexa app so you pick the right one.

Option 1: Pair a Guest’s iPhone to Your Echo With Bluetooth

Bluetooth pairing turns your Echo into a wireless speaker for the guest’s phone. Their music, podcasts, and other audio play from their own apps and accounts, and nothing is added to your Amazon account. These steps follow Amazon’s page on how to pair your phone or Bluetooth speaker to your Echo device.

1. On the guest’s iPhone, open Settings, tap Bluetooth, and make sure Bluetooth is on. Leave this screen open so the phone can be found.
2. On your iPhone, open the Alexa app.
3. Tap Devices.
4. Select the Echo your guest will use.
5. Tap Device Settings.
6. Tap Bluetooth Devices, then tap Pair A New Device.
7. Complete the pairing. Depending on what appears, either choose the guest’s iPhone in the Alexa app, or have the guest tap the Echo’s name in their Bluetooth list. Apple notes that a phone may ask for a PIN or confirmation when pairing an accessory.

When pairing succeeds, the Echo appears as connected on the guest’s Bluetooth screen, and audio they start on their phone comes out of the speaker. Next time, Amazon says to turn on Bluetooth on the phone and say, “Pair Bluetooth.” Some devices reconnect on their own when they are back in range.

On an Echo Show or Echo Spot

Echo devices with a screen can pair from the device itself. Say, “Go to Settings,” or open the settings on the screen, then select Device Options > Bluetooth. Select Scan if the phone is not listed, find it, and select Connect. Amazon notes that menu items on the Echo Hub and Echo Show 5 may vary.

What Bluetooth Does Not Do

Bluetooth only carries sound from the phone to the speaker. It does not sign the guest in to Alexa. If your guest asks Alexa a question or asks it to play music by voice, the request still runs on your account, with your music services and your history. That is the main thing Guest Connect did differently, and nothing in Amazon’s current help pages restores it for a short-term visitor.

Option 2: Invite an Adult in Your Home to Their Own Profile

For someone who lives with you, Amazon offers a way to share your Alexa account through a profile invitation. The person gets a personalized profile in the Alexa app without needing your account password.

Warning before you send an invitation: this is not a guest mode. Amazon states that a member added this way can use the Alexa app and manage your Echo device, your smart home devices, and shared Alexa features, including Voice Purchasing. Only invite adults you trust with that level of access. A weekend visitor is usually better served by Bluetooth.

1. Open the Alexa app and tap More.
2. Tap Settings.
3. Tap Your Profiles and Family.
4. Select an existing adult profile, or tap Add Someone Else and follow the prompts to create one.
5. Select Your Home.
6. Tap Invite to Join and send the invitation link by message.

The recipient opens the link on their phone, installs the Alexa app if needed, returns to the message, and selects the link again to accept. Amazon’s limits: up to six invitations at a time, each invitation expires after seven days, and kids profiles cannot be invited. The full details are on Amazon’s page about sharing your Alexa experience in the Alexa app.

A profile can also have its own music. Amazon says a person must set up a Voice ID, which is a voice sample Alexa uses to tell speakers apart, before linking a music service to their Alexa profile. When Alexa recognizes that voice, it plays from the service linked to that profile. If the person has not linked their own service, Alexa uses the default one for the home.

How to Undo Either Option

Remove a paired phone from the Echo: open the Alexa app, tap Devices, select the Echo, open its settings, tap Bluetooth Devices, select the phone, and tap Forget Device. Repeat for each phone you want to remove.

Remove the Echo from the guest’s iPhone: the guest opens Settings > Bluetooth, taps the More Info button next to the Echo, and taps Forget This Device. Our guide on how to forget a Bluetooth device on an iPhone covers that screen in more detail.

Remove a member of your home: in the Alexa app, tap More > Settings > Your Home, go to the person’s name, and select Remove. Amazon says they lose access to their profile in the Alexa app.

Troubleshooting

• Guest Connect is missing or does nothing. This is expected. The feature is discontinued, and reinstalling the app or resetting the Echo will not change that.
• The phone will not pair. Amazon suggests saying, “Check for software updates,” moving both devices away from sources of interference such as microwaves and baby monitors, and keeping the phone charged and close to the Echo while pairing.
• It paired before but will not reconnect. Remove the phone under Bluetooth Devices with Forget Device, forget the Echo on the iPhone, and pair again from the start.
• Bluetooth Devices or another label is not where the steps say. Update the Alexa app in the App Store, then look inside the settings for that specific Echo rather than the app-wide settings.
• Your Home or Invite to Join is not shown. Make sure you are signed in as the account owner and that you selected an adult profile. Amazon may not offer this option on every account or in every country, so its absence does not always mean something is wrong.
• The connection drops. Bluetooth has a limited range. Keep the phone in the same room as the speaker.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Alexa Guest Connect coming back?

Amazon has not said so. Its staff have described Guest Connect as discontinued, and the current help pages do not mention it. If you want the feature restored, Amazon staff suggest sending feedback in the Alexa app under More > Help & Feedback.

Can a guest still say “Alexa, connect my account”?

No. That phrase started a Guest Connect session, and the feature behind it has been retired. A guest who wants their own audio on your Echo should pair their phone over Bluetooth instead.

Does Bluetooth pairing give a guest access to my Amazon account?

No. Pairing only lets the phone send audio to the speaker. It does not share your password, your orders, or your Alexa app. Keep in mind that anyone in the room can still talk to Alexa on your account, paired or not. To keep visitors from ordering by voice, turn off voice purchasing in the Alexa app.

Should I add my guest to Amazon Family instead?

Not for a visit. Amazon Family links two adult Amazon accounts, and Amazon says that adding an adult authorizes the use of the payment methods on your account and shares Amazon Shopping Lists. It is meant for adults who share a home and finances, and it is not managed in the Alexa app.

Does a guest need the Alexa app to use Bluetooth?

No. The guest only needs Bluetooth turned on in their iPhone’s Settings app. The Echo owner starts pairing from the Alexa app or from the screen of an Echo Show.

Next Step

If a visitor is on the way, pair one phone now so you know where the Bluetooth Devices screen is. While you are in the Alexa app, you can also learn how to view your Alexa shopping list on your iPhone.