Use My Media and the Windows 10 Alexa App to music from the same computer

[bizmodeller]

My Media can be used to trigger Alexa to stream your local music from a Windows 10 computer running the Windows 10 Alexa App.

However, if you are trying to play music from the same computer you are running the Windows 10 Alexa App on, you may receive a yellow failure message:

The error code was: MEDIA_ERROR_INTERNAL_DEVICE_ERROR
The detailed message was: Device playback error.

This can happen for other reasons, eg network connectivity, however, in this specific case, where you are running My Media on the same computer as the Windows 10 Alexa App, the reason is slightly different.

Windows 10 Store Apps, including the Amazon Alexa app, are configured with a loop back exemption firewall rule. This prevents the app from connecting to any local services on your computer, even if they are available to other services on your network. This includes the My Media for Alexa service that is used to stream your local music.

You can disable network isolation mode by running the following from an elevated command prompt (i.e. right click Command Prompt in the Start Menu and click 'Run as administrator')):

Code: Select all

checknetisolation loopbackexempt -a -n=57540AMZNMobileLLC.AmazonAlexa_22t9g3sebte08

You should only do this if you trust the Alexa app and if you need any more information please see the following for a technical explanation: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/window ... n#loopback

Note the above workaround may need to be reapplied after the Alexa app is updated.

[tugadaq]

Ran command and receive response 'OK', but still get error. Checked package name and reran with full name (as opposed to family name) and still receive error MEDIA_ERROR_INTERNAL_DEVICE_ERROR. Ports are open and port test from other computers are successful. This happens on every track, both native MP3s as well as WMA and Flac files (the transcoder is installed and My Media recognizes those and appropriately indexes them). I am using the Alexa PC app on Win 10 1909. All files play on Media Monkey without issue.

[bizmodeller]

Can you look at the MyMediaForAlexa.log file at the time you request the track and post the lines from the few seconds before to a few seconds after? thx

[tugadaq]

10/11/2020, 10:55:26 AM
Alexa reported an error streaming the track Mystery Pacific - MEDIA_ERROR_INTERNAL_DEVICE_ERROR. If this happens on every track, please check your computer firewall settings or review our FAQ.
Your Alexa device reported an error streaming the current track (H:\Download\Django Reinhardt\The Ulitmate Django Reinhardt Collection - 101 Classic Recordings\38 - Mystery Pacific.wma).

The error code was: MEDIA_ERROR_INTERNAL_DEVICE_ERROR
The detailed message was: Device playback error.

If this happens on every track, please check your computer firewall settings or review our FAQ.

[tugadaq]

I tried one more thing. I gave the user admin privileges, but that did not help. Because Alexa recognizes the song list from My Media, it appears to have access to My Media, but does not have access to the song files on the computer. Unless someone can post that they have actually have My Media and Alexa running successfully on the same computer outside of development mode, I have to assume that it is not possible and there is not use me banging my head against wall trying to debug an issue that is cannot be made to work. I note the following language from MS: "loopback is permitted only for development purposes. Usage by a Windows Runtime app installed outside of Visual Studio is not permitted". Not sure if this is still valid, but again, if no one has this successfully running, I see no point in pursuing this further.

[jmcyang]

Is there any update on this issue: does the provided workaround, to enable loopback, work outside of development mode?

Thanks so much!

(Alternatively, what would the command be to undo any change made by the provided workaround?)

[mkostura]

I am having the same issue. The error message that I am getting is "Alexa reported an error streaming the track [Name of track]- MEDIA_ERROR_INTERNAL_DEVICE_ERROR. If this happens on every track, please check your computer firewall settings or review our FAQ.

[dutchbear]

I am having the same issue. The error message that I am getting is "Alexa reported an error streaming the track [Name of track]- MEDIA_ERROR_INTERNAL_DEVICE_ERROR. If this happens on every track, please check your computer firewall settings or review our FAQ.

I think I have this figured out.
in your settings
Goto Enable access outside of local network. Turn this to Enable via Push. If you are using a Firewall, they have a way here to allow access through the firewall also. And make sure you allow My Media to pass any Proxy.

After I did all these few steps. I got past that error and so far have no issues. Other than Alexa has a hard time understanding a few artist names, even when speaking clearly.
If this doesn't work. I really do not know what else you can try.

[richaardvark]

I am having the same issue. The error message that I am getting is "Alexa reported an error streaming the track [Name of track]- MEDIA_ERROR_INTERNAL_DEVICE_ERROR. If this happens on every track, please check your computer firewall settings or review our FAQ.

I think I have this figured out.
in your settings
Goto Enable access outside of local network. Turn this to Enable via Push. If you are using a Firewall, they have a way here to allow access through the firewall also. And make sure you allow My Media to pass any Proxy.

After I did all these few steps. I got past that error and so far have no issues. Other than Alexa has a hard time understanding a few artist names, even when speaking clearly.
If this doesn't work. I really do not know what else you can try.

Tried all of this and didn't work

[bizmodeller]

So quick update on this - we did test this extensively and it used to work (mid last year), but since then, there looks to have been changes in WIndows 10 security which prevents the local loopback permission trick to work.

Therefore as of now, there is no way that the Alexa Windows 10 app can stream _locally_ from a My Media server running on the same computer.

The only way to get this working is @dutchbear's suggestion which is turn on Push. However, this has the downside (from a latency and bandwidth perspective) of bouncing the media off our servers and back again, but should get around the issue.

If you aren't winning with Push, please email us a set of logs so we can take a look