Test for Display Template Issues in Your Skill
Note: Sign in to the developer console to build or publish your skill.
Warning: The Display interface is deprecated and isn't supported on all Alexa devices. To add multimodal experiences to your skill, use Alexa Presentation Language (APL) instead.
To learn about APL, see Add Visuals and Audio to Your Skill.
The Alexa Design System for APL includes a set of templates that are similar to the display templates, so you can transition your skill. For details about which templates to use, see Replace display templates with responsive templates.
To learn about APL, see Add Visuals and Audio to Your Skill.
The Alexa Design System for APL includes a set of templates that are similar to the display templates, so you can transition your skill. For details about which templates to use, see Replace display templates with responsive templates.
If you have created a skill with screen-based interaction that has failed certification, the likely causes are listed here. See Configure a Skill to Support the Display Interface for more information about creating Alexa skills with screen-based interaction. You can also use this list to confirm, prior to certification, that your skill's screen-based interaction works properly on all Alexa-enabled devices with a screen.
| Short description | Enhancement | Steps |
|---|---|---|
| Text spacing and alignment | If your skill's text is optimized specifically for Echo Show or Fire TV Cube, the text may be misaligned when displayed on Echo Spot. | Avoid formatting your text specifically for any particular device. Maintain one link per line. Keep text aligned using the template defaults, or center-align using the <div align = 'center'> tag, as described in Text Alignment With Rich Text. |
| Background image cropped | If your skill has important branding or information in your background image, it may be cropped in the display on Echo Spot. | Don't rely on images to convey critical information or calls to action. Try to avoid including branding information in images. If you must include branding in your images, make sure the content is center-aligned and the branding displays completely on a circular screen with a resolution of 480 x 480 pixels. When presenting an image with no additional foreground content, use BodyTemplate7. |
| Foreground image cropped | Depending on the template you are using, your foreground image may be moved to the background for Echo Spot. As a result, important branding or decision-making information in your image may be cropped in the display. | Don't rely on images to convey critical information or calls to action. Try to avoid including branding information in images. If you must include branding in your images, make sure the content is center-aligned and the branding displays completely on a circular screen with a resolution of 480 x 480 pixels. If you want to present an image with no additional foreground content, use BodyTemplate7. |
| Inline image too large | Ensure inline images within a rich text box are not too large. Otherwise, this image may be cropped when displayed on Echo Spot. | Only use small images like emojis or star ratings for inline images. For larger images, use BodyTemplate7. |
| Inline image contains text | If your rich text box contains an inline image with text, this inline image may be unreadable on Echo Spot. | Only use small images like emojis or star ratings for inline images. Do not use images containing texts. Instead, use actual text. |
| Missing foreground images on Echo Spot | If the foreground image is missing for BodyTemplate2 or BodyTemplate3, the display will be blank on Echo Spot. |
Use BodyTemplate1 or BodyTemplate6 to show only text with background image and no foreground images. |
Last updated: Nov 28, 2023