If you’re an owner of an Amazon smart speaker, you’re likely very familiar with the sound of your own voice uttering the word “Alexa” multiple times a day. This popular virtual assistant has become a fixture in millions of homes worldwide, handling tasks like setting timers, playing music, controlling smart home devices, and even providing a daily dose of jokes.
Amazon is looking to enhance Alexa’s capabilities further. During a recent launch event in New York, Panos Panay explained, “While the vision of Alexa has been ambitious and incredibly compelling, right until this moment, we have been limited by technology.” It seems those limitations are now being addressed with Alexa+.
The initial glimpse of this new version was back in 2023, but now the tech giant is unveiling Alexa+ to Echo owners in the US. The aim of this service is to elevate Alexa from a simple bot to a more conversational and intuitive virtual assistant. Instead of just barking out commands, users are supposed to be able to have genuine dialogues with her.
This is a significant leap forward, but it comes at a cost. When it launches next month, US users will either need a US Prime account, which costs $15.99, or they’ll need to pay a fee of $19.99 (£16) to get access to the upgrade.
So, does Alexa+ live up to the hype, or is it just a way for Amazon to monetize a service that has become a free staple for many?
Having attended the launch in New York, I had the opportunity to see firsthand what Alexa will soon be capable of. There’s no doubt that the demonstration was genuinely impressive.
Amazon showcased several demos of its new capabilities, including Alexa’s ability to extract information from emails and provide reminders for appointments or inform users of who they’re meeting on a particular day. You can converse with the system, interrupt her at any point, change your mind while talking, and still get a response.
She can set up lighting routines based on spoken commands, such as “Alexa, I’m going away for a week; can you sort the lights for me?” She can also offer recipes based on your preferences, find videos shot on your Ring camera based on commands like “Alexa, did anyone take the dog for a walk?”, and even seamlessly manage music across your home.
For example, if you say, “Alexa play the music everywhere, but don’t wake the baby”, Alexa+ will know you want music on all speakers except those in the nursery. Even the simplest of tasks, like making shopping lists, will be easier, as you’ll be able to say, “Alexa, make sure the milk doesn’t go off this week,” and she’ll ask you if you want to order smaller amounts or guide you on what milk lasts longer.
The demonstrations I observed during the hour-long presentation were truly remarkable, transforming Alexa into something far beyond a simple tool to help avoid burning your breakfast. At no point did Alexa+ malfunction or provide incorrect responses. In fact, some of her responses were genuinely surprising.
Currently, Alexa+ is only available in the US, but it is expected to come to the UK sometime in the future. When it does arrive, users will have to decide if this is an upgrade they actually want and if they are prepared to pay the monthly fee or have a Prime subscription.
To fully leverage the capabilities of Alexa+, you will need an Echo Show, Amazon’s Echo devices with displays. It also requires a shift in perspective; you’ll need to begin viewing Alexa as more of a person than a robot, otherwise, the premium upgrade will be of little value. Of course, this also means more of your personal data being shared with Amazon, and even though the company has assured that it takes privacy seriously, some people may still be uncomfortable with Alexa having so much information.
