The new souped-up Alexa voice assistant, Alexa Plus, is scheduled to arrive in the next few weeks in an early access preview. The good news is that as long as you have (or buy) an Echo Show 8, 10, 15, or 21 smart display, you’ll be able to use the generative-AI powered Alexa across any compatible Echo device you own. It will also work on Fire TV devices, Fire tablets, on the web at Alexa.com, and in the Alexa app.
Sadly, a few Echo devices will be left out of the party. Several early models, including the first-gen Echo Dot, Echo, and Echo Show, aren’t getting the upgrade. Similarly, it won’t work on devices with built-in Alexa, such as Sonos speakers or the Ecobee smart thermostat at launch, but it could come to those in the future. Amazon spokesperson Lauren Raemhild tells The Verge that you can still use the original Alexa on these devices.
If you want to stick with the original digital voice assistant, that’s still an option — for now
Alexa Plus’s initial rollout will be limited to those in the US who own one of the aforementioned Show devices. To get access, head to Amazon’s new Alexa Plus landing page, tap on the “Alexa+ is coming soon” link, and sign into your Amazon account. Raemhild says you’ll get an email and notifications on your Echo devices once access is granted, and you can then opt into the new experience.
In early access, Alexa Plus will be free but will eventually require a $19.99 monthly subscription or an Amazon Prime membership.
The new Alexa Plus is an entirely different voice assistant from the Alexa you know and (maybe?) love. Powered by generative AI, Alexa Plus will be able to understand and respond to natural language, remember your likes and dislikes, respond to emotion in your voice, and talk back and forth with you in a more conversational way — without you having to say “Alexa” every time you speak.
This means you’ll be able to say things like, “Alexa, I’m cold, and it’s too dark in here,” and the assistant should know to turn on the lights and raise the heat. With the old Alexa, you’d need to say a specific command such as, “Alexa, turn on the living room lights,” and “Alexa, set the thermostat to 68 degrees.”
According to the company, its new “brain” will also be able to process multiple commands at once, such as “Alexa, turn on the lights, turn up the heat, start playing NPR, and tell me what’s on my schedule.” It should also now be able to perform more complex tasks, such as ordering groceries and booking a table at a restaurant. It will also allow you to add multiple events to your calendar — all you have to do is snap a picture of your daughter’s soccer schedule and upload it to the app. In short, Amazon is aiming for Alexa Plus to be a true digital assistant.
But what about the old Alexa? If you want to stick with the original digital voice assistant, that’s still an option — for now, at least. Panos Panay, head of devices and services at Amazon, told The Verge that they will keep the original Alexa updated but that their focus is on the new version. If you own any of the earlier, non-Alexa Plus compatible devices, you can continue using Alexa there. For newer devices, just don’t sign up for Alexa Plus. You might want to stick with the old Alexa if you have any favorite skills you use because, at least initially, not every skill is being ported over.
As Janko Roettgers first reported in Lowpass, when Alexa Plus launches, it will be without “many of the 160,000 skills currently available on the original Alexa.” Amazon has a transition plan in place, telling Lowpass, “The vast majority of original Alexa skills that customers use will be supported on Alexa+ from the start.” This means that at least some won’t be there.
So, is my son’s beloved fart joke skill in peril? Not necessarily. Raemhild says if you find that a skill you used is missing, you can let Amazon know, and it will “work to enable them on Alexa+.” Raemhild also shared that developers can request their skills be available in Alexa Plus or create something new for the new assistant. “We’ve announced three new AI-native SDKs for Alexa Plus,” she says.
But Roettgers reports that Amazon has yet to publish detailed guidelines for developers on how to transfer existing skills. He spoke to several developers who are doubtful about this potential transition, particularly whether they can continue monetizing their skills. Amazon has refocused its Alexa Plus experience on hooking into existing APIs and using its “agentic” capabilities to navigate websites and online services for you, which essentially cut out the middlemen.
With Amazon’s future fully focused on Alexa Plus and the original Alexa seemingly on the way out, it’s potentially a sad day for all those fabulous fart joke skills.
