Amazon launches Alexa+ across the US with broad rollout

Amazon’s biggest Alexa overhaul is finally here. Alexa+ is a generative AI upgrade that turns the familiar voice assistant into a conversational aide that remembers context, creates content, and handles complex requests with fewer prompts. It’s rolling out broadly, comes bundled with Prime, and is also available as a standalone subscription—so you can switch it on today if you have a compatible device.

What is Alexa+ and how it transforms Amazon’s assistant

Alexa+ is a new, AI-native version of Alexa powered by large language models running on Amazon’s Bedrock platform, including Amazon’s Nova family and models from Anthropic. The result is a more natural voice, richer context memory, and the ability to generate answers and actions rather than stitching together templated responses.

Instead of asking one question at a time, you can speak naturally and stack requests—“Plan a weeknight menu from my pantry, add the missing items to my cart, and set reminders to start dinner at 6”—and Alexa+ will keep up. It can also remember your preferences, like how you like your lights at night or the news sources you trust, and use that memory in future conversations.

What Alexa+ can do today with generative AI capabilities

• Generative answers and long conversations: Alexa+ sustains context across follow-ups, so you can refine a plan or drill down on a topic without repeating yourself. If you say “Change that to vegetarian and make it kid-friendly,” it knows what “that” refers to.
• Document understanding: You can ask questions about uploaded or linked materials—like a school calendar or HOA rules—and Alexa+ will extract relevant details, summarize key points, or set reminders based on important dates.
• Personalization and routines: With memory enabled, Alexa+ tailors suggestions to your household. It can auto-build smart home routines from natural language, adjust thermostats and scenes based on historical patterns, and surface the right control at the right time on Echo Show screens.
• Shopping and deals: Alexa+ can watch price trends, alert you to drops, and, if you allow it, place orders within preset limits. This is Amazon’s commerce DNA meeting AI planning—useful for routine essentials and hard-to-catch discounts.
• Cross-device help: Whether you’re on Echo speakers, Fire TV, Fire tablets, or the Alexa app, the new assistant carries context across surfaces so you can start on the couch and finish in the kitchen.

How to get Alexa+ today on Echo devices and the app

• On Echo devices: Say “Alexa, upgrade to Alexa+” or open the Alexa app, go to Settings, and look for the Alexa+ banner to start setup. Newer Echo models often prompt you during onboarding.
• In the Alexa app: Open the app’s Home tab, tap the conversation entry point for Alexa+, and follow the upgrade flow. You can manage memory settings, permissions, and device access during setup.
• Prime members: Alexa+ is included with Prime. If you’re already logged in with your Prime account, you’ll see activation options without an extra charge.

Supported devices and apps for Alexa+ across Amazon’s lineup

Alexa+ works on most Echo speakers and displays, including recent Echo Show models, Echo Dot variants (including Kids), and premium speakers like Echo Studio. Very early first-generation hardware and Echo Show 2nd Gen are not supported. Once activated on one compatible device, Alexa+ is available across your supported Echo speakers, the Alexa app, Fire TV, and Fire tablets, and via the web experience.

Amazon’s refreshed Echo Show interface leans into conversation-first design, prioritizing context cards, widgets, and multimodal cues that make longer back-and-forth exchanges easier to navigate at a glance.

Pricing and subscription options for Alexa+ and Prime members

Alexa+ is available as a $20 monthly subscription and is included with Prime at no additional cost. That pricing mirrors ChatGPT Plus and sits alongside other AI assistants such as Microsoft Copilot and Google’s Gemini offerings, which blend free tiers with premium upgrades. Classic Alexa remains available without a subscription if you don’t need the generative features.

How Alexa+ compares to ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and Claude

Generative rivals like ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and Claude set the bar for natural language and creative tasks. Alexa+ differentiates by fusing that capability with real-world control: whole-home automations, ambient context on displays, and native shopping and media playback. According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, Echo devices anchor a dominant share of the US smart speaker install base—roughly two-thirds—giving Alexa+ an immediate scale advantage inside the home.

Under the hood, Amazon’s Bedrock platform lets Alexa+ orchestrate multiple models for different tasks—knowledge retrieval, summarization, or planning—while leaning on on-device signals when available for faster, more private responses.

Privacy and safety controls, permissions, and guardrails in Alexa+

Memory is opt-in and can be reviewed or cleared at any time in the Alexa app. Voice recordings and interactions can be auto-deleted on a schedule. Amazon says guardrails and toxicity filters from Bedrock partners, including Anthropic, are applied to reduce harmful or biased outputs, and sensitive actions—like purchasing—require explicit permissions and spending limits.

Real-world examples of Alexa+ in homes, kitchens, and routines

Parents can upload a school calendar, ask Alexa+ to summarize key dates, and set reminders for early-release days. Homeowners can query HOA documents in plain English—“Can I install a 6-foot fence?”—and get clauses cited back. In the kitchen, you can ask for a four-night vegetarian plan using ingredients you have, send missing items to a shopping list, and let Alexa+ time each step on your Echo Show.

The bottom line: If you already live with Echo devices, Alexa+ is the most meaningful upgrade in years—more capable than Classic Alexa and easier to live with than app-only chatbots. Activate it on one device, tune memory and permissions to your comfort level, and you’ll feel the difference the next time you say, “Alexa, let’s plan the week.”