Alexa+, Amazon’s AI Assistant, Is Now Available to Everyone in the US

Amazon has begun rolling out Alexa+, its upgraded generative-AI version of the Alexa assistant, to all users across the United States. As of Wednesday, the company says Alexa+ is now available nationwide, with free access included for Prime members across supported devices. Non-Prime users can also try Alexa+ for free on the Alexa website or mobile app, though usage is limited.

“We have tens of millions of customers using Alexa+ now, and now we’re going to make it available to all Prime members,” said Daniel Rausch, vice president of Alexa and Echo at Amazon. “Prime members enjoy unlimited access — it’s basically a paid-tier level of access that we’re including in Prime now.”

First announced last year, Alexa+ is model-agnostic, meaning it operates using a combination of Amazon’s own foundation models and AI models from external providers. This approach allows Alexa+ to select the most suitable AI technology for each task, significantly expanding its capabilities beyond those of the original Alexa.

As a conversational AI assistant, Alexa+ supports natural language interactions, including follow-up questions and back-and-forth dialogue. In addition to handling traditional Alexa functions — such as controlling smart home devices, setting timers, and providing news and weather updates — the new assistant can perform many of the same tasks as other AI chatbots.

These include planning travel itineraries, managing shared calendars, saving and organising recipes, recommending movies, helping with homework, researching topics, and more.

Alexa+ also integrates with a growing list of third-party services, including Ticketmaster, Thumbtack, Uber, Angi, Expedia, Square, Yelp, Fodor’s, OpenTable, and Suno. These integrations enable Alexa to handle more complex actions, such as booking restaurant reservations or requesting rides. Amazon has not yet released adoption metrics for these more advanced, agent-style capabilities, where the AI autonomously completes tasks on behalf of users.

During the year-long beta period, users could test Alexa+ while retaining the option to revert to the original Alexa. Amazon says that option will remain available for now, though it did not specify how long it will last. Rausch suggested the flexibility gives Amazon additional time to refine the AI experience before making Alexa+ the default.

Opt-out rates remain low, according to Amazon. Rausch noted that the percentage of users choosing to roll back to the previous version sits in the low single digits, indicating most customers are satisfied with Alexa+.

That said, Amazon has made several adjustments in response to beta-tester feedback. Some users complained that Alexa+ was overly talkative, interrupted conversations at the wrong times, or sounded unfamiliar because of changes to its voice.

In response, Amazon updated the onboarding experience to explain how users can switch voices. The original Alexa voice remains available as Alexa+ voice No. 2, now enhanced with AI-generated inflexion for more natural delivery.

“At one point, we had her use her new version of her old voice, and then switch back again, just to show customers,” Rausch said, describing how the team refined the onboarding flow.

Amazon also worked to reduce unwanted interruptions. Alexa+ now asks, “Is that for me?” when it is uncertain whether it is being addressed.

Rausch emphasised that the assistant’s behaviour is configurable. Users who prefer not to use follow-on mode — which allows Alexa to continue listening after responding — can turn it off.

When asked whether users will eventually be able tocustomisee Alexa+’s personality, similar to other AI chatbots that offer styles such as professional, quirky, or casual, Rausch responded, “Stay tuned.”

During beta testing, Amazon reported substantial gains in engagement. Music streaming increased by 25% among users who upgraded to Alexa+, while engagement with recipes grew fivefold. Overall, customers are having two to three times as many conversations with Alexa+ as with the original Alexa.

Alexa+ is included at no additional cost for U.S. Prime members. Non-Prime users can subscribe to Alexa+ for $19.99 per month, a price comparable to premium tiers offered by other AI assistants such as ChatGPT Plus.

Amazon says free access via the web and mobile apps includes usage limits, primarily intended to prevent abuse. “We think we’ve got some great, generous limits,” Rausch said, adding that the company is not yet sharing specific thresholds.

In the U.S., Alexa+ is available across Echo devices, Fire TV, Alexa.com, the Alexa mobile app, and Alexa-enabled products from partners such as Samsung, Bose, and others. Amazon says additional device support is expected over time.