Amazon issues update on major Alexa changes coming to millions of speakers and warns several key features are missing
TECH YOUR TIME Amazon issues update on major Alexa changes coming to millions of speakers and warns several key features are missing
AMAZON has officially updated customers on a change coming to millions of its speakers.
More than 100,000 people are understood to already be using Alexa+, which was unveiled at an AI event in New York last year.
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Alexa+ should, eventually, help you handle everything from turning off the lights and adjusting your thermostat to ordering dinner or finding the perfect birthday gift
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Amazon's goal is to push that figure to 90 per cent as its Nova Act browsing engine improves
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
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Some features expected at launch have been delayed because they didn't meet Amazon's release standards
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
The new and ultra-smart version of Alexa, hailed as "remarkable" by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, promises a more human-like interaction thanks to generative AI.
That might sound small compared to the 600 million Alexa devices worldwide, but it marks a big step forward. Alexa+, first introduced in February, is being gradually expanded to more users over the coming months.
This upgraded assistant is designed to handle more complex tasks: from booking restaurants to suggesting recipes and managing smart home gadgets, all with less user effort.
It's a big shift away from the old Alexa's scripted answers.
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Instead, Alexa+ generates responses on the fly, much like OpenAI's ChatGPT or Google's Gemini, making conversations feel smoother and more responsive.
However, many of the headline-grabbing features shown in early demos are still missing.
According to Tech Edt, Alexa+ can't yet generate bedtime stories, recommend gifts, or place food delivery orders through services like Grubhub.
Jassy admitted during the May 2 earnings call that Alexa+ remains 'primitive,' with multi-step task accuracy currently sitting between 30 per cent and 60 per cent.
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Still, Amazon's goal is to push that figure to 90 per cent as its Nova Act browsing engine improves.
Amazon's hardware chief Panos Panay described the new Alexa as knowing 'almost every instrument in your life' — from smart home devices and mobile apps to the people you're connected with.
That means Alexa+ should, eventually, help you handle everything from turning off the lights and adjusting your thermostat to ordering dinner or finding the perfect birthday gift.
But it's not just about what Alexa+ can do — it's also about how it does it.
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The assistant now speaks with more expressive, natural voices, and it's better at handling pauses, stumbles, and emotional cues in your speech.
For example, if you start a sentence and change your mind halfway, Alexa+ should still understand.
That said, the rollout hasn't been entirely smooth.
Some features expected at launch have been delayed because they didn't meet Amazon's release standards.
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The Washington Post reported that functions like visual recognition of family members, personalised chore reminders, and certain U.S.-only services like Grubhub ordering have been pushed back by at least two months.
Another controversial point is data management.
While Alexa+ can now read and summarise uploaded documents — such as legal contracts or family recipes, users currently can't delete these files on their own.
Instead, they must contact Amazon support, and even then, some data might remain on record.
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Only newer Echo Show devices (like the Echo Show 8, 10, and 15) currently support Alexa+, meaning owners of older Echo models or certain Fire TV products will need to upgrade if they want to access the new assistant.
There's also a web version at Alexa.com, but a related project known internally as Metis — a chatbot designed to compete with ChatGPT — hasn't launched yet.
What is Alexa?
If you've never heard of Alexa, here's what you need to know... Alexa is an 'intelligent' personal assistant built by Amazon. You can find her on several different devices, including Amazon's Echo speakers. Alexa responds to voice commands, and can talk back to you. She can perform thousands of different tasks, including telling you about the news or weather. But she can do more complex things too, like ordering a pizza or arranging an Uber taxi pick-up. To activate Alexa, you need to say 'Alexa' to an Amazon Echo speaker. Because she's powered by artificial intelligence, Alexa is constantly getting smarter. Alexa will also get more used to your voice, and better understand what you want her to do over time.
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