How to Sign up for Early Access to Alexa+, Amazon’s More Advanced AI Assistant
Earlier this year, Amazon announced Alexa+ . It’s not a streaming service (Amazon already has Prime Video for that ), but rather an attempt by the company to bring new AI capabilities to its existing Alexa voice assistant.
If you’ve used voice mode in popular chatbots like ChatGPT , Gemini , or even Grok , Alexa+ will feel familiar. The idea is to make the chatbot more intelligent and capable, as well as easier to use. Amazon wants you to be able to ask the assistant more complex questions, like asking for details about your schedule; follow up on those questions with new questions in the context of the conversation; make requests you wouldn’t normally make with Alexa, like asking the bot to book you concert tickets; and even send Alexa+ photos or documents, just like other AI bots that support multimodal requests.
Does this mean the assistant is actually useful? It’s hard to say. In theory, it should be: If you’ve been using Amazon’s ecosystem for a while, an intelligent assistant that understands natural language can help you with household chores, work, and entertainment. While TechRadar’s Lance Ulanoff, who reviewed it last month, was thrilled , many other users have mixed feelings, as this Reddit thread shows. Reviews like “I’ve lost so many features I use on a daily basis and I don’t like all the voice options” and “I used it for about 48 hours before I turned it off” don’t bode well for Amazon’s new AI tool.
Amazon hasn’t yet made Alexa+ available to all users. But that doesn’t mean you have to wait to try it out. Over the past few months, the company has been offering some users early access to the new AI assistant. Selected users can try out Alexa+ in its current version and see new features as they roll out across Amazon.
How to Get Early Access to Alexa+
The good news: If you own or have an Echo Show 8, 10, 15, or 21, you’re first in line to try Alexa+. Amazon says all your compatible Echo devices will automatically support Alexa+, so you’ll basically have to wait. Amazon will offer Alexa+ to you when it decides to choose you.
If you don’t have one of these devices, don’t worry. Amazon has an official website where you can sign up for early access notifications. Click the link, select “Sign in to continue, ” and follow the on-screen instructions. It’s unclear when or if Amazon will select your name from the list of contenders, but if it does, you’ll receive a notification from the company.
Alexa+ should be available on most Echo devices, Fire TV, Fire tablets, and the Alexa app. (Amazon also says alexa.com is coming soon.) However, the following devices will only support the original Alexa: Echo Dot 1st Gen, Echo 1st Gen, Echo Plus 1st Gen, Amazon Tap, Echo Show 1st Gen, Echo Show 2nd Gen, and Echo Spot 1st Gen. Additionally, devices with Alexa built-in and Amazon Astro do not support Alexa+.
How much does Alexa+ cost?
Alexa+ is completely free to sign up for and use during early access. When Amazon decides to end early access and release Alexa+ to the public, it will remain free for Prime subscribers. All other users will be advised that their use of Alexa+ will continue to be charged at a subscription price of $19.99 per month. This is comparable to other AI subscriptions like CharGPT Plus, but in my opinion, the price is too high, especially considering that Alexa+ has yet to prove itself.
If you no longer want to use Alexa+, you can manage your access here . You can also say, “Alexa, end early access,” and you’ll be back to regular Alexa. (You can also ask Alexa to return to early access at any time.)