The Alexa+ rollout is getting more insistent

Have you been holding off on upgrading to the newer, AI-enhanced version of Alexa? If so, heads up: Amazon has been notifying at least some Alexa users that the Alexa+ update is coming their way, like it or not. 

“We have exciting news,” the emails from Amazon say. “As a Prime member, you get Alexa+ for free and we will update the devices registered to this account to the new, conversational, and more delightful Alexa experience. The upgrade takes just a few minutes and won’t require any action from you.” 

In the email, Amazon points out that you can revert to the old Alexa by saying, “Alexa, exit Alexa+,” although some users complain that, like a pushy customer service rep, Alexa tried to change their minds before switching back to the original version. 

We’ve reached out to Amazon for comment. 

The pace of early access invites has picked up dramatically since the initial months following the big Alexa+ rollout in New York City last February. As the year wore on, Amazon became more generous with the invites, and by the holiday season practically anyone who wanted to try Alexa+ could easily do so. 

But there were also plenty of holdouts happy to stick with the “classic” Alexa, including those who have their smart homes set up just the way they wanted and feared having their automations disrupted. 

Reactions to Alexa+ have been decidedly mixed, with some users pleased by Alexa’s new AI-enhanced smarts while others complaining that the revamped voice assistant still has problems with basic smart home commands. 

I’ve been testing the new AI-enabled Alexa for months, and to me, it very much feels like a work in progress, with many of Alexa+’s most eye-popping agentic features still in the oven (it’s still a ways from being able to plan and book a night out with a date) while others do work as advertised (like Alexa+ triggering your robot vacuum if you say the carpets in a room “look dirty”). 

Amazon has been careful to point out that Alexa+ is still in early access and that it isn’t charging for the revamped assistant yet. 

Another key point is that you can, indeed, go back to the old Alexa if you want to. That’s not the case with Google smart speakers, which can’t be rolled back to Google Assistant once you make the switch to Gemini at Home. 

This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart speakers.