- Prime members are being pushed to Alexa+
- Many users have complained about the mandatory update.
- It is still possible to go back to the old Alexa
Early last year, Amazon introduced Alexa+, a next-generation update designed to compete with ChatGPT and Google Gemini. The AI rollout has been pretty slow since then, but now Prime members are being automatically upgraded, and many aren’t happy about it.
As discovered by The Verge, numerous Reddit threads are relaying the update message that some Prime members are receiving. The update “takes only a few minutes and will not require any action on your part,” according to the note.
There is no way to cancel the update: it happens automatically. However, users can still revert to the old AI if they wish, by saying “Alexa, exit Alexa+” within range of one of their smart speakers or displays.
From the beginning, Amazon said Alexa+ would be a free benefit for Prime users (otherwise it would cost $19.99 per month; pricing outside the US has yet to be confirmed). This delivers on that promise, but many users aren’t too happy about being forced to upgrade.
Broken features and too many ads.
War has been declared. from r/alexa
“What’s bothering me now is the whole lack of consent,” writes one Reddit user, while another claims, “I don’t want an assistant with an attitude.” There are many people reporting mixed experiences with Alexa+ and reverting to the previous version of Alexa on their smart devices.
In a separate thread, one user tells Amazon to “stop shoving this down my throat” and another complains that Alexa+ can’t read Kindle books aloud like the standard Kindle can. Missing functionality seems to be part of the problem here.
Other complaints about Alexa+ include slow response times, too many ads, and the style of the new voices. The enhanced AI, powered by large language models (LLM), aims to be smarter and more versatile than standard Alexa.
Whether users are happy or not, Amazon clearly sees Alexa+ as the future. The AI bot recently launched on the web, although we’re still waiting for the update to reach users, Prime members or not, outside the US.
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