To use Alexa+, speak to an Echo device or Fire TV, or open the Alexa app, Alexa.com or the Amazon Music app and sign in to your Amazon account. Amazon says it's free for Prime members. The detail people trip over: availability and features vary by country.
If your Echo speaker has started sounding chattier, or you've seen Alexa+ mentioned and wondered whether you need to do anything, you're not alone. It's a bigger change than a software update, because Amazon has rebuilt the assistant around generative AI.
Here's how Alexa+ works, where you can use it, what Amazon says it can do, and how a busy small-business owner or freelancer could put it to work. Everything comes from Amazon's own announcement, and I've flagged where you should check the Alexa app for details that depend on your account or country.
What Alexa+ is
Amazon describes Alexa+ as its generative AI assistant, the next generation of Alexa. The difference you'll notice is that it can hold a natural back-and-forth conversation and take actions, rather than only answering one command at a time.
Amazon says it can handle tasks such as smart home control, reservations, music and shopping. It also has four personality styles, Brief, Chill, Sweet and Sassy, which change its tone without changing what it can do.
Where you can use Alexa+
Amazon lists several places to get Alexa+:
- Echo devices and Fire TV.
- The Alexa mobile app, from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
- The web, at Alexa.com.
- The Amazon Music app.
That web and phone access matters if you work away from home. You don't need a speaker on your desk to talk to it.
Who can get Alexa+ and where
Amazon says Alexa+ is free for Amazon Prime members. It says Alexa+ is available to all customers in the United States and Canada, with early access in Brazil, the UK, Mexico, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria and France, and more countries planned. Features vary by region.
Because availability and the terms for people without Prime depend on where you live, open the Alexa app or Amazon's Alexa+ page to see what applies to your account.
How to start using Alexa+
- Open the Alexa app on your phone, or go to Alexa.com in a browser, and sign in to your Amazon account.
- Look for the Alexa+ option and follow the on-screen prompts (menus vary by app version and country).
- On an Echo device, speak to it as you normally would and listen for the more conversational replies.
- Set your preferred personality style if you want Alexa+ to sound briefer or friendlier.
- Review your settings and the Alexa Privacy dashboard before you connect more services.
What you can ask Alexa+ to do
Amazon's examples show how far it goes beyond timers and weather:
| Alexa+ task | Services Amazon names |
|---|---|
| Reservations and appointments | OpenTable and Vagaro |
| Music | Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music and iHeartRadio |
| Food and grocery orders | Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, Grubhub and Uber Eats |
| Smart home control | Products such as Philips Hue and Roborock |
| Shopping help | Product comparisons through Alexa for Shopping |
Amazon also says Alexa+ can take agentic actions, navigating the web on your behalf to complete a task, such as booking a repair. It can remember preferences you share and carry that context across devices.
Alexa+ compared with the original Alexa
The original Alexa was built around fixed commands: you said the right phrase and it did one thing. Alexa+ is designed to understand looser, more natural requests and to string several steps together. Amazon also says it can remember preferences you share, so you shouldn't need to repeat yourself every time.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
That sounds convenient, and it's helpful, but it also means the assistant holds more about you. Take a few minutes to see what it has stored, and delete anything you'd rather it forgot.
Alexa+ and your privacy
Amazon says Alexa+ is built on AWS infrastructure and that your interactions and settings are centralised in the Alexa Privacy dashboard. That's the place to review and manage what Alexa keeps.
If you use a speaker in a space where clients or staff are talking, think about where it sits and when it's listening. A kitchen counter is one thing, a meeting room is another.
Using Alexa+ in a small business
- Ask it to book a table or an appointment while you get on with other work.
- Use it for hands-free reminders and to-do lists while your hands are full in a workshop, studio or shop.
- Compare products before ordering supplies using its shopping help.
- Run background music in a waiting area through your preferred music service.
- Control lights and devices at a home office with a single request.
Alexa+ is best at household and errand-style jobs. For writing, research and planning, a dedicated chatbot goes further, and my guide to the best AI tools for small business owners shows where each kind fits. If you'd like help joining it all up, that's what I do as an AI consultant.
When Alexa+ doesn't do what you expect
- Check you're in a country where Amazon says Alexa+ is available, and that your device is linked to your account.
- Update the Alexa app and your device software.
- Remember features vary by region, so a service named in the US may not exist where you live.
- Check each linked service, such as your music app, is connected in the Alexa app.
- For anything involving an order or a booking, read the confirmation before you rely on it.
Frequently asked questions
What is Alexa+?
Alexa+ is Amazon's generative AI assistant, the next generation of Alexa. Amazon says it can hold conversations and handle tasks such as smart home control, reservations, music and shopping.
Is Alexa+ free?
Amazon says Alexa+ is free for Amazon Prime members. Check the Alexa app or Amazon's Alexa+ page for what applies to other accounts.
Where is Alexa+ available?
Amazon says it's available to all customers in the United States and Canada, with early access in Brazil, the UK, Mexico, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria and France.
Do I need an Echo to use Alexa+?
No. Amazon says you can also use it in the Alexa mobile app, on Alexa.com and in the Amazon Music app.
Where do I manage my Alexa+ privacy settings?
Amazon says your interactions and settings are centralised in the Alexa Privacy dashboard.
