Amazon force-upgrades Prime members to Alexa+
Amazon has begun automatically upgrading Prime members to Alexa Plus without an opt-in option, as reported by users on the r/alexa subreddit over the past few weeks. Users receive device notifications stating they can revert by saying, “Alexa, exit Alexa+.”
Multiple users shared screenshots of the exact message from Amazon on the subreddit. The notification explains, “After your device updates, you can still revert to the original Alexa by saying, ‘Alexa, exit Alexa+.’” This process allows Prime members to return to the previous version of the voice assistant after the automatic upgrade occurs during device updates.
Alexa Plus represents a large language model-powered overhaul of Amazon’s voice assistant. Amazon developed this version specifically to position Alexa against competitors, including Google Gemini. The upgrade integrates advanced AI capabilities into everyday interactions with connected devices.
User feedback on Reddit highlights several drawbacks to the new system. Many express dissatisfaction with the altered voice and personality of Alexa Plus. Others report noticeably longer wait times when issuing queries, as responses from the upgraded assistant take more time to generate compared to the original Alexa.
Additional complaints involve promotional content. Users describe an influx of advertisements pushing Alexa Plus. One Redditor detailed their experience, stating that after disabling the update, they encountered “flooded with ads” persistently until re-enabling Alexa Plus to stop the promotions.
For context, rival updates face similar scrutiny. Google’s rollout of the Gemini update for Google Home devices has encountered problems, including instances of misidentifying objects and generating false reports of camera activity, known as hallucinations.
Stevie Bonifield authored this report. He covers consumer technology news, having begun his career at Laptop Mag where he wrote on hardware, gaming, and artificial intelligence topics.