Alexa+ , Amazon's next-generation digital assistant service, is accelerating its beta testing, with the user count now exceeding 1 million. This generative AI-powered service, first unveiled in February this year, aims to revolutionize the user experience of digital assistants by offering more natural and personalized interactions, smart home integration, and extended features.

Although Alexa+ has not been fully publicly released, Amazon is conducting tests with users who have registered on the waiting list. In recent weeks, many users have shared on social media that they have received trial invitations for Alexa+, indicating that Amazon is speeding up its efforts.

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Pricing Strategy and User Growth

During the early access period, Alexa+ will be completely free. After the official launch, Prime members will continue to use it for free, while non-Prime members will need to pay $19.99 per month for a subscription. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy revealed in May 2025 that the number of Alexa+ users had exceeded 100,000, which seemed insignificant compared to the total sales of 600 million Echo devices at the time. However, in the following weeks, the number of users increased significantly and has now successfully surpassed one million, demonstrating Amazon's emphasis on Alexa+ in consumer generative AI experiences and future profitability.

Functional Innovations: Saying Goodbye to Tradition, Embracing Intelligence

Although Amazon pioneered the smart home voice assistant market with Echo devices equipped with Alexa, it failed to convert this into a sustainable revenue source. With the rise of generative AI services such as ChatGPT, the "clumsy, limited, and underpowered" nature of traditional Alexa became increasingly evident.

Alexa+ aims to bring disruptive changes to digital assistants. Users can communicate with the assistant using more natural language, for example, just saying "It's too cold here," and Alexa will automatically adjust the smart thermostat. It also allows users to create daily schedules more easily, search footage from Ring cameras, and even interrupt or change topics during conversations. Additionally, the experience with Alexa+ is more personalized because it can save users' preferences and remember the content they like, ranging from songs to recipes.

With its generative AI capabilities, Alexa+ can perform multiple complex tasks, such as summarizing long emails, creating unique bedtime stories, generating quizzes based on study guides, planning travel itineraries, providing summaries of smart home activities, and answering various questions like an AI chatbot. More excitingly, this assistant can help users perform real-world actions, such as buying concert tickets, booking dinner, or sending notifications when users are interested in discounted products. Currently, its partners include OpenTable, Ticketmaster, Uber Eats, Tripadvisor, Grubhub, Yelp, Priceline, Viator, Thumbtack, Atom, and Fodor's.

Device Support and Early Feedback

In the initial version, Alexa+ will first be launched on Echo Show 8, 10, 15, or 21 devices in the United States. Over time, it will gradually expand to more Echo customers, Fire TV users, and Fire tablet users.

For users who have been invited to try it, feedback has been mixed. Some users highly praise the service, considering it more advanced than Siri; others say there is still room for improvement. Amazon stated that nearly 90% of the previously announced features have already been implemented, indicating that Alexa+ is approaching completion, and the full release is worth looking forward to.