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Amazon has launched its Alexa+ upgrade in the UK, boosting your existing smart home gadgets with a massive upgrade powered by the latest generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) models.
Alexa+ is an optional boost to Amazon's chatty voice assistant designed to handle more features than ever before. Conversations with the AI should be more natural, as Alexa+ remembers details about your personal life to add context and can execute tough tasks without rigid commands. The enhanced system also allows follow-up questions without repeating wake word "Alexa" every time and can recall queries within the same conversation.
This represents a fundamental shift from the traditional command-and-response model to a more intuitive, conversational experience. But like so many other tech upgrades, Alexa+ comes at a cost. The new service is now available at £19.99 per month as part of a new subscription system.
However, there are a couple of ways to bypass the fee if you want to take advantage of the new and improved Alexa.
Amazon smart home devices, such as the Echo Show 8, Echo Show 11, Echo Dot Max, and Echo Studio are built specifically with Alexa+ in mind
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Alexa+ UK price – What you'll pay
Amazon has structured Alexa+ pricing around its current Prime membership plans:- Prime Members: Alexa+ is intended to be free for Amazon Prime members, included as part of the Prime membership. This becomes a great free perk if you're already a subscriber
- For Non-Prime Users: Amazon plans to charge a subscription fee of £19.99 per month for non-Prime users to access full Alexa+ features
- During Early Access: Alexa+ is currently free for all users during the early access period, including non-Prime members, though this is temporary. To gain early access, you'll need to already have or purchase one of the newer Amazon smart home devices, such as the Echo Show 8, Echo Show 11, Echo Dot Max, and Echo Studio. All of these devices are built specifically with Alexa+ in mind
Sign up for Amazon Prime and never pay extra for Alexa+
Amazon Prime membership in the UK offers free one-day delivery, Prime Video, Prime Music, unlimited cloud storage for photos, and a handful of other perks. New users can enjoy a 30-day free trial. Membership is required to unlock access to the annual Prime Day sale, which features major discounts across "hundreds of thousands" of products in all categories on Amazon
How to avoid the monthly subscription
If you're concerned about the potential £19.99 monthly cost, there are actually several ways you can avoid dishing out the extra cash:
1. Subscribe to Amazon Prime: Since Alexa+ is included for Prime members, signing up for a Prime subscription means you'd bypass paying extra for Alexa+. The cost is effectively rolled into your existing Prime membership rather than charged separately.
2. Stick with Original Alexa: You don't have to upgrade to Alexa+, as the original Alexa remains available. The standard Alexa answers simple questions, controls smart devices, plays music, sets reminders, provides news, weather updates, and supports shopping via voice commands. If the advanced features don't justify the cost for your needs, continuing with the standard version avoids any subscription entirely.
3. Manage Your Subscription: If you enrol in a paid Alexa+ plan and find it to not be a fit for you, then you can cancel or disable auto-renewal through your Amazon account's subscription settings.
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Key features and capabilities
Despite the new monthly cost, Alexa+ is set to bring several notable improvements over its predecessor:
For starters, you'll no longer need to repeat the wake word "Alexa" for follow-up questions, making interactions feel more natural and fluid. The system also remembers personal preferences and past context, allowing it to provide more relevant responses over time as it learns more about you and your inquiries. For instance, on devices like the Echo Show, Alexa Plus may recognise who's speaking and personalise responses accordingly.
Alexa+ allows follow-up questions without repeating "Alexa," and can link your other queries within the same conversation | AMAZON PRESS OFFICE Alexa+ integrates with external services and apps, including Uber, OpenTable, and Ticketmaster for booking, ordering, and more, expanding its utility beyond simple queries.
In one example, Alexa+ was able to locate a local restaurant, book a table, add it to the family calendar, and then follow up with a text to a babysitter about the plans. All of this happens off the back of a single spoken command.
When it comes to your household, the assistant offers smarter smart-home control, understanding commands like "dim the lights" without requiring users to specify which bulbs.
You can customise your voice, too. With the update, you can choose from eight adult voices and additional options. When it recognises your voice, it will tailor responses directly to you instead of another member of the household.