Alexa Plus is released by Amazon with limited functionality
Amazon has formally announced the release of Alexa Plus, a sophisticated voice assistant that has been enhanced with artificial intelligence. However, it is only available to a small number of users at this time.
The features that Amazon demonstrated at its recent hardware event, like gift suggestions, voice-activated grocery ordering, and browser-based access to Alexa Plus, are not available in the current version.
According to reports, some other features—like the ability to place food orders using conversational context and the ability to identify family members to send reminders for household chores—have not yet satisfied Amazon's requirements for a public launch.
At the moment, Alexa Plus can be found on Echo Shows 8, 10, 15, and 21 and is capable of writing emails, identifying objects, ordering taxis, and conducting product searches. Although it allows summarizing uploaded documents, Amazon has not yet made it possible to remove these files directly; instead, customers can request this through customer support.
The service, which Amazon announced in February of last year, will cost $20 a month for the majority of Echo devices or be free for Amazon Prime members.
According to Amazon, the Alexa Plus version uses a flexible system that allows it to use various AI models. Depending on the task at hand, users can select the Amazon Nova model or other models from companies like Anthropic.
The business affirmed that it will introduce the new features gradually over the upcoming time frame. To be notified when the service becomes available, users can sign up on the Amazon website.