Amazon officially launched its next-generation voice assistant, Alexa+, to all users across the United States on February 4, 2026. This major upgrade integrates generative artificial intelligence, making Alexa significantly more conversational and capable of handling complex tasks. The new Alexa+ experience is available free for Amazon Prime members, while non-Prime subscribers can access a limited free chat or pay a monthly fee for full features.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]} ### A Smarter, More Conversational Assistant Alexa+ moves beyond simple commands, offering more natural and free-flowing conversations. The upgraded assistant can engage in deeper interactions, maintaining context across multiple questions and even over several days. This means users no longer need to repeat "Alexa" for each follow-up query, making interactions feel more intuitive.^[3][4][6][9] Amazon designed Alexa+ to generate responses instead of just using pre-programmed answers.^[3] Customers have embraced these new capabilities. During its year-long early access program, users interacted with Alexa+ more than twice as much compared to the standard Alexa.^{[1][13][9][11]} Daniel Rausch, Amazon's vice president of Alexa and Echo, noted that customers are relying on Alexa as they always did, but they are also discovering a completely new experience.^{[2][4][14][9]} ### New Agentic Powers Simplify Daily Life The advanced AI in Alexa+ introduces "agentic capabilities," allowing the assistant to complete multi-step tasks on a user's behalf. This includes ordering takeout, finding restaurants, and making reservations. Alexa+ can also book rides and schedule various services, such as home repairs.^{[1][2][3][13][15][6][8][9][10][16][12]} The new assistant simplifies smart home management. It can control various smart home devices, including products from Philips Hue and Roborock. Users can also pair Alexa+ with Ring cameras to receive alerts about unusual patterns around their homes.^[7][9][16] Beyond home control, Alexa+ helps with personal organization by managing calendars, digitizing recipes, and delivering personalized reminders. It can even assist with homework help and meal planning.^[7][9] ### Accessing Alexa+ for Every User Amazon offers several ways for US customers to access Alexa+. Prime members receive unlimited access to the full suite of Alexa+ features at no additional cost. They can simply say "Alexa, upgrade to Alexa+" on an Alexa-enabled device or log into their Amazon account at Alexa.com to activate the service.^{[1][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][11][12]} Non-Prime members have options as well. They can try a free, limited chat experience through Alexa.com and the Alexa app, which offers a text-based interface for quick answers and research.^{[2][3][13][4][5][6][7][9][11]} For full, unlimited access without a Prime membership, users can subscribe to Alexa+ for $19.99 per month.^{[1][3][13][4][5][6][8][9][10]} ### Behind the AI Power The significant upgrade to Alexa+ is built on a new architecture. It uses large language models (LLMs) from Amazon's own Nova program and Anthropic.^{[1][2][4][8][9][12]} This combination allows Alexa+ to process complex requests and generate human-like responses. The technology enables the assistant to orchestrate APIs reliably and create new agentic capabilities, performing tasks autonomously behind the scenes.^[7][16] Amazon had Alexa+ in an early access program for about a year, beginning in February 2025.^{[2][4][15][6][8][14][9][10][12]} Tens of millions of customers participated in this preview, providing valuable feedback that helped shape the final product.^[6][14][9] Some Prime members even received automatic free upgrades to Alexa+ in early 2026 before the general rollout.^[5][12] ### Amazon's Big Bet in the AI Race The widespread launch of Alexa+ positions Amazon firmly in the competitive generative AI market. The new assistant now rivals services like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini.^{[2][4][6][10][12]} Amazon aims to leverage its estimated 200 million Prime subscribers in the U.S. to rapidly expand the user base for its AI assistant.^[6][14] Daniel Rausch stated that Prime members receive a "paid tier level of access" included in their membership.^[14] This move reinforces the value of a Prime subscription, bundling advanced AI features alongside free shipping and streaming video.^[6] The company expects Alexa+ to drive more engagement, with early data showing increased music streams and recipe interactions during its beta phase.^[14] This major rollout transforms the Alexa experience, making it a more intelligent and proactive assistant for millions of American households. Amazon will continue to update Alexa+ with new capabilities over time.^[13][9]

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