Amazon unveiled Alexa Plus, its new AI-powered voice assistant, at yesterday’s Alexa event. It’s the biggest upgrade Alexa has ever received – but will it work with your devices, or will you need to upgrade to get the most out of it? On stage, Amazon’s team mostly demonstrated Alexa Plus using the latest Echo Show devices, but will it also be available for older speakers and smart displays?
We’re here to answer your questions, and hopefully put your mind at ease. If your device isn’t among those supported, don’t worry – you can keep using the standard version of Alexa, and you’ll be able to try Alexa Plus in your web browser or the Alexa app instead.
Note that Alexa Plus will only be available in the US at first, but should be launched more widely before long.
Amazon Echo Show devices
If you own one of the current generation of Echo Show devices, not only will you be able to use Alexa Plus, you’ll also be one of the first to access it as part of an early roll-out program. The Echo Show devices with early Alexa Plus access are:
During its launch event, Amazon explained that Alexa Plus will be rolling out in waves over the next few weeks (so from the start of March onwards).
If you own a first or second-generation Echo Show, unfortunately Alexa Plus won’t be available to you, but you can keep using the standard version of Alexa instead.
Amazon Echo smart speakers
Alexa Plus will also be available for Echo smart speakers. Whether you own one of the more recent Amazon Echo devices, an Amazon Echo Dot, or even 2024’s little Amazon Echo Spot, you’ll soon be able to chatter away with the new Alexa and use it as your personal assistant.
The only exceptions are a handful of older Echo devices including:
- Echo Dot 1st Gen
- Echo 1st Gen
- Echo Plus 1st Gen
- Echo Tap
- Echo Spot 1st Gen
These speakers won’t become unusable, though. Alexa Plus is optional for all devices, and if yours isn’t supported, you can keep using the standard version of Alexa instead.
It seems like TechRadar’s Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff is in luck. Despite his concerns, it sounds like his 10-year-old Amazon Echo speaker will not only keep working, but will support Alexa Plus as well.
Amazon Fire devices
Amazon has sad that Alexa Plus will be available for “compatible Fire TVs and Fire tablets”. It hasn’t provided a list of exactly which ones will be included, but it seems safe to say that the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED and Amazon Fire HD 10 will be among them. We’ll keep you updated as soon as we know more.
Third-party smart speakers
If you have a third-party smart speaker, you’ll have to be patient. Alexa Plus won’t be available for Alexa Built-In devices like the Sonos Era 100 or Bose Smart Speaker 500 straight away, but Amazon says that it looks forward to expanding Alexa Plus to additional devices in the future.
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