Amazon has officially launched Alexa+, an upgraded version of its popular AI assistant. Alexa+ is designed to offer a smarter and more intuitive experience. It promises enhanced capabilities. Amazon Alexa+ launches AI that offers better conversational skills and deeper integration with smart home devices. However, despite the excitement surrounding its release, some key features are notably absent, leaving early adopters with mixed feelings.
Table of Contents
What’s New with Alexa+?
Alexa+ introduces several improvements over its predecessor. Amazon has integrated more advanced AI models. This enables Alexa to provide more natural responses and understand context better. Amazon Alexa+ launches AI improvements that allow it to carry on multi-turn conversations. Users can also expect improved smart home automation, personalized recommendations, and seamless interactions with third-party services.
What’s Missing?
While Alexa+ brings many upgrades, some features expected at launch are still unavailable. Users have reported missing support for certain third-party apps and integration, limited customization options, and occasional gaps in contextual understanding. Additionally, some smart home functions that were available in the previous version have yet to be fully implemented in Alexa+. Amazon Alexa+ launches with these gaps, leading to frustration for long-time users.
What to Expect Moving Forward?
Amazon has acknowledged the missing features and assured users that updates will roll out gradually. The company is actively working on refining Alexa+ and expanding its capabilities based on user feedback. Amazon Alexa+ launched AI with the promise of future updates. These updates are expected to restore and introduce new features. This approach ensures Alexa+ lives up to its full potential.
Alexa+ marks a significant step forward in AI-powered voice assistants, but its launch isn’t without flaws. While it offers impressive improvements, the absence of certain features has left some users disappointed. Amazon is committed to continuous updates. Because of this, Amazon Alexa+ launches AI that is likely to become a more refined and powerful assistant shortly. For now, users will have to weigh the benefits of its new capabilities against the features still in development.
Why Amazon Introduced Alexa+ Launches AI
Amazon reimagined its long-standing Alexa voice assistant—first launched in 2014—to align with the current AI-driven era. 600 million Alexa devices are already deployed. The company tapped into the latest advances in generative AI and large language models (LLMs). They created a smarter, more helpful version: Alexa+.
The aim? To deliver a more natural, conversational experience. Alexa+ understands fragmented thoughts, slang, and complex queries—so users can speak as they would to a friend. It can now reason through tasks. It queries multiple “expert” services and orchestrates actions across tens of thousands of apps and devices. All these features are powered by Amazon’s Bedrock platform.
It also brings advanced personalization. Alexa+ learns from your routines, purchases, and preferences. It even considers what you watch or listen to. This enables tailored suggestions and actions.
Furthermore, Alexa+ introduces agentic capabilities—Amazon’s way of letting it act autonomously. It can navigate websites. It can make reservations or buy concert tickets. It summarizes documents or even manages tasks entirely on your behalf. All this is done with minimal prompts.
These upgrades show Amazon’s efforts to stay competitive. The landscape is increasingly populated by AI assistants like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Claude. Alexa+ brings Amazon’s voice assistant back to the forefront of AI evolution.
In terms of access, Alexa+ is free for Prime members, while non-Prime users can subscribe for $19.99/month. It’s initially rolling out to select Echo Show devices, with broader mobile and browser support to follow.
Amazon launched Alexa+ to transform Alexa from a command-based assistant into a context-aware, proactive, and intelligent AI companion. By leveraging generative AI, deep personalization, and agentic orchestration, Alexa+ offers more natural conversations and real-world task completion.
Why Some Alexa+ Features Are Missing
This marks a major step toward the future of AI voice assistants. It is built to anticipate your needs. It can reason deeply and act on your behalf.
1. Early-Access, Phased Rollout
Amazon introduced Alexa+ on March 31, 2025. It was rolled out in early access to a limited group of users. The primary users were owners of the Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21. Not all Alexa devices support it yet. Many of the advanced features demonstrated during the launch event were intentionally withheld.
2. Features Not Meeting Quality Standards
Amazon cited that several high-profile features weren’t released because they “still do not meet Amazon’s standards for public release.” These features include ordering takeout with Grubhub using conversational context and visual recognition of family members for chore reminders. Other features are gift idea brainstorming and story generation for children. Additionally, grocery ordering by voice and a web-based interface (Metis) are included. These will be introduced in rolling waves over the next few months.
3. Technical and Infrastructure Challenges
Behind the scenes, Amazon is grappling with AI infrastructure and reliability issues. Some features still under development may not yet perform consistently or accurately enough for public use—prompting a more cautious rollout.
4. Privacy & Cloud Processing Requirements
Alexa+ relies heavily on cloud processing for generative AI capabilities. Therefore, Amazon has phased out local-only processing features like the “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” option. Starting March 28, 2025, all voice inputs are sent to Amazon’s secure cloud—even if users choose not to save recordings. This trade-off allows Alexa+ to leverage AI power, but may raise privacy concerns.
Summary: Why Features Are Missing
| Reason | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Early Access & Phased Rollout | Alexa+ is limited to certain Echo devices and user cohorts. |
| Quality Control | Many promised features aren’t live because they haven’t passed Amazon’s internal standards. |
| AI & Infrastructure Complexities | Technical bugs and backend challenges are delaying some capabilities. |
| Privacy & Cloud Reliance | Generative AI features require cloud processing, replacing older local-only options. |
Functions like ordering an Uber, drafting emails, object identification, and document summarization are available. However, some key enhancements remain unavailable. They are slated to arrive soon.
