Anyone who uses Alexa at home may be dealing with a change without asking for it. Users report that the assistant started to work differently, with automatic updating, difficulty returning to the previous version and even more advertisements when trying to refuse the new feature.
The complaints involve the activation of Alexa+, a new version of Amazon’s assistant, which began to be automatically applied to some of the company’s devices.
The complaints drew attention because the change occurs within devices used in everyday life, and many people did not even know that their devices would be changed. The update has been applied mainly to Amazon Prime subscribers, according to reports gathered by the websites CT Insider and TudoCelular.
Amazon Prime and Alexa+: what happened
To understand the impact of change, it is necessary to clarify where it happens.
Alexa works mainly on devices called Amazon Echo, smart speakers used indoors to play music, answer questions, control lights and perform voice commands. It is on these devices that Amazon began replacing traditional Alexa with the new version.
According to CT Insider, Prime users started receiving notifications informing them that their Echo devices would automatically update to Alexa+. In many cases, the change occurred without explicit consent.
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In practice, this means turning on the device and realizing that the assistant no longer behaves exactly as before.
Amazon’s proposal is to offer something closer to a human conversation. For the user, this means more contextualized responses, new functions (such as suggesting recipes based on available ingredients), summarizing texts or helping with longer tasks, such as organizing appointments or orders from partner services.
However, the sore point appears in the cost. Prime subscribers can use Alexa+ without paying anything extra. Users who are not part of the program will have to pay around US$19.99 per month to access the new version.
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Automatic update and rollback difficulty
Although Amazon reports that the update can be rolled back (traditional Alexa remains free), users report that the process is not always straightforward.
According to TudoCelular, the automatic migration generated strong repercussions on forums and social networks, especially among consumers who prefer the stability of the old version of the assistant.
The complaints point out that the change was without explicit consent and that the traditional Alexa experience would have been changed after the return attempt. In some reports, users claim that their devices began to display ads more frequently after deactivating Alexa+, which would only have stopped with the reactivation of the new version.
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Amazon has not yet officially commented on whether there is a relationship between the rollback of the update and the increase in ads. The company simply states that the user can exit Alexa+ at any time by voice command.
In addition to the issue of the forced update, there are complaints about the performance of the new assistant.
Users cite slower responses, changes in voice personality, and misinterpretation on connected devices like security cameras. These problems are associated with the famous “hallucination” of generative AI, when the technology identifies non-existent objects or events.
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Despite being presented as a significant advance compared to the original version, the reports reinforce the perception that Alexa+ is still undergoing adjustments. For some consumers, the new features do not compensate for the loss of predictability in everyday use of the device.
Impacts for users
In practice, the update creates a divided scenario. For Prime subscribers, Alexa+ represents free access to more advanced functions, without the need to purchase a new service.
For those who are not Prime, the new version becomes a paid product, while the traditional Alexa remains available at no cost.
On the other hand, automatic adoption and reports of more frequent ads when trying to return to the old version raise questions about user control over devices already purchased. The episode highlights the tension between the introduction of AI-based features and consumers’ expectations for transparency, choice and stability in the user experience.
