Amazon's Alexa+ can now hold real conversations, remembers your preferences
Amazon introduced Alexa+, a big upgrade for its voice assistant.
Now, Alexa+ can actually hold real conversations—no more short commands—and it remembers your preferences, picks up on your mood, and handles multi-step tasks on its own.
Amazon says there are 600 million Alexa devices in the world, but the rollout is phased and initial access is limited to certain Echo Show models.
Alexa+ can control smart home gadgets
Alexa+ can now control smart home gadgets like Philips Hue lights or Roborock vacuums, book tables through OpenTable, and play your favorite playlists from Spotify or Apple Music.
The latest Echo Show devices come with sharper cameras and new chips that let Alexa spot things around the house and send you helpful alerts—that the garage door is unlocked after 10pm or there's something important in your Ring camera feed.
Object identification to help out with daily tasks
You can move music between rooms with just your voice or set up complex routines for your smart home without fiddling with apps.
There's even object identification to help out with daily tasks—a thoughtful touch for anyone with low vision.
Most of the time, Alexa+ stays quietly in the background but pops up when you need traffic updates or sale alerts—basically making life a bit smoother without being in the way.