Amazon’s Alexa+ has launched in Australia, introducing a new level of AI-powered smart home features. The service allows for two-way conversations, constant listening, and personalization through voice and visual recognition, making it a more advanced version of the current Alexa service. It is also available with the purchase of a new eligible Echo or Fire TV device.
Ambient AI in action
With Alexa+, the assistant remains in a state of constant listening and learns about users’ preferences and habits over time. It can respond to voice commands, but also acts proactively, like turning up the heating when the temperature drops, or adjusting smart lighting to help users wind down and get to sleep. The assistant uses ambient AI to understand context and anticipate needs based on learned behavior, making it more intuitive and helpful in everyday life. It can automatically adjust smart home tech, such as turning on your air conditioning when it starts to get warm or turning on lights when it starts getting dark.
The technology behind Alexa+ works by connecting to and learning from smart home devices, such as heating systems and smart lighting. It can interpret how a household uses these devices and respond accordingly. For example, it might detect that a user prefers a warmer home and automatically trigger the heating system when the temperature cools. It's an evolution of how smart home assistants function, moving beyond simple commands to more complex, automated actions.
Understanding Australian language
Amazon has localized the assistant for Australian language and dialects, making Alexa+ more relatable and easier to use for local users. A specialized team of linguists, speech scientists, and engineers has been assembled to ensure the AI understands the unique way Australians speak, including slang and regional variations. This effort helps Alexa+ adapt to a broader range of accents and speech patterns, making the experience more natural for users. Now fully fluent in 'Strayan, Alexa+ knows the meaning of 'servo', 'footy' and 'snags' and is tuned into Australian culture, including not mixing up footy codes or understanding expressions like 'fair dinkum' or 'passing the pub test'.
Prime and pricing strategy
Alexa+ is not a free service for the general public. It comes at a cost of $29.99 per month, a price point that makes it quite expensive for regular users. However, it is included in Amazon Prime subscriptions, which are priced at either $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year. This means that, for long-term users, the Prime subscription is a far better value than paying for Alexa+ alone, as the Prime fee would cover Alexa+ within just a few months. After early access ends on November 30, 2026, Alexa+ will remain a free Prime benefit for subscribers, while non-members will have to pay AU$29.99 per month to retain access.
Currently, early access to Alexa+ is open to all Amazon customers, allowing them to try it out for free. However, this access is temporary, and soon, only Amazon Prime members will be able to use the service for free. Non-Prime users will have to pay the full $29.99 per month fee to use Alexa+ after the early access period ends. Amazon has not officially announced when this transition to restricted access will take place.
Which devices support Alexa+
Alexa+ is compatible with a range of recent Echo smart speakers and displays. The supported smart speakers include the Dot, Dot Max, Pop, Spot, and Studio models. In terms of smart displays, devices such as the Echo Show 5, 8, 11, and 15 are compatible with the new Alexa+ service. These displays include cameras and microphones, enabling features like voice and visual recognition. Most of the current Echo devices are compatible with Alexa+, with only the now-discontinued first- and second-generation models unable to support the new voice assistant. Fire TV devices will have limited compatibility with Alexa+, with support available only on the following: Fire TV Stick 4K Select, Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Gen), Fire TV Stick 4K Plus (2nd Gen), and Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen).
Compatibility with third-party devices like Sonos speakers or Samsung’s Music Frame has not been officially confirmed, but Amazon often expands support over time. It's expected that support for these devices may be added as the Alexa+ service evolves.
Alexa+ connects and integrates with a range of smart home gadgets, such as the Dyson fans and smart lighting systems. It can adjust temperature settings, change light colors, and control other smart devices based on learned behavior and user preferences. This integration helps create a more seamless and personalized smart home experience.
Whether or not users fully adopt ambient AI features, the move to a paid subscription model with Alexa+ clearly indicates Amazon’s strategy to promote Amazon Prime membership. By tying the advanced smart home features to a Prime subscription, Amazon encourages users to sign up for the Prime service, which offers additional benefits such as shopping discounts, fast delivery, and access to Prime Video. It remains to be seen if Aussies will jump ship from ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or whatever LLM they're already using and move to Alexa+. (Incidentally, a web version is also slated to come soon.)
The introduction of Alexa+ marks a step forward in how smart home assistants operate. It brings together conversational AI, ambient listening, and personalization in a way that could reshape how people interact with their homes. As this technology continues to develop, it might become an essential part of the smart home ecosystem in Australia and beyond.
Amazon claims that Aussies interact with Alexa “more than two billion times each year”, with 77 million questions asked and more than 600 million smart home actions in 2025 alone. While that suggests there’s a large customer base in Australia, it begs the question of whether we’re willing to bring another AI assistant into our homes and, importantly, pay extra for it. As my colleague Graham Barlow rightly pointed out, Alexa+ may be an improvement by being more conversational and context aware, but it doesn’t really do enough to warrant the consistent use of the assistant. Lots of Redditors have also expressed their displeasure with Alexa+, with some choosing to revert back to the old Alexa for the many ads, the style of the new voices, or just preferring not to opt into the upgrade.
Alexa+ isn’t the only ‘smart’ voice assistant available in Australia, with Google Home Premium (formerly Nest Aware) being its main competitor. The latter costs AU$15 per month or AU$150 per year for its Standard tier, or AU$30 or AU$300 per year for the Advanced tier, scoring Alexa+ points on pricing — provided you’re a Prime member or course. It remains to be seen whether this would trigger a Prime membership price hike in the days to come.
