Amazon’s new AI-powered assistant, Alexa+, launched early access today for users in the U.S.—but not everything shown off during last month’s launch event will be ready, according to internal documents and people familiar with the rollout.
While Alexa+ is expected to bring smarter voice interactions and advanced AI tools to Amazon devices, internal company materials viewed by The Washington Post show several high-profile features are delayed—some by months.
At the February event in New York, Amazon devices chief Panos Panay said the rollout would begin in March and continue “in waves.” But internal documents show that several functions, including voice-activated takeout ordering via Grubhub and personalized visual reminders like telling family members to walk the dog, are not ready for public release.
Other hyped features, like brainstorming gift ideas or generating bedtime stories, also won’t be available at launch, sources say.
Alexa+ will initially work on newer Echo Show devices, with limited support for other hardware like Fire TV and the Echo Spot alarm clock. The web-based chat version of Alexa+, known internally as “Metis” and promoted by Amazon, also won’t go live Monday.
One feature launching Monday—reading and summarizing uploaded documents like instruction manuals or emails—comes with a glitch. Internal emails show customers will be unable to delete uploaded files themselves. If they contact support, staff can remove the files manually, but are instructed not to tell users the data is fully erased. The company expects a fix in the coming weeks.
The internal delays reflect broader industry challenges in upgrading older voice assistants for the AI era. Amazon first teased its “smarter” Alexa back in September 2023. Nearly 18 months later, the rollout is cautious—mirroring similar delays at rivals like Apple, which has pushed back its own Siri AI upgrade.
Alexa+ will cost $19.99 US/month, though Amazon Prime members will get access at no extra charge. Will Alexa+ come to Canada? It will soon, but for now the first launch is in the U.S., so stay tuned for updates.
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