Why Is Alexa+ So Bad?

"Alexa+ is designed to be better at understanding your requests, more personally tuned, and capable of more natural conversational interactions rather than rigid commands. To me, it felt like interacting with a synthetic bridge troll haranguing me until I said the magic combination of words. The AI assistant can be so persnickety that I let out an exasperated sigh at least once during every interaction."

"After more than a month with Alexa+ on this 15-inch screen, I've concluded that Alexa+ simply doesn't work well and lacks the basic reliability I need from a smart home device. Yes, it's still in early access, but it maneuvers like an unpredictable toddler smashing around and half-completing tasks."

"It has become a running gag in my household trying to guess what musician Alexa+ will play on YouTube when requesting a song. A request for specific music frequently results in incorrect or unexpected results, demonstrating the assistant's inability to reliably interpret straightforward user commands."

Amazon redesigned its Alexa voice assistant in 2025, integrating generative AI to improve understanding, personalization, and natural conversation. Alexa+ is now available to all US Prime subscribers, with Echo owners automatically switched to the new version. However, the assistant proves unreliable and unpredictable in practice. It struggles with basic requests, requiring users to resort to manual controls via remote or touchscreen. The assistant is overly rigid and persnickety, demanding precise phrasing rather than understanding natural language variations. While Amazon markets Alexa+ for automating complex tasks like grocery ordering and ride booking, even simple requests like playing specific songs on YouTube produce inconsistent and incorrect results, creating frustration during everyday kitchen use.

Read at WIRED