Amazon is auto-upgrading Prime Echos to Alexa+ now

Amazon has now started upgrading Prime members' Echo devices to its AI-powered assistant, "Alexa+," automatically, without any opt-in process. Amazon has confirmed that users still have an option to downgrade, but this upgrade is being delivered to Prime members as a default benefit.

The reason this is significant is that Alexa+ is more than just a fresh coat of paint. Alexa+ represents Amazon’s bet that a more conversational, LLM-based assistant can revive voice computing and justify the cost by bundling it into Prime.

The emails being shared on social media and other news sources include messages being sent to Prime members, in which Amazon states, “Alexa+ is included at no charge to Prime members, and this update will not require any action on your part once it reaches your registered devices.”

How to Turn Off (or Roll Back) Alexa+ 

If you prefer to go back to the original experience, Amazon says you can simply say:

“Alexa, exit Alexa+.”

The Amazon message: “It’s basically ready for everyone” 

At CES, Amazon Alexa/Echo VP Daniel Rausch put a big number on the rollout: “97% of devices we’ve ever shipped support Alexa+,” and Amazon says it has sold over 600 million devices.

That still leaves a small set of older Echo devices on classic Alexa like the Echo, Echo Dot or Echo PLus.

This is just the classic scale argument because Alexa is already everywhere, and Amazon wants Alexa+ to feel like a software switch, not a new hardware cycle.

As we noted in our coverage of the Alexa.com launch, Amazon is rapidly extending Alexa+ into the web, but this default device upgrade is a much riskier move.

The fine print: free now, paid later (unless you’re Prime) 

Amazon’s customer-service pages reinforce the pricing posture: where it says “Alexa+ will be free during Early Access,” and subsequently, “you won’t be automatically charged” once the early access period expires.

Moving forward, “Prime members can enjoy all the benefits of Alexa+ for free. If you’re not a Prime member, you can also subscribe for $19.99/month.

This is the business logic hiding in plain sight: Alexa+ becomes a retention tool for Prime, while also creating a premium tier for everyone else.

The problem: Default upgrades collide with “home device” trust 

The blowback isn’t really about whether Alexa+ is smarter. It’s about consent and control in a device that lives in people’s homes. According to PCWorld, Prime customers are being moved over via email-driven upgrades, and while there’s an option to roll back, users find that the experience has introduced new friction.

The most common complaints are latency or slowness, personality shifts (sometimes changes in voice), and a few promotional nudges that are built in.

The escape hatch is part of the story too. Amazon’s email says you can revert with “Alexa, exit Alexa+,” but reports of user experiences suggest opting out doesn’t always stop the nudges to return.

Why this follow-up matters 

When Amazon first pitched Alexa+ as the next chapter, it was simple: better conversations, more capability, and Prime-friendly pricing.

Now Amazon is testing is testing a default migration. Phones get big OS updates but a voice assistant in your kitchen feels more personal and more intrusive when it goes through changes overnight.

Amazon can still win this moment, but the next 30 to 60 days will decide what Alexa+ becomes in the public mind:

If Alexa+ feels faster, calmer, and genuinely useful, the “automatic upgrade” becomes a headline that fades.

Or if it feels slower, pushier, or ad-heavy, the default rollout becomes the story, and Prime bundling starts to look like forced distribution instead of value.

Either way, Amazon just made Alexa+ less of a product announcement and more of a trust exercise and the home is the hardest place to fail.