How to use Alexa+: get it, set it up, and the best things to try first

Alexa+ is the generative AI version of Amazon’s assistant. You talk to it in ordinary sentences instead of memorized commands, and it can follow up, remember context and act across services. This tutorial walks through getting Alexa+, setting it up, using it on an Echo, in the app and in a browser, the features worth trying first, and how to go back to the original Alexa. It follows Amazon’s own help pages as of October 2026. For prices, countries and the full device list, start with our guide to what Alexa+ is.

What you need

• An Amazon account. Alexa+ works only with personal accounts, not Amazon Business or Enterprise accounts, and the account must be set to a supported location.
• Prime or the Alexa+ Standard plan for Alexa+ on an Echo or Fire TV. Amazon’s announcement puts the US price at $19.99 a month without Prime, and it’s free with Prime.
• A compatible device, or none at all. Most current Echo speakers and displays work. Everyone also gets a free, limited Alexa+ experience in the Alexa app and on Alexa.com.

How to get Alexa+

1. Go to amazon.com/alexaplus and sign up, or say “Alexa, upgrade!” to an Echo.
2. If you already pay for Prime through an Alexa channel, or you choose the Standard plan, Alexa+ switches on automatically. If you joined Prime somewhere else on Amazon, activate Alexa+ separately from the same sign-up page.
3. Watch for a notification on your phone and a welcome email with tips on getting started.

If Alexa+ doesn’t show up, Amazon’s requirements page suggests three checks: your device is supported, it uses a supported language, and it’s registered to a personal account. Then say “Check for software updates.” If Alexa+ came with a new Echo, it belongs to the Amazon account that registered that device.

Set it up in the first conversation

After you join, Alexa+ runs a short introduction. Amazon says it will:

• Learn your name and ask about your interests, then suggest features to match.
• Create a profile for you and help you invite household members to create their own.
• Offer voice recognition so its answers, reminders and suggestions are personal to whoever is speaking.

It’s worth doing the household step. Reminders you assign to other people, such as “Remind James to get the dress tomorrow at 6 pm”, only work if that person already has an Alexa profile.

How to talk to Alexa+

The big change from the original Alexa is that you don’t need a list of commands. Amazon’s help pages say you can keep a conversational tone and follow up without repeating the wake word, and that Alexa+ asks clarifying questions when it isn’t sure. Ask “Can you help me plan a trip this summer?” and it may reply by asking how many days you have in mind.

• Follow Up Mode lets you keep talking after a reply. A visual indicator shows when Alexa is still listening. To change it, say “Turn off Follow-Up Mode” or “Turn on Follow-Up Mode”, or open the Alexa app and go to Devices, your device, Device Settings, then Follow-Up Mode. It isn’t available during music playback or calls.
• Interrupting: on compatible Echo Show devices, you can cut in without the wake word if the camera shutter is open and you’re in frame, facing the screen.
• Picking up where you left off: Alexa+ carries context between devices, so you can ask for recipes on an Echo and keep building the grocery list in the app later.
• Personality: Amazon describes an upbeat, curious personality and suggests trying “Give me the weather like a pirate.” To change the voice, say “Change your voice”, or in the app go to Devices, your device, Device Settings, Alexa’s Voice.

Use Alexa+ in your web browser

Amazon calls this Alexa+ on your browser. Its help page points to alexa.amazon.com, and Amazon’s announcement calls it Alexa.com. Sign in with your Amazon account and you get:

1. New chat, where you type requests or tap one of the suggested prompts under the chat box.
2. Recent Chats, which includes conversations you started on an Echo or in the app. From there you can copy a response, choose Download full discussion or Rephrase an answer.
3. A left-hand panel with your Calendar, Lists and Reminders & Tasks, which stays visible while you chat.
4. Upload a file, to the right of the chat box, for images, documents, PDFs or text files. Alexa can summarize long documents, answer questions about images and add events it finds to your calendar.

Amazon says Alexa responds at more length and with visuals when you type, and keeps voice answers shorter.

Seven things to try first

These all come from Amazon’s examples. We haven’t tested every one, and what works can depend on your device and the services you’ve linked.

1. Build a routine by describing it. “Can you play music and turn the lights on in my bedroom every weekday at 7AM?” Alexa saves it in the Alexa app and tells you if anything went wrong.
2. Control the house in plain words. Combine requests (“Turn on the kitchen and living room lights, and open my blinds”), make general statements (“It’s dark in this room”) or ask “Have you turned off all my lights?”
3. Set smarter reminders. “Remind me to stretch every day at 9 am”, or “Make sure that I take out the trash bins”, which keeps nudging you every hour or day until you confirm it’s done.
4. Ask for a briefing. “What’s my daily briefing?” or “What are today’s headlines?” gives short news summaries that update through the day.
5. Play music by description. “Play rock music that’s best for working out,” or “What is the song that goes…” followed by a lyric.
6. Shop by conversation. “Show me [item] under [price],” “What are the reviews for [product]?” or “Where’s my stuff?” for order updates.
7. Share a document. Email a PDF, photo or webpage to [email protected] from an address on your Alexa profile, then ask for a summary or a draft reply. Files must be under 25 MB, in JPEG, PNG, HEIC, HEIF, PDF, DOCX or TXT.

To book tables, rides or tickets, link the services first: in the Alexa app, open More, then Explore Alexa+ Services, pick a service and follow the linking steps. If one stops working, unlink it and link it again from the same screen.

How to go back to the original Alexa

• By voice: say “End Alexa+”. Household members can do this without affecting the main account holder’s subscription.
• Prime members: deactivate Alexa+ at alexaplus.com. Access ends right away, or at the end of your Prime period if you cancel Prime instead.
• Standard plan: go to Your Memberships & Subscriptions, find Alexa+ Standard and select Cancel My Subscription. You keep Alexa+ until the end of the billing cycle.

Your Echo then goes back to the original Alexa with Follow Up Mode turned on; say “turn off Follow-Up Mode” if you don’t want it. The free Alexa+ experience in the app and on Alexa.com can’t be deactivated. To review what Alexa+ has stored, including files you’ve shared, use the Alexa Privacy settings.

Tips and next steps

• Talk naturally, then correct once. Amazon says if Alexa plays the wrong song, you only need to correct it once for it to remember which one you meant.
• Keep the app handy. Routines, linked services, voice settings and reminders all live there.
• Check older hardware. Early Echo, Echo Show, Echo Spot, Echo Plus and Echo Buds models, Amazon Tap and some Fire TV and Fire Tablet software will never get Alexa+. Our Echo profile and roundup of the best smart speakers can help if you’re upgrading.

New to smart speakers? Follow our guide to setting up a voice assistant at home. To see how Alexa+ stacks up against Apple’s assistant, read Siri AI vs Alexa+, and for Google’s conversational mode, see how to use Gemini Live. The Alexa+ profile keeps the key facts in one place.