If you were thinking you’d have to upgrade your Amazon speaker or streaming device to access the new-gen Alexa+ GenAI assistant, you may not.
Amazon says a whopping 97% of first-party devices that can support the more personal, more conversational, agentic Alexa+ assistant. That means there’s a good chance your Echo or Fire TV device will support the upgrade if you’d like to use it.
That’s the “vast majority” of the 600 million devices currently out there, says Amazon Alexa and Echo VP Daniel Rausch. “Ninety-seven percent of devices we ever shipped can support Alexa+,” Rausch told TechCrunch in an interview at CES 2026.
The 3%, according to Amazon’s website, includes:
- Echo (1st Generation)
- Echo (2nd Generation)
- Echo Dot (1st Generation)
- Echo Show (1st Generation)
- Echo Show (2nd Generation)
- Echo Spot (1st Generation)
- Amazon Tap
- Fire TVs with FireOS 5
- Tablets with FireOS 5, 6, or 7
- Fire 7 Tablet
Amazon has been slowly enabling access to Alexa+ since last summer and at CES 2026 the company announced a new Alexa.com website offering access to Alexa+ Early Access users.
However, Amazon is also annoying some users by automatically upgrading some Prime members to Alexa+ without even asking. They’re the only ones who get it for free. It’s $20 a month for everyone else. The upgrade can be easily undone, but it would be nice if Amazon at least asked for consent before changing those users experience.
Vice reports that some eligible users have received an in-app message from Alexa informing them that “We have exciting news! As a Prime member, you get Alexa+ for free, and we will update the devices registered to this account to the new, conversational, and more delightful experience.
“The upgrade takes just a few minutes and won’t require any action from you. Once complete, you’ll receive a confirmation email. After your device updates, you can still revert to the original Alexa by saying, ‘Alexa, exit Alexa+.’”
Do you want the Alexa+ upgrade or are you happy with the existing, frustrating, swear-worthy Alexa assistant that keeps GenAI mostly out of the equation?
