A new, improved voice assistant is available to users today — and no, it’s not Siri with Apple Intelligence.
On February 4, Amazon announced that Alexa+, its next-generation voice assistant powered by generative AI, is now available for users in the US.
Prime members get the feature for free. At the same time, non-Prime subscribers can access it for $19.99 per month, which is odd considering Amazon Prime is $139 for most, or $14.99 per month.
Amazon’s voice-enhanced assistant has been in early access for some time and has been tested by more than a million users over the past year. Amazon says customers interact with Alexa+ more than “twice as much” — presumably over stock Alexa.
Alexa+ features new agent features powered by Amazon Nova and Anthropic. It can order takeout, find restaurants and make reservations, book rides, and schedule services like home repairs.
He is also more conversational. Several AppleInsider employees tested it with a generally positive outlook on the implementation, if not the privacy policy.
And we found that the Apple Music skill works better with Alexa+ than it ever did with the basic Alexa service.
Starting February 4, Prime members can start using Alexa+ by saying “Alexa, upgrade to Alexa+.” They can also upgrade through Alexa.com.
Connected to a user’s Amazon account, Alexa+ gives users unlimited access to all Alexa-enabled devices, Alexa.com, and the Alexa app.
If you don’t have a Prime subscription and aren’t ready to pay, you can still try Alexa+ chat available on Alexa.com and in the Alexa app. This text interface works like many other chatbots, including ChatGPT, and can be used to get quick answers, plan projects, research, and explore new topics.
Alexa+ Free Chat is considered a simple preview version of Alexa+. Free chat users do not get unlimited usage.
Siri lags behind
The Alexa+ launch news is somewhat sobering for Apple, as it is more than a year and a half late in meeting its original deadline for a “new, improved Siri.” The company hoped to launch a more personalized assistant in September 2025.
However, the somewhat glacial rollout of Apple Intelligence alongside iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia was missing a key feature. The company pushed the rollout to coincide with the release of iOS 18.4, but it would end up missing that date as well.
In late 2025, Apple CEO Tim Cook suggested that the long-awaited Siri-enhanced Apple Intelligence would arrive “on time” in 2026, suggesting that Apple’s delayed AI ambitions are back on track. No specific date was given at the time, other than stating that it would happen sometime in the calendar year.
Recently, reports suggested that iOS 26.4, which is expected to be released in March or April, will be the update that will finally bring an improved and more personalized Siri to users’ pockets. However, it has also been reported that Apple engineers feel that Siri may not be ready for release.