A month ago, users have been bombarded with ads and encouraged to try Alexa Plus for free by compatible Echo devices. This was an easy choice, but only if you wanted to be s. The Amazon Alexa Plus upgrade is now requiring users with no opt-out to be upgraded, and it’s forcing them to use the same product on their own. You still have a choice, though, to .
Alexa Plus Upgrade With No Warning
Last week, a big surprise was given to many Amazon Prime members by their favorite . Alexa Plus, the new Amazon AI assistant (with no prompt or permission from user), suddenly became their Echo devices’ emulators of an Amazon device with zero prompt and no permission.
The ads have appeared on my own Echo display, and I’ve seen the ads. At the Early Access period, I had to ask Alexa for ‘free start up process’ of upgrading me. It was a I tried it. But I hated it. The much more useful original Alexa I reverted to the . It is, I chose the difference ‘I had to choose between s.
When affected users are notified they receive an email saying that the new Prime perks is an Amazon Alexa Plus upgrade on all compatible devices attached to their account. This is a forced and unwanted upgrade to an increasingly realistic email might state users. However, after all, if users really wanted to upgrade their skills, they would have already been up for the following.
In Reddit, there is already a lengthy discussion of the force upgrade of Alexa Plus:
I personally did not get the message, but this may be because I tried it and reverted. I may wake up tomorrow and have to re-downgrade from the less useful or “delightful Alexa experience” that has been helpful. – ’.
Related : Why Is Alexa Yellow? Find out what do the Echo light rings mean.
Major Issues with Alexa Plus
First, this may not be a problem for . But Alexa Plus is reputed to be better at multi-tasking, speaking in a more conversational manner like other popular chatbots, no need to repeat “Alexa” for every command, learning more about the user’s preferences and performing agentic tasks such as booking trips and scoring concert tickets.
I wasn’t impressed with in real life. It was a nightmare for me and to many other users, it was for myself. I was faced with a number of issues, including.
- Stopping mid-conversation and talking about something unrelated
- A ton more ads than before
- Irrelevant recommendations that make me question what Amazon thinks it knows about me
- A massive increase in answering when I never used the wake word or tried to interact with Alexa
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- Constant problems with smart home integration, including not responding to commands, duplicating commands or long delays in smart house devices responding.
- Problems with simple commands I often use, such as checking weather and playing Spotify
- The voice is annoying and a bit too conversational and casual, while being difficult to adjust
My favorite thing was to give Alexa a number of commands without having to say “Alexa” first all the time. I had a few lights that never connected to the original Alexa, finally connect with them but getting Alex A Plus to turn them on/off correctly didn’t always work as expected.
Image source: Unsplash
After a week, I gave up and reverted. So, I understand why Prime users are upset.
You Can Downgrade Alexa Plus
Relax, if you hate Alexa Plus as much as I did for Alexi plus. After the upgrade process completes you can downgrade to original Alexa. But if you just choose not to upgrade it’s easier, yes, but Amazon has taken that option away.
Two ways are there voice and app. It is the easiest way to use the voice method, though many users say that after Amazon Alexa Plus was forced it may take several tries for this to work.
Alexa, disable Alexa Plus just by saying “Alexana”? Also try “Alexa, end Early Access –’ You can also test. Alexa tries to push the upgrade is great, but when she asks for an option to turn off Alex A Plus. When Alexa agrees, all devices connected to your account will be reverted to the original Alex A.A. when she agreed with it.
Alternatively, you can use the Alexa app on your phone as well. What is the “I want Alexa Plus” to end in the AskAlexa box? If you are asked for confirmation, just reply ‘**Yes****’ when it is asked. You’ll receive an email saying you’ve downgraded to. A link to re-upgrade is also available for s if you want them.
Problems With Ads
The ads with Alexa Plus were also noticed by dozens of users, including myself, who saw more ads. That was a decline when s were no longer in the original version. I still get ads, of course, but all users get advertisements. And that’s how Amazon supports the service and allows you to use it for free.
But Alexa Plus is a premium service you have to pay for eventually. When Early Access ends, it’s an included perk for Amazon Prime members and $20/month for non-Prime members after the end of its early access.
The Alexa Plus version has more ads, so that’s what you shouldn’t have to deal with. In the Alexa app, some users have reported re-using the voice to another version of English (including Canadian English) in order to reduce the ads. It may also stop Alexa from ‘upgrading you’ as it is for .
The easiest way to reduce ads is to keep your Echo in photo frame mode or use a skill that keeps ‘background active’. Both of these are not paused by Alexa with ads from either of them.
The original Alexa is likely to be phased out by Amazon over time, and it could mean that the original aliasa may have been discontinued. Unless you don’t like the forced Amazon Alexa Plus upgrade, you have to stick with that for the time now. The most important thing is having the option.
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