“Alexa+ is significantly more capable than the original Alexa, so we’re working to make it available to as many customers as possible,” an Amazon spokesperson said. “We have informed customers about the upcoming update, including how to revert to the original version.”
Amazon says it only upgrades Prime members with supported devices to Alexa+ Early Access in this new push. Alexa+ is currently free and Prime members will continue to get it for free when the first full version launches, but it will cost $20 per month once it officially launches for non-Prime members. The list of supported devices is also generous, including early generations of the Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, Echo Spot and even Echo Plus. There is a long list of Fire TV and Fire tablets that are also compatible. So depending on how many Amazon devices you have and whether you’re a Prime member, you might see Alexa+ in multiple places.
How to revert to original Alexa
Photography: Nena Farrell
If you don’t want to upgrade or don’t like the experience, it’s easy to go back. Simply tell your Alexa device, “Alexa, exit Alexa Plus” and it will revert to the original Alexa voice and experience. It works on supported Echo devices. You will no longer see the chatbot style of conversation and the assistant’s responses will be less conversational.
Other than that, you won’t really lose your core abilities. Personally, I haven’t found that I need to change the way I ask questions between the two versions of the voice assistant. The on-screen and voice experience is back to something very similar (although not slightly updated, although I’m using the most recent version). Echo Show 11 to test it) to what I remember from Alexa before switching to Alexa+. Amazon will also warn you that some features will need to be changed in the Alexa app if you go back to the old experience, but doesn’t specify what those are or make those settings easy to find.
If you’re not a Prime member and haven’t received the automatic push to Alexa+, you should still be able to enable it fairly easily in the app or even on your device by requesting to switch to Alexa+. There is no registration page like before, since there is no waiting list. To find details about your Alexa+ access and manage controls, visit Memberships & Subscriptions in your Amazon account.
Alexa vs. Alexa+
Even if you ask to go back to the old Alexa, is it Really old Alexa? Although it is the same voice, Féminin 2 (or “Relaxed”), our team, as well as other users on Reddit– I noticed that some of the voice inflections changed, making it different from what it was before. You can also use Feminine 2 while you’re in Alexa+, so the voice itself has likely been updated to follow the more conversational style Alexa+ promises.
Some people also hate the new default voice, Feminine 1, which the Alexa app describes as “upbeat,” but others call the voice “teenage.” (Or as my editor, parent of a teenager, calls it, “sassy teen” voice). The new Alexa looks much younger and has a cadence that seems almost sarcastic. In total, Alexa+ offers four female and four male voices, each of which is described in the app by a single adjective like “Inviting” or “Warm.”
