Not all Echo devices will get Alexa Plus – see if yours made the list

Amazon has announced a gen AI-powered Alexa Plus, a revamped version of its popular virtual assistant that leverages the power of generative artificial intelligence to enhance the user experience. Alexa Plus is exactly what you may have envisioned when you first heard of voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google, but without the accompanying disappointment at their shortcomings. 

The improved voice assistant will be able to generate responses instead of repeating what it’s been programmed to say. With generative AI, Alexa Plus will also hold more natural conversations with users rather than listening to a prompt and responding with an action. It will support memory to recall preferences and conversations and will maintain context throughout a conversation, so it will remember what you asked at the beginning of a chat and respond in that context.

Also: Everything announced at Amazon’s Alexa event: Alexa Plus, new Echo Show UI, and more

But Alexa Plus will not be available for all Echo devices, at least not initially. Here’s a list of the Echo devices that will support Alexa Plus when it begins rolling out over the next month:

Echo devices compatible with Alexa Plus

• Echo Show 8
• Echo Show 10
• Echo Show 15
• Echo Show 21

Amazon said it is prioritizing these Echo Show displays in the early access period of Alexa Plus, so the revamped virtual assistant could eventually be available on other Echo devices not listed above.

Also: 7 exciting AI features coming with Alexa Plus (and how to get the service for free)

Every Echo device that initially won’t support Alexa Plus

• Echo Show 5
• Echo Show 5 Kids
• Echo Hub
• Echo
• Echo Dot
• Echo Dot Kids
• Echo Pop
• Echo Spot
• Echo Studio
• Echo Auto
• Echo Buds

Here’s the official text from the company:

“[Alexa Plus] will be available on all Echo devices, with the exception of certain older generation Echo devices like Echo Dot 1st Gen, Echo 1st Gen, Echo Plus 1st Gen, Echo Tap, Echo Show 1st Gen, Echo Show 2nd Gen, and Echo Spot 1st Gen, where you can continue to use the original Alexa. You’ll also be able to try Alexa+ on your web browser, the Alexa app, compatible Fire TVs and Fire tablets. This experience is not currently supported on Alexa Built-in devices and Amazon Astro, however we look forward to expanding Alexa+ to additional devices in the future.”

Amazon has a big lineup of smart speakers that won’t initially support Alexa Plus’ generative AI features, but that’s not to say they won’t gain compatibility later.