Amazon employees beta-testing the company’s delayed Alexa+ voice assistant have reportedly questioned whether customers will pay for the service. The e-commerce giant launched the new Alexa for the public last month. This includes a more conversational speech mode and a new browser-based version of the AI-powered voice assistant. According to internal feedback from Amazon employees, testing the updated Alexa+ service has revealed significant technical issues and scepticism regarding its subscription value. In a Slack channel used by over 6,400 beta testers in October 2025, workers described the assistant’s performance as “unbearably erratic,” noting that routine smart-home tasks frequently failed once new features were enabled. According to a Business Insider report, these internal reports suggest that the assistant often ignored commands or became unresponsive, leading one employee to note: “All my experiences thus far with Alexa+, inclusive of this one, haven’t convinced me that, other than the improved conversation flow, anything would justify paying a subscription fee.”The feedback highlighted several instances where the assistant’s errors had real-world consequences. Another software engineer reported that a command to turn off a light caused the assistant to shut down a power strip instead. The employee wrote: “It turned off the power strip that my aquarium filter is on and killed my fish.”Other testers reported issues with music playback. One employee complained that the device would play music at full volume at 3 am or fail to play requested songs entirely. A third tester noted, “It’s so discouraging that we’re in Q4 2025 and Alexa+ still can’t play a song I ask for.” Some devices became so unresponsive that employees asked for instructions on how to opt out of the testing programme. “None of my devices, including the Alexa app, are responsive anymore,” a fourth employee wrote.“The behaviour has become unbearably erratic. I just wanted to test the new experiences, but I wasn’t expecting to get everything messed up,” one of the employees explained.Other testers said the assistant kept talking even after repeated requests to stop or suddenly played audio at full volume when no one was home.Beta testers also noted on Slack that Amazon’s Alexa+ was unreliable, often not responding to voice commands, losing Wi-Fi, or freezing. Some testers waited several minutes for replies, while others said their devices stopped working altogether. It’s important to note that the upgraded version of the Alexa+ voice assistant has been marred by years of delays and technical problems. It was released to the public earlier this year, yet it remains available only to users who request access or use newer devices.The long-awaited, upgraded Alexa+ voice assistant, whose rollout was plagued by technical difficulties and years of delays, was finally released to the public earlier this year. However, it is currently accessible only to users with newer devices or those who specifically request access.
What Amazon said about Alexa+ performance
Amazon has for years encouraged employees to test and openly criticise its own products so problems can be identified early. These internal tests are meant to catch bugs before wider rollout. However, the report noted that no new comments appeared in the Slack channel after October 2025, so it is unclear whether the reported issues were fixed.An Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider that the employee feedback is related to an internal version of Alexa+, which differs from what users currently receive and does not reflect the typical customer experience. The spokesperson said tens of millions of people now have access to Alexa+, and that the “overwhelming majority” of feedback has been positive.“As with any other consumer technology company, it’s a standard part of the development process to beta-test products and features internally, well before they’re distributed to customers,” the spokesperson said.Moreover, Andy Jassy, Amazon’s CEO, remains confident about Alexa+. Speaking to analysts in October, he said users spend more time interacting with Alexa+ and discuss a broader range of topics compared to the older version. Alexa+ is free for Prime members, while non-Prime members pay $19.99 per month.“We continue to be energised by the response to Alexa+ compared to what we call the classic Alexa experience,” Jassy said during last year’s earnings call.
