“Alexa+ is much more powerful than the original Alexa, which is why we’re working to make it available to as many customers as possible,” an Amazon spokesperson said. “We have notified customers of the upcoming update, including the option to revert to the original version.”
Amazon says it is only upgrading Prime members with supported devices to Alexa+ Early Access as part of this fresh push. Alexa+ is currently free, and Prime members will continue to get it for free after the first full version launches, but it will cost $20 per month for non-Prime members once it officially launches. The list of supported devices is also extensive and includes the first generations of Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, Echo Spot and even Echo Plus. There’s a long list of compatible Fire TV and Fire tablets, so depending on how many Amazon-powered devices you have and whether you’re a Prime member, you may see Alexa+ in several places.
How to go back to the original Alexa
Photo: Nena Farrell
If you don’t want to upgrade or don’t like the experience, you can easily revert to the previous version. Just tell your Alexa device, “Alexa, exit Alexa Plus,” and your device will revert to the original Alexa voice and experience. This works on supported Echo devices. You’ll no longer see a chatbot-like conversation style, and your assistant’s responses will become less conversational.
Plus, you won’t really lose your core capabilities. Personally, I haven’t found that I need to change how I ask questions between the two versions of the voice assistant. The on-screen experience and voices have returned to something very similar (if not slightly updated, although I’m using the latest Echo Show 11 to test it) to how I remember Alexa before I switched to Alexa+. Amazon will also warn you that some features of the Alexa app will need to change if you revert to an older version, but it won’t specify what those are or make it basic to find those settings.
If you’re not a Prime member and haven’t received an automatic push to Alexa+, you should still be able to easily switch it in the app or even on your device by asking to switch to Alexa+. There is no longer a registration page like there used to be as there is no waiting list. To find details on how to access Alexa+ and manage your controls, see the Memberships and Subscriptions section of your Amazon account.
Alexa vs. Alexa+
Even if you ask to go back to the ancient Alexa, right Really ancient Alexa? Although it is the same voice, Feminine 2 (or “Relaxed”), our band – together with other users on Reddit— I noticed some changes in the voice, which made it sound different than before. You can also utilize the Feminine 2 with Alexa+, so the voice itself has likely been updated to keep up with the more conversational style that Alexa+ promises.
Some people also hate the fresh default voice, Feminine 1, which the Alexa app describes as “upbeat,” but others call it a “teenage girl” voice. (Or as my editor, a parent of a teenager, calls it, “the sassy voice of a teenager.”) The fresh Alexa sounds much younger and its rhythm sounds almost sarcastic. In total, Alexa+ offers four female and four male voices, each of which is described in the app with one adjective, such as “Inviting” or “Warm”.