Alexa+ in Germany: price, Prime, devices and Early Access

What Alexa+ is

Alexa+ is the new version of Amazon's voice assistant. It is based on generative AI, the same kind of technology behind chatbots. According to Amazon, you can talk to it in normal language, change the subject and do not have to say Alexa before every sentence. It remembers preferences and is meant to get tasks done itself, such as booking a table via OpenTable, adding appointments or controlling several smart home devices with one sentence.

Amazon has adapted Alexa+ for Germany in German. At launch it works with Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, Prime Video and Audible among others, with smart home devices from Philips, Ring and Bosch and Siemens home appliances, and with content from ARD, BILD and Der Spiegel. According to Amazon, the original Alexa remains available if you prefer to stay with it.

What Alexa+ costs

During Early Access, Alexa+ is free. After that, according to Amazon: for Prime members, Alexa+ is included at no extra cost. Without Prime, you can subscribe to Alexa+ for 22.99 euros a month. Prime itself costs 8.99 euros a month or 89.90 euros a year, according to Amazon.

Amazon promises to inform Early Access customers at least 30 days before this phase ends. According to Amazon, nothing is charged automatically then; you only get a subscription without Prime if you actively sign up. Amazon gives no fixed end date. The blog appgefahren wrote in May that Early Access would be free until 15 September 2026. According to CHIP, however, Alexa+ was still running as free Early Access in early October.

Which devices support Alexa+

According to Amazon, Alexa+ works on most Echo devices. Some old models are excluded: Echo Dot, Echo Plus and Echo Spot in the first generation, the Echo in the first and second generation, and Echo Show in the first and second generation. They keep running the original Alexa.

Compatible Fire TV devices are also supported. appgefahren lists, among others, the Fire TV Stick 4K Select, 4K Plus and 4K Max, the Fire TV Cube and Amazon's Ember TVs. Once Alexa+ is enabled, it runs on all compatible devices in the household and in the Alexa app. According to heise, Alexa+ is also built into BMW vehicles.

Amazon also lists its Alexa tablets as compatible: Alexa Tablet 8, Alexa Tablet 11, Alexa Tablet 12 Pro and Amazon Kids Tablet 8 and 11.

According to Amazon, Fire tablets and other manufacturers' devices with built-in Alexa, such as Sonos speakers, are currently not supported.

How to get Alexa+

Amazon names two ways. First: you buy a new Echo device such as the Echo Show 8, Echo Show 11, Echo Dot Max or Echo Studio. According to appgefahren, Alexa+ is then enabled straight away. Second: if you already have a compatible Echo, you sign up on Amazon's Alexa+ page. Amazon grants access gradually and tells you by email and device notification.

Alexa+ is available in Germany and Austria, currently only in German. The device language must be set to German. Because this is a test phase, Amazon itself points out that Alexa+ will not always get everything right and asks for feedback.

What is still missing in Germany

Alexa+ is not yet available in a web browser. On the product page, Amazon labels browser access as coming soon, and the FAQ announces Alexa on the web for later this year.

Several partner services are still missing. Amazon announces TheFork, Tripadvisor, Kinoheld, GMX and Web.de, among others, for later in the year. According to Amazon, some of the features shown are still in development. In a first test, netzwelt concluded that Alexa+ understands much better, but that its usefulness in Germany is still limited by few partner services. Some features also need separate subscriptions, such as Amazon Kids+ or a Ring plan.