Alexa moves beyond Echo devices
For more than a decade, Alexa has primarily lived inside Echo speakers and the Alexa mobile app, responding to voice commands to play music, set timers or control smart homes. As user expectations around artificial intelligence evolve, Amazon is now expanding Alexa’s role beyond voice-only interactions.
Alexa+ launches in the browser
Starting this week, Amazon is rolling out a web-based version of its next-generation assistant, Alexa+. Visiting Alexa.com may now open a chatbot-style interface that allows users to type questions, upload documents and interact with Alexa directly from a browser.
This marks a strategic shift as Amazon positions Alexa alongside AI platforms like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, where text-based interaction, document analysis and longer-form responses are now standard.
What users can do with Alexa+ on the web
The web version of Alexa+ features a central chat window similar to other AI assistants. Users can type prompts instead of speaking, upload files for analysis, and receive written explanations or summaries. Suggested prompts appear to guide interactions, and responses can be copied for reuse.
A sidebar displays conversation history from Echo devices, uploaded documents and basic smart home controls, enabling continuity across devices. Amazon highlights productivity use cases such as trip planning, document review, letter drafting, study guides, shopping assistance and calendar or list management.
Early-stage features and limitations
Compared with more mature AI chat platforms, Alexa+ on the web currently lacks advanced tools such as custom bots, creative workspaces or deep file-handling capabilities. Amazon describes the experience as an early-stage rollout, with features expected to evolve over time.
Pricing and future plans
During the testing phase, Alexa+ on the web is available for free. Amazon plans to include it as part of Prime subscriptions in the future, while non-Prime users are expected to pay a monthly fee of $20.
A shift in Amazon’s AI strategy
By bringing Alexa+ to the web, Amazon signals a broader ambition to transform Alexa from a voice assistant into a cross-device AI hub. The move reflects changing user behavior, where typing, multitasking and file analysis are increasingly central to how people interact with AI.
As competition intensifies among AI platforms, Amazon’s expansion of Alexa+ shows it is aiming to stay relevant in a landscape where productivity and contextual intelligence matter as much as voice control.
