I’ve been using Alexa+ for two weeks – here are 3 things that stood out most

Even though Alexa+ isn’t technically brand new, that didn’t stop many of us in the UK from getting a little excited when it finally arrived here a couple of weeks ago. Watching other countries get access months earlier definitely builds the anticipation, so once it arrived, it was time to see what all the fuss was about.

Luckily, I already own one of the newer Amazon Echo Show models, which meant the update arrived almost immediately. It’s pretty clear that Amazon is prioritising newer devices first, so some of you may still be waiting for the update to roll out.

In the meantime, I thought I’d share three things I’ve learned after using Alexa+ for the past two weeks, so you know what to expect.

1. You'll never hear "Hmm, I'm not quite sure how to answer that” again

Alexa+ has always been positioned as a big upgrade from the original Alexa experience, but you don’t really realise how much until you start using it. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve asked my speaker just about everything I could think of.

Instead of simple queries, I’ve been throwing much more complicated questions at it. This includes things like“Alexa, if I’ve planted my sweet peas too early, will they grow leggy when they finally germinate?” or even “Alexa, my partner supports Tottenham – what could I say to cheer him up before they get relegated?”

Questions that previously would have triggered the classic “Hmm, I’m not quite sure how to answer that” are now met with surprisingly detailed responses. Alexa+ feels much more conversational and knowledgeable, and so far I’ve struggled to completely stump it.

2. It can actually do things for you

This is another feature that might sound a bit gimmicky at first, but once you try it, it’s incredibly impressive. Alexa+ can now turn requests into real actions, rather than simply giving you information. You can ask it to book restaurant tables, send emails, create plans or organise tasks that would normally take several steps on your phone or laptop.

I’ve actually been using my sister’s upcoming hen do as a test case whilst planning things. For example, I asked Alexa to find highly rated caterers in the Suffolk area, check their availability for a specific date and even help generate an invitation that I could send to the group. If you’re using an Echo Show with a display, it works even better, since you can see visuals and suggestions on-screen.

3. It's slightly annoying, but you can change that

That said, Alexa+ isn’t perfect, and one thing I noticed quite quickly is that it can be very annoying. Sometimes it gives very long answers when you really only wanted a quick response, and the enthusiastic tone can feel a lot first thing in the morning. I've also found the British nuances slightly strange at first, although that might just be because I’ve been used to the original Alexa for so long.

The good news is that you can actually train Alexa+ to behave more how you want it to. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve asked it to give shorter responses to certain questions and tone down the enthusiasm during early mornings – although that probably says more about me than anything. Like any AI system, the more you use it and adjust things, the better it seems to work for you.

There are still plenty of features I haven’t explored yet, and I’m only a couple of weeks into using Alexa+. However, if this is just the beginning, it’s clear there’s a lot more to discover in the weeks ahead.