Alexa Plus AI update expands smart home commands
Amazon says Alexa Plus will connect with more smart home devices and route complex voice requests to the right product.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
Amazon is rolling out an Alexa Plus AI update that lets its upgraded assistant work with more smart home devices and carry out more detailed commands. The change matters for households with connected appliances and gadgets because Amazon says Alexa Plus will be able to direct a request to the proper device without the user naming every setting.
Amazon said the update adds support for products from Bosch, Delta, Ecovacs, iRobot, Yale Home, Whirlpool, Tapo, Eufy and other companies. The company said Alexa Plus will be able to connect with those devices in new ways, including handling devices with functions that earlier Alexa integrations did not support.
What can the Alexa Plus AI update do?
Amazon gave the example of a person asking Alexa to deep-clean a child’s soccer jersey while keeping to a cold-wash instruction on the clothing tag. In that case, Amazon said Alexa Plus could review the washing machine’s available cycles and select an appropriate setting.
The new device connections use an AI developer toolkit from Amazon. The company said the toolkit is meant to make it easier for device makers to build Alexa Plus support, including for products with more specialized controls.
Amazon launched its revised Alexa Plus assistant more broadly in February. The assistant can already handle multi-step requests and help users create routines by voice, according to Amazon.
Its outside-service support has remained limited so far. Amazon has listed integrations with services including Ticketmaster, OpenTable, Uber, Thumbtack, Expedia, Yelp, Square and Angi.
How is Amazon adding more Alexa Plus integrations?
Amazon is also using the Model Context Protocol, known as MCP, to broaden what Alexa Plus can connect to. MCP is an open-source standard that lets AI models communicate with external systems and tools, which can make it easier for companies to plug their services into an AI assistant.
Amazon said more companies will bring Alexa Plus integrations later this year, including Canva, Headspace, Priceline, Lyft, Cengage, Virgin Atlantic and Weekend. Those integrations are separate from the smart home device support but point to the same goal: making Alexa Plus useful beyond basic voice commands.
Priceline will let customers search hotel choices and book travel through Alexa Plus, according to Amazon. The company also said Priceline, Atom Tickets, Cengage, Fandango and Taskrabbit will add support for payments through Amazon Wallet.
The update shows Amazon trying to turn Alexa Plus into a more capable assistant for both devices and services. The practical test will be whether supported brands expose enough controls for Alexa Plus to complete complex requests reliably.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.