Internal feedback from Amazon employees who are beta-testing the company's long-delayed Alexa+ voice assistant has revealed significant technical problems and deep skepticism about whether customers will be willing to pay a subscription fee for the service. The upgraded AI assistant was launched for the public earlier this year, but remains limited to users with newer devices or those who request access.
Internal Reports Highlight 'Unbearably Erratic' Performance
According to a report by Business Insider, feedback from over 6,400 Amazon employee beta testers in a Slack channel from October 2025 painted a troubling picture. Testers described the Alexa+ service's performance as "unbearably erratic." They noted that enabling new features frequently caused routine smart-home commands to fail. The assistant often ignored voice commands or became completely unresponsive.
One employee's feedback summarized the prevailing doubt: "All my experiences thus far with Alexa+, inclusive of this one, haven't convinced me that, other than the improved conversation flow, anything would justify paying a subscription fee."
Real-World Consequences and Frustrating Glitches
The internal reports included alarming instances where Alexa+'s errors had tangible, negative effects. A software engineer reported that a simple command to turn off a light caused the assistant to shut down an entire power strip. "It turned off the power strip that my aquarium filter is on and killed my fish," the employee wrote.
Other widespread issues involved music playback. Testers complained of the device suddenly playing music at full volume at 3 AM or failing to play requested songs altogether. "It's so discouraging that we're in Q4 2025 and Alexa+ still can't play a song I ask for," a third tester noted. Some devices became so unresponsive that employees sought instructions on how to exit the testing program.
Amazon's Response and CEO's Confidence
In response to these reports, an Amazon spokesperson stated that the employee feedback pertains to an internal version of Alexa+, which differs from the version available to customers and does not reflect the typical user experience. The spokesperson emphasized that beta testing is a standard part of the development process and that tens of millions of people now have access to Alexa+, with the "overwhelming majority" of feedback being positive.
Despite the internal criticism, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy remains optimistic. Speaking to analysts in October, he stated that users interact with Alexa+ for longer durations and on a wider range of topics compared to the classic Alexa. The service is free for Amazon Prime members, while non-Prime users are charged $19.99 per month.
"We continue to be energised by the response to Alexa+ compared to what we call the classic Alexa experience," Jassy said during an earnings call. The rollout of Alexa+ has been plagued by years of delays and technical challenges, making its public release a closely watched milestone for the e-commerce giant's AI ambitions.
