Amazon announced on August 19, 2026, that its AI assistant Alexa+ will be available for free to all compatible Fire TV devices in the US, regardless of Prime subscription status [1, 2, 3, 4]. Previously, Alexa+ required either an Amazon Prime membership or a monthly subscription costing $19.99 for non-Prime users [1, 3, 4].
Starting today, Amazon will automatically upgrade all supported Fire TV users in the US to Alexa+, with no need to download an app or sign up for a subscription [1, 2, 4]. Compatible devices include current-generation Fire TV Sticks, Fire TV Cube, Amazon Ember smart TVs, and smart TVs from Hisense and Panasonic that have Alexa+ built in [1, 2, 4].
Alexa+ offers a more conversational AI experience than the original Alexa assistant. It allows users to make natural language requests such as movie or show recommendations, jumping to specific scenes, and controlling smart home devices via the Fire TV interface [1, 2, 3, 4]. Amazon said Alexa+ users have nearly twice as many conversations with the assistant on Fire TV compared to the original Alexa, illustrating deeper engagement [1, 3, 4]. Amazon said, "Alexa+ delivers a smarter, more conversational voice experience than the original Alexa assistant" and that "Alexa+ users have almost twice as many chats on Fire TV with the bot as they did with Alexa" [3].
The AI can search tens of millions of movies, TV shows, and sports programs, enabling contextual follow-up queries for improved recommendations [3, 4]. It also integrates with smart home devices, allowing users to view Ring camera feeds, control smart locks, and manage lighting from Fire TV [1, 2, 3, 4].
Alexa+ launched officially in February 2026 after years of development, featuring improved natural language understanding beyond prior Alexa versions [4]. Amazon plans to expand the Alexa+ free access to more devices and other regions over time, though the current free availability applies only to US users [2, 4].
