Amazon Australia launches Alexa+ with AI tech that can book a dinner reservation, order gifts, track product prices and even check on your pets

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Amazon Australia has just given its most popular smart assistant an upgrade, and it’s set make Australians’ lives so much easier. 

Alexa+ is the new, AI-powered version of the home tech, and while you may be familiar with the classic version for playing music or asking a quick question to Google, the new version one takes things to another level. 

The new Alexa+ isn’t designed to just answer back – it can chat, remember and understand what’s happening in your home, recognise different family members’ voices, and it’s even been programmed to understand Aussie slang. 

98 per cent of Aussies already own an Alexa-compatible device such as an Amazon Echo, and if you’re one of them, you can get early access to Alexa+ for free, after which it will also be included free for all Prime members.  

If you don’t yet own an Echo or similar, grabbing one during this early access phase allows you to opt in for free to Alexa+ for a limited time. 

And there’s no shortage of amazing things the new system can do, from booking a table at a restaurant to learning your favourite recipes while remembering your food preferences and knowing your music choices. 

But that’s just the first step, because Alexa+ takes this knowledge and uses it to take dozens of tasks off your plate.  

With home essentials and brands like Harris Farm available through Amazon, Alexa+ can build you a shopping list and order the ingredients too – tell it that your child is vegetarian, or it’s a friend’s birthday this week, and it can adjust your cart to add veggie options, a card and a cake.

As well as being able to communicate conversationally rather than allow on commands, Amazon have also tuned it to be aware of Australian slang and culture, so it knows you won’t need lunch if you’re heading to Bunnings on a weekend, and what you mean by: ‘Remind me to fill up at the servo this arvo.’

One of the most useful features is price tracking and comparison – if you tell Alexa+ you’d like to buy a new pair of headphones, it can compare brands and reviews and let you know if the price drops. 

It can connect with smart gadgets too, working with everything from Amazon’s Fire TV Stick to play your favourite movies and to your Ring doorbell when you need to check your pets are safe at home. 

For those into other smart home devices, Alexa+ can also link with smart lightbulbs, aircon and even certain coffee machines and other electronics, allowing you to control them from afar.

Alexa+ is designed to make all your gadgets work together properly, so you only need to say: ‘Alexa, it’s dark,’ to turn on some lights or keep track of kids’ schedules stress-free. 

If you have more than one hub or home device like an Echo, music can follow you between devices, so you can seamlessly enjoy music or an audiobook while moving around your home. 

And if you’ve got a Ring doorbell, you can even ask Alexa whether a parcel’s turned up instead of scrolling back through camera footage.

While all Echo hubs are compatible with the new tech, the Echo Show 8, Echo Show 11, Echo Dot Max, and Echo Studio have been purpose built with Alexa+ in mind, so these are the ones to consider to get the full benefits.  

Purchasing one of the newer Echo models is the quickest way to get free access to Alexa+, while anyone who already owns an Echo can register for access at amazon.com.au/newalexa

If you aren’t subscribed to Prime, this could be a good time to change that – those without Prime will eventually be charged $29.99 per month to access Alexa+, while Prime membership will set you back only $9.99 per month. 

The launch of Amazon’s Alexa+ to Australians is just the first step in a plan to overhaul the AI assistant, with new features also planned with Tripadvisor, and a dedicated online version where you can use Alexa+ directly in your browser.