Gadronics Alexa+ is officially going international, and Canada is the first stop.
Amazon has launched its next-generation AI-powered assistant for Canadian users, and it is included as a free benefit for Prime members. Non-Prime customers will be able to pay for access later, but the Early Access phase is free for everyone who gets in.
Amazon says Alexa+ is built around natural conversation instead of rigid voice commands. You can say things like “I’m cold” and Alexa+ will understand that it should turn up the heat, or “It’s dark” and the lights will come on without you needing to remember specific phrases. The assistant is also tuned to Canadian life, recognising regional expressions, following local hockey teams and music, and connecting with services such as CBC and OpenTable, so it feels more at home in Canada.
Alexa+ runs on large language models through Amazon Bedrock and uses a new architecture that can coordinate many services and devices at once. That setup gives it more agent-like abilities, letting it plan a trip with Fodor’s, book a restaurant table, surface local news, or manage your smart home. It can also help you shop by comparing products and reordering your usual essentials. Amazon says more partners are coming soon, including Yelp, Uber Eats, Suno and TripAdvisor, with additional Canadian services expected later.
Personalisation sits right at the heart of what Alexa+ is trying to do. Alexa+ uses voice and visual identification to recognise who is speaking and can adjust its tone, suggestions, and routines for each person in the household. Over time, it learns what you like to listen to, how you prefer to unwind, or even which foods or ingredients certain family members avoid. That knowledge feeds into the routines Alexa+ creates for you over time. After a long day, it might dim the lights, start a favourite playlist and suggest a short meditation, or remember that your mum is vegetarian when it recommends recipes or nearby restaurants.
- Alexa+ is here, but is it remarkable?
Amazon also stresses that privacy controls remain central. Customers can review their interactions and manage recordings and notes using the Alexa Privacy Dashboard. And Echo devices still include hardware controls for microphones and cameras, along with a clear indicator when Alexa is listening.
Alexa+ will stay free for Prime members even after Early Access wraps up, while non-Prime customers will pay 27.99 CAD per month if they want to subscribe. Early Access is starting to roll out across Canada now.
You can sign up at the new Alexa page on Amazon Canada or by picking up one of the latest Echo devices, which have been designed with extra processing power and sensors to make the most of Alexa+ and its more ambient generative AI features.
The post Amazon’s Alexa+ finally launches outside of the US appeared first on The Ambient.
