Alexa+ launches in Canada, the first country to get the next generation of Alexa outside the U.S.

Key takeaways

Alexa+ has launched in Canada as first international expansion, free for Prime members.
New assistant understands Canadian culture, from hockey teams to regional expressions.
Natural conversations replace commands: say "I'm cold" instead of "Turn up the heat."
Canadian-developed technology connects with local services like CBC and OpenTable.

My first experience with Alexa came during an especially busy chapter—when my son was born. Like many new parents, I spent those early months at home, hands full and constantly in motion. Being able to control my home, call my husband, or play music—without ever reaching for my phone—was invaluable. It helped me stay present in those small but important moments, while keeping life running smoothly in the background.

As with my family, for the past eight years Alexa has become an indispensable companion in Canadian homes, evolving from a helpful voice assistant to a trusted part of daily life. Canadians engage with Alexa over half a billion of times each month —asking for weather updates, setting timers, controlling smart home devices, and enjoying over 50 million hours of music monthly through their Echo devices.

When we first launched Alexa, that simple, voice-first experience revolutionized how people interact with technology. It still feels magical. Now, with over 600 million Alexa-enabled devices worldwide, the latest breakthrough in generative AI unlocks new possibilities, allowing us to reimagine the experience and help make customers’ lives across Canada better and easier every day.

Today marks the beginning of an entirely new chapter: we’re introducing Alexa+ to Canada. Launched in the U.S. only, earlier this year, Alexa+ is our smartest, most proactive AI assistant yet, designed to bring a heightened level of intelligence, responsiveness, and usefulness to the Alexa experience. From organizing your day and safeguarding your home to discovering new music, making dining reservations, or finding the perfect online purchase—Alexa+ handles it all through natural conversation. English-speaking Canadians can now sign up to join the Alexa+ Early Access phase and experience this transformative voice AI designed specifically for Canadians.

After using Alexa+ in my home for the last year, I want to share some of the great things about the new Alexa that have made a real difference in my daily life:

Talking to Alexa+ is like chatting with a friend

I’ve been struck by how natural and intuitive Alexa+ feels: it’s less an interaction with technology, and more a dialogue with a thoughtful assistant. Conversations flow effortlessly, whether you’re speaking in half-formed thoughts, using everyday expressions, or diving into complex ideas. Alexa+ understands what you mean, not just what you say, responding with the nuance and confidence of a trusted assistant.

You will find Alexa+ is deeply attuned to Canadian culture – recognizing regional expressions, following Canadian sports teams, appreciating homegrown music and culture, and navigating distinctly Canadian topics. Ask about her favourite hockey team or musician, and you'll discover Alexa+ feels right at home.

Alexa+ turns talk into action

Alexa+ is built on some of the most advanced large language models (LLMs) through Amazon Bedrock; but the real breakthrough isn’t just in what Alexa+ knows, it’s in what she can do. Alexa brings intelligence to life by coordinating your devices and services in a way that feels both effortless and genuinely helpful. To make this happen, we had to build an all-new architecture that could support multiple LLMs and connect to many services and devices—and teams in our Tech Hubs in Toronto and Vancouver played a big role in this journey. Alexa+ can now take things a step further with new agentic capabilities that let her get things done on your behalf.

Woman in car checking phone, Alexa+ notification shows 4 tickets available

Alexa+ seamlessly connects with services Canadians use daily. She can manage your smart home, connect to your favourite music provider, or make restaurant reservations through OpenTable. Alexa+ can help plan trip itineraries with Fodors, keep you informed with news from CBC, and connect you with Canadian artists and music scenes. She can also help you search for or buy virtually any item online and make useful suggestions based on your interests. And this is just the start—we're actively expanding our partnerships with services like Yelp, Uber Eats, Suno, and TripAdvisor coming soon. We look forward to integrating many more of your favourite Canadian services in the near future.

Alexa+ is personalized to you

Alexa+ isn’t just smart—she’s considerate, empathetic, inclusive, and even a little funny when it counts. Personalization means Alexa adapts to you over time: your preferences, your context, your routines. Alexa+ learns with you, remembers your favourite music, the books you read, even the foods you’d rather avoid. She adapts her tone and emotions across conversations—so it feels like you’re talking to someone who really knows you. And Alexa+ adapts to everyone in your household, using visual and voice ID to learn who is speaking, and can adjust her responses based on her audience.

You can tell Alexa+ about your daily routine, travel preferences, or how you like to unwind after work, and she’ll use that knowledge to make your day flow more smoothly. For example, if you’ve had a long day at the office, she might dim the lights, queue up your favourite playlist, and suggest winding down with a short meditation before bed. She will also remember that your mum is vegetarian or that your son refuses to eat broccoli, and take this into account when making restaurant recommendations or suggesting new recipes to cook.

Alexa+ is always there, yet never in the way

The new Alexa is your always available assistant: there when you need help, invisible when you don’t. Alexa+ anticipates what’s useful in the moment—warming the home before you arrive, starting the coffee when you wake, or flagging when a favourite show drops a new episode. This kind of intelligent anticipation transforms your relationship with technology: from one that demands your attention to one that quietly enhances your life, solving practical problems in a way that feels natural and intuitive.

This is what we call ambient AI: technology that empowers you without getting in your way, without distracting you from what matters most. Alexa+ works with your devices to provide contextual awareness and personalized experiences—anticipating your needs based on the time of day, your location in the home, or even your daily habits.

Alexa+ transforms your shopping experience

Shopping with Alexa+ feels remarkably intuitive and efficient. When you're running low on household essentials, simply say, "Alexa, I need more paper towels," and she'll suggest your preferred brand at the best price, confirming details before placing your order. Planning a special dinner? Ask Alexa+ to help you plan your shopping list, and she'll take into account any dietary or food preferences. Alexa+ can even track package deliveries, notify you about price drops on items in your wish list, or help you discover new products based on your interests. When you're browsing on Amazon.ca and need advice, Alexa+ can compare features across products, summarize verified customer reviews, or suggest complementary items—all through natural conversation that feels like shopping with a knowledgeable friend who knows your preferences.

Amazon Alexa+ smart display showing search results for leak-proof travel mugs

Alexa+ manages your home

Canadian customers have interacted with Alexa over 20 billion times in the last three years —and Alexa+ will take all these conversations to a next new level. Now you can control your entire smart home with natural conversation rather than specific commands.

For example, while cooking in the kitchen, you can ask, “Alexa, play my favourite artist,” and Alexa+ will start playing it on your nearby Echo Show. As you move to the living room, just say, “Alexa, move the music here” and it continues seamlessly. You can also say, “Alexa, play CBC News everywhere,” to fill your home with sound, or “Alexa, show me the front door,” to check your Ring camera and see if that package made it through the snowstorm.

And now, with Alexa+, you can do even more—just by speaking naturally. Say “I’m cold,” and Alexa+ knows to turn up the heat, or “It’s dark,” and the lights come on automatically. You can even create custom Routines entirely by voice, combining multiple actions—like adjusting lights, playing music, and sharing the weather forecast—without ever opening the app.

Alexa+ is built with privacy and security in mind

We designed Alexa+ the same way we approach building any product—we set out to create something we think customers will love, while also designing it to protect their privacy and security, and provide all the transparency and control that customers expect from Amazon. Customers can easily review their interactions—the attachments they share, notes in Remember This, voice recordings, —and use the Alexa Privacy dashboard to control their most important privacy settings. And Alexa-enabled devices are designed with multiple layers of protection—this hasn’t changed with the introduction of Alexa+. For example, customers can still expect microphone and camera controls and a visual indicator to let customers know when Alexa is listening to their request.

Alexa+ costs $27.99 CAD per month, but is free for all Prime members

Alexa+ will be free during the Early Access phase. After Early Access, Alexa+ will cost $27.99 CAD per month, but remain free for all Prime members as the newest Prime benefit — further enhancing the tremendous value Canadians already enjoy through benefits like fast, free shipping, Amazon Photos, Amazon Music, Prime Reading, Prime Video, and Amazon Luna.

Alexa+ Early Access will start rolling out in Canada today. If you want to be one of the first to try this new experience, you can purchase a new eligible Echo device. Customers who already own certain Echo devices can sign up to try Alexa+ Early Access by visiting www.amazon.ca/newalexa. We plan to invitetens of thousands of Canadians every week to enjoy the new experience, expanding in waves over the coming months.

One of the best ways to enjoy and discover all the capabilities of Alexa+ is through our new Echo devices, which have been purpose-built for Alexa+. The all-new Echo Show 8,Echo Show 11, Echo Dot Max, and Echo Studio represent the most advanced Echo lineup we’ve ever created, delivering more processing power, memory, and edge-based computing, along with next-generation sensors. These enhancements enable Alexa+ to provide truly ambient, generative AI experiences that adapt to your needs and blend seamlessly into daily life. With a refreshed design and premium materials, these Echo devices not only sound smarter—they look it, too.

I'm incredibly excited about Alexa+ coming to Canada, and I can't wait for you to try it!

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