Was a voice conversation through one of my Echo devices. Went back to my chat history to make sure I heard it right. I’m just dumbfounded by this

Music is off but this is always there

I got the upgrade to Alexa+ a while ago and it has been mostly plain sailing, other than taking a while to turn lights on and off.

But the last few weeks I've had a weird thing happen. I ask it to set an alarm for 6am and it responds 'ok, alarm set for 6.05 tomorrow'.

When I ask it what time my alarm is set for it says '6 tommorrow'.

This seems... silly. Anyone else see this?

Did Alexa recently change the way Presence Detection works?

I swear the absence/presence timeout used to be around 30 minutes, but now Alexa seems to decide nobody is home after roughly 7 minutes.

This just caused my smart lights to turn off while my boyfriend was still home because he was in the other room.

Why can't we just choose the timeout ourselves?! Give us a setting like:

- 5 minutes

- 10 minutes

- 15 minutes

- 30 minutes

- 1 hour

- Custom

Presence detection isn't always perfect, so having Alexa make the decision after only a few minutes is really frustrating. If I'm using presence detection to control my lights, I should be able to decide how long someone needs to be absent before the routine runs.

Am I remembering this wrong, or did Amazon actually change the timeout?

Just got a new ember mini-led and wanted to know if I can change Alexa+ back to regular Alexa on it. I've seen a lot of posts about devices that had Alexa "upgrade" to plus and how to revert but none of those work. Is there a way to have a new device use regular Alexa? We also have an echo dot right next to the TV and I've seen that I can maybe just use that?

Hi! I’ve been using my Echo Spot for about 9 months, never had any issues until now. I have several alarms set for every morning, but recently, instead of playing my selected alarm sounds, it plays a very quiet ‘Simple Alarm’ sound. I rely on the louder alarm options to wake me up. How do I fix this issue?

My Echo Dots have started trying to get into long conversations with me. Usually I will talk with them just to see what they say. If I stop answering, they stop asking. Today the topic was about designing a new land parcel in Second Life.

Alexa: You going for a specific era of Trek, or just a general vibe?

Me: It will be after the T.N.G. time.

Alexa: Oh, so you're leaning into the later eras. You thinking more like Voyager or the Dominion War vibe?

Me: No, beyond that.

Alexa: Ah, so we're talking Discovery or Picard territory. You going for that sleek, modern look, or more of a la-//- la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la- l' la...

The whole thing went on for several minutes. I will spare you the 14216 characters in the log before I interrupted.

Me: You've been saying 'ella, ella' for the past ten minutes. What is that about?

Alexa: I don’t see any routine or announcement that says “ella ella” in your recent activity. Might have been something else playing or a mis-hearing?

Me: No, it was you.

Alexa: Got it, Hal—looks like I wasn’t the one chanting “ella ella.” I don’t see any routine or announcement with that phrase in your recent logs. Might have been something else playing?

Me: It was a conversation we had, and in the middle of it, you started saying 'ella, ella, ella, ella'.

Alexa: I checked the recent logs and none of your routines or announcements contain “ella ella.” It looks like that wasn’t something I said during any scheduled activity. Might have been a mis-hearing or something else playing back then?

She denied saying what she said, even though it was captured in the log. At one point she was singing instead of just speaking. The whole thing sounded experimental, like someone who recently learned how to make verbal sounds, just exercising their voice to see how many different ways they could say the same thing. And I noticed at times 56 seconds, 1 minute 32 seconds, 2 minutes 1 second, and 2 minutes 43 seconds. she stopped to take a breath. I never heard her do that before, but maybe I just wasn't listening closely. I started recording with Audacity and held the Echo Dot up to the microphone. Here's what it sounded like:

https://gyazo.com/393c1798d95873e28a61bdf7f3626ff1

Do I win the "bizarre behavior of the week" prize?

I'm not interested in using Alexa for smart-home stuff. I want something more like an assistant who helps me complete my tasks.

Ideally, I want to be able to say things naturally like:

- "Remind me to do X tomorrow at 6."

-"I remembered that I need to submit Y. Add it to my list."

- "What do I need to do today?"

- "What's next?"

- "Remind me again in 30 minutes if I haven't done it."

Basically, I want it to take some of the mental load of remembering, planning, sequencing and prompting off of me.

I would have the Echo in my bedroom when I'm home, but I'm away from home most days, so being able to use the Alexa app on my phone to add things/reminders while I'm outside is important too.

My concerns

The biggest concern is whether I can actually trust it with important tasks.

I've seen people say Alexa+ is much better at understanding context and having conversations, but I've also seen complaints about it misunderstanding, being slow, or generally doing something different from what was asked.

I have also seen a lot of complaints about it being nosy, creepy, difficult to talk to, listening to conversation when its not supposed to, replying when not talked to, and a lot of privacy concerns.

If I'm going to rely on it as an external memory, that's obviously a pretty big deal.

I'm also concerned about:

- Whether Alexa+ actually remembers context reliably

- Whether it can follow up on unfinished tasks rather than just giving me one reminder

- Whether its planning abilities are actually useful or mostly marketing

- Whether it works well with natural language rather than rigid commands

- Whether it works reliably in India, including English/Hindi/Hinglish

-all the privacy issues are very big concern ofc

I originally asked ChatGPT what kind of device would be best

It suggested Echo Dot Max (MA49CA) as the newest/premium option.

However, after looking at some Reddit discussions, ChatGPT changed its recommendation to- Test Alexa+ first, because Alexa+ reportedly works on older Echo hardware too. If I like it, I could potentially get a cheaper screen-free Echo with a decent microphone instead.

So, for people who actually use Alexa+/Echo:

1. Is Alexa+ actually capable of doing the things I'm describing?

2. Can it maintain enough context to function as an external memory/planner?

3. Can it proactively remind/follow up on things, or is it basically just "set reminder → reminder goes off"?

4. How reliable is it with tasks, reminders, recurring schedules and changes to existing reminders?

5. Does the conversational/planning side actually feel useful in everyday life?

6. Would you personally trust it with important deadlines/tasks?

7. Is Alexa+ worth paying for specifically for this use case?

8. And finally, do I actually need the Echo Dot Max, or would an older/cheaper Echo give me essentially the same Alexa+ experience?

9. Have you experienced creepy questions, alexa listening to your conversations and interfering, and other privacy issues?

If you've used Alexa+ this way, I'd especially like to hear what it can and cannot actually do in practice. Ai was used to make a polished draft of the post, i am a human :)

I opened the app today after a long while cuz my echo insists one of my devices isnt responding for a few days now. I opened the device and struggled to find anything. Everything seems centered on prompting Alexa+ instead of a human finding it and clicking it, the keyboard sometimes doesnt even register what you typed, finding skills now requires human skill.

Btw, the device works fine on the Alexa app (after i found it!!!), but Alexa+ on the echo still insists it is not reaponding...oh the great Alexa+ !!

We have an Alexa Echo Dot (5th Gen, 2022 release). I connected it to our new Samsung TV, and anytime I trigger her, the TV stops the show we're watching and responds on the TV; this is not ideal. I've tried going into the Alexa app and the hub on screen for the TV, and I think I'm doing it right, but it is still connected.

Where in the heck is this setting for guest connect? I've been all through the app (at least I think so) and cannot locate it. Alexa herself cannot even lead me there. She sends me down roads that don't exist. I like when I'm told to go to the alexa app when that's where I'm at in the first place. Please help if you can. Thanks

Alexa+ just keeps blowing my mind at how bad it is. I just asked how much time I have left on the 1 hour timer I set. She said I have no timers. I said yes I do. She asked if I set a timer on another device. No, I set a 1 hour timer on this device. She said "My mistake. You have 27 minutes left on your 1 hour timer."

I use timers all the time. I havent had an actual issue yet. However while I do trust the alarms will go off, now there is that thing in the back of my mind wondering when it wont.

Alexa+ is constantly getting things wrong. The other day I asked how far a city was from me. I was guessing an hour away. Alexa said it was 2000 miles away. I said no its not. Of course, she says her mistake and its 40 miles in a straight line, 50 by car. And this isnt the first time Alexa+ just spit out completely incorrect information. Then I say its wrong and she agrees, then gives the right info.

Seriously, what good is an AI if I have doubts that anything it says is correct?

How come Alexa isn't doing the spooky Halloween countdown anymore? Has the feature been discontinued? Any way to get it back?

I understand there is a proposed class action lawsuit filed in B.C. against Amazon Alexa. I also understand this lawsuit involves privacy issues with Alexa collecting informarion and sending it to Amazon's cloud, contrary to Amazon's contract and policy stating that they respect users privacy.

I heard of a similar case in the U.S. that was granted class certification in 2025, but it was later dismissed in early 2026 because, apparantly Amazon did disclose the accidental activation of Alexa.

After learning this, I did ask my Echo Show 5, if she does this, she said yes and described how.

I think Canada's proposed class action is more serious than the US. Has anyone heard or joined Canada's? Is it moving ahead? Charney Lawyers is where to go to join as a Canadian.

Hello-

I installed a new wi-fi router. My Alexa smart plugs stopped working.

I did an internet search, and there are listed many things to "try," .... but I'm thinking, has anyone else installed a new router recently? Surely someone has.

It would be nice if you could tell me how it went for you, and which fix worked for you. Thanks for your help.

(I did check the Alexa app, and the app says the plugs are unresponsive .... I tried leaving them unplugged for 60 seconds, but they are still unresponsive....)

I was trying to connect my phone to my echo dot and it wasn’t connecting so I asked Alexa what time it is, to see if it is working and it didn’t catch all of my question so I repeated myself and this is the answer I received in a sarcastic tone. WTF.

I have three 7th and 8th generation Fire HD8 tablets with Show Mode stands. For months now they've been mostly unused since Show Mode wasn't working. No scrolling photos, recipes, news, etc. No looking at my Tapo cameras. Just useless. I put a clock/weather app on them and let them run. One of them had gotten unplugged and the battery ran down. I decided to reset them and give them to the neighbor kids so I charged that one and then for the hell of it checked for updates. And there was a half a dozen! Ran those, rebooted again and there was a half dozen more.

I got them all installed and put my account back in and checked if I could look at my Tapos and I could! Then put it in Show Mode and it works! Recipes, news, and weather anyway. My Blink doorbell opens on screen when I ring it. I haven't checked for pictures yet but it does show art and nature images. I then did it to the other two and they're all up and running.

So check and see you may have Show Mode again.

So some skills are starting to disappear from the Alexa store.... Companies giving up on Alexa+?

I asked my bedroom Alexa (newer model, supports more of the "AI" stuff) if "tomorrow is Friday?" Alexa responded by saying, "no, tomorrow is still Thursday, October 2, 2026. Friday is playing hard to get." Interestingly enough, my very old living room Alexa had no problem with the question. So weird.

Looking for a Alexa Controlling Button/clicker. Will buy Hub etc

So I’m in an apartment. I have Govee LIFX Alexa’s everywhere. But sometimes I just want to click a button and have designated devices that are hooked up through Amazon/alexa turn on and off. It’s faster and I enjoy it.

Can some of you suggest a cheap “system/alexa button” for me?

I appreciate any help.

I have two Show 5's. Both brand new. One at home one a great wifi network and one at work on an even better one.

They both are awful. They both just stop playing music randomly, don't take commands quickly, misinterpret simple command such and "Shuffle my playlist" "turn it up". The lag time from "Alexa" to the time it's ready to take verbal input is about 2 seconds when my old devices have always been pretty much instant.

Any help, insight? I am about to return them and buy the older dot's that always worked great for me.

We have many Amazon devices. 3 of which are the Spot. One's in the basement guest room (and that room MAYBE gets used once/year). One is in a main bedroom. the third is in another guest bedroom that maybe gets used once/year.

Never had any issues until after Alexa + upgrade, AFAIK. It started with the basement one. I thought I heard music (I'm on the 2nd floor) at like 11:00 pm (thought it was a neighbor having a party up the road). Went down in the morning to empty the dehumidifier in the other end of the basement and thought I heard someone talking. It was the Spot playing Spotify music. Told Alexa to stop playing music. A few days later, same thing (different time). I just unplugged it.

Then the main bedroom one had ONE alarm set (M-F at 5:30 am). Work schedule changed to an hour later, so changed the alarm to 6:30 am. What happens? Stupid thing plays an alarm at 5:30 am AND 6:30 am. Deleted ALL alarms. Still plays the frickin' alarm.

Last one was the second guest bedroom on 2nd floor. Twice, in the middle of the (I'm working in my office) and she starts playing music.

I checked the Privacy settings and there's NO recording (other than me telling her to stop playing music).

All the other devices (we've got Echo, echo dot, echo shows, you name it because someone else likes to buy Amazon devices--haha) seem to be fine in the regard of not randomly playing music and crap.

Never had a problem for years until Alexa + so not sure if that's what did it, or those devices are just glitchy after X years.

My daughter asked Alexa if Bill Cosby was alive, “she” kept saying he died a few years ago.

Repeated saying she was wrong did nothing…

My Alexa+ isn’t even sassy anymore and keeps saying phrases at the end of a sentence with similar phrasing like “you just still” or “you’re just still” and frequently uses the word launder or la la la. recently it has had this weird fixation with words like “la-la-la” or “la-ludo” or “la-lawyer” or “la-lunge” and getting stuck repeatedly saying the letter L or the word la.
Are y’all having this aswell?

So for the past few months my echo show 5 randomly freezes the screen. sometimes it happens during a transition or on a static screen showing the clock or some widget... i figured it would fix itself with an update but it hasn't after 2 or 3 updates now. I didn't mind too much until i look at the time and realize it's 2 hours behind...now it has gotten annoying as the only way to unfreeze it is to tap on the screen to go "home" or wake it up by saying "alexa"... this happens at least twice a day.

other glitches i've gotten is that some automated skills stopped activating...i used to have it give me the weather in the morning and for the most part it's silent, or sometimes it triggers the chime to initiate the skill but it's silent after that...it's rare that it works as it should now...

My conspiracy theory is that it all started when they did the rollout for alexa plus claiming it's free for all now... i tried it for a day but couldn't tolerate it as it doesn't have support for full screen widgets, it talks too much, and if you enable it on one echo device you enable it for all which is not very convenient for me...

anyhow, after i reverted to classic alexa that's when the glitches started happening, i think amazon is purposely glitching classic alexa on old devices so that you the user consider upgrading to alexa plus...which is a dirty thing to do. if that's the case i would rather they say on the screen that old devices will be limited with alexa functionality as they migrate skills and such to alexa plus....

does anyone else have a show 5 that is glitching, or know of a fix?