Amazon’s new Alexa+ music feature is what Apple promised for 2026

According to 9to5Mac, Amazon has just launched its next-generation Alexa+ assistant inside the Amazon Music app on both iOS and Android, bringing conversational AI music discovery that goes way beyond simple voice commands. The company’s enhanced AI, which originally launched back in March and is sometimes branded as Alexa Plus, can understand complex music requests, create playlists from specific prompts, and engage in natural dialogue about genres, artists, and song meanings. Early testing shows customers explore music three times more with Alexa+ than with original Alexa, and those seeking recommendations listen to nearly 70% more music. The feature is currently in beta through the Alexa+ Early Access program, but once that ends, it will cost $19.99 per month while remaining free for Amazon Prime members. You’ll need one of the newer Echo devices for full smart speaker support, but the music app integration works directly on mobile.

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The chess move Apple didn’t see coming

Here’s what’s really interesting about this timing. Amazon is basically launching the exact feature Apple promised us for 2026 – and they’re doing it right now. While we’re all waiting for Apple Intelligence to eventually give Siri the brains to understand “play me something that sounds like a rainy Tuesday in Seattle,” Amazon just dropped that capability today. And they’re doing it in their music app that’s already available on Apple’s own platform.

Think about that for a second. Amazon is using Apple’s App Store to deliver a better AI music experience than Apple can currently offer. That’s some serious competitive positioning. They’re not just beating Apple to the punch – they’re doing it on Apple’s home turf.

The subscription game is getting wild

Now let’s talk about that $19.99 price tag. That’s not cheap, but making it free for Prime members is a genius move. Basically, they’re using this advanced AI feature to make their existing $139 annual Prime subscription even more valuable. For everyone else? Well, twenty bucks a month positions this as a premium service, which makes sense given the computational costs of running sophisticated AI.

But here’s the thing – Amazon has always been willing to operate services at a loss to build ecosystem lock-in. They might not make money directly on Alexa+ subscriptions, but if it keeps people inside Amazon’s music, shopping, and smart home ecosystems, the company wins big time.

What this means for the AI assistant wars

We’re seeing something important happening here. AI assistants are moving from simple command-response systems to actual conversational partners. The fact that Amazon is focusing so heavily on music discovery first is smart – it’s an emotional, personal use case that people actually care about.

And the early numbers they’re sharing? Three times more music exploration? 70% more listening? Those aren’t small improvements. If those hold up at scale, this could fundamentally change how people interact with music streaming services. Instead of scrolling through endless playlists, you just have a conversation.

The real question is how long until Apple, Google, and Spotify respond with their own versions. For now though, Amazon has stolen a march on everyone. If you want to see what the future of music discovery looks like, you can check out 9to5Mac’s coverage or their video breakdowns for more details on how it actually works in practice.