Amazon makes Alexa+ free on Fire TV without Prime

Amazon announced on Wednesday that it is rolling out its AI-powered assistant, Alexa+, to all compatible Fire TV devices in the United States. The upgrade is completely free and does not require an Amazon Prime subscription. Previously, users without a Prime membership had to pay $19.99 per month to access the service, which was initially restricted to newer Fire TV hardware released last fall.

The transition will happen automatically, meaning users do not need to download a new application or sign up for a subscription. The update applies to all current-generation Amazon Fire TV Sticks, the Fire TV Cube, Amazon Ember smart TVs, and compatible third-party smart TVs with Alexa+ built in, such as those manufactured by Hisense and Panasonic.

With Alexa+, users can bypass traditional title searches and instead ask for recommendations using descriptive criteria. For example, viewers can ask the assistant to find "a top-rated thriller" or "a historical drama with a strong female lead." Beyond content discovery, the AI assistant integrates with smart home systems, allowing users to manage connected devices and view Ring camera feeds directly on their television screens.

This rollout aligns with a broader industry trend of integrating AI into streaming platforms, following Google's deployment of Gemini on Google TV and Roku's voice assistant upgrade last year. Amazon claims that the shift is already driving engagement, noting that Alexa+ users engage in nearly twice as many conversations on Fire TV compared to those using the standard Alexa assistant.