Alexa+ Fire TV Integration: Is Amazon’s AI Revolution Here?

Amazon’s been busy this week, unveiling Alexa+, arguably the biggest upgrade to their voice assistant since the original Echo launched back in 2014.

This AI-powered overhaul promises to also eventually transform how you control your Fire TV and other streaming services with natural conversation rather than robotic commands.

Want to jump directly to “that scene with the dinosaurs” without endless scrolling? Alexa+ claims it can do that – but whether it delivers on these promises and when most of us will actually get to try it are different questions entirely.

What Exactly IS Alexa+?

At its heart, Alexa+ is a substantial overhaul of Amazon’s voice assistant, powered by the same generative AI technology that’s been transforming everything from chatbots to image creation.

According to Amazon, it brings three major improvements:

First, conversations should feel much more natural. No more awkwardly phrasing questions or repeating “Alexa” for follow-ups – you can apparently speak in half-formed thoughts, use colloquial expressions, and maintain a flowing conversation with context carried throughout.

Second, it’s supposedly far more personalised. Alexa+ learns your preferences over time – from entertainment choices to dietary restrictions – and applies this knowledge when making recommendations or performing tasks.

You can even explicitly tell Alexa+ to remember specific information (like family recipes or important dates) that it can reference later.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, it can actually get things done. Beyond answering questions, Alexa+ connects to thousands of services and devices to take meaningful actions on your behalf.

Amazon’s architecture uses what they call “experts” – specialised systems working together to handle specific tasks.

The service costs $19.99 per month (roughly £16) as a standalone subscription but – in a move that surprised absolutely no one – will be completely free for all Amazon Prime members.

From “Sorry, I Don’t Understand” to AI Powerhouse?

Let’s be honest – the current Alexa experience often falls short of Amazon’s lofty promises. Anyone who owns an Echo device has had their share of frustrating exchanges:

“Alexa, turn on the living room lights.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t find a device named living room lights.”
“Alexa, LIVING ROOM LIGHTS.”
“Here’s what I found about living rooms on Wikipedia…”

After seeing the capabilities of modern AI chatbots like ChatGPT, the gap between what Alexa should be able to do and what it actually does has become painfully obvious.

This upgrade is long overdue, and I’m cautiously optimistic that Alexa+ might finally deliver a voice assistant that doesn’t make me want to throw it out the window every third interaction.

But Amazon’s got a lot to prove here.

The Rollout: Patience Required

Despite the big announcement, most people won’t be experiencing Alexa+ anytime soon. The rollout begins “in the next few weeks” in the US only, starting with owners of the Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and the recently announced Echo Show 21.

There’s no confirmed UK release date yet, though international expansions typically lag a few months (at least) behind US launches.

More concerning for many Echo owners is that Amazon hasn’t clarified whether Alexa+ will ever come to audio-only Echo devices – for now, it seems you’ll need a screen-equipped model.

This cautious, limited rollout suggests Amazon may still be working out some kinks.

There were industry rumours throughout the year that the company was struggling to perfect Alexa+, and this staggered approach seems to confirm those challenges.

Alexa+ Fire TV Integration

For us cord-cutters, the most interesting aspect of Alexa+ is how it works with Fire TV sticks and Prime Video. 

The standout capability that was demonstrated is Alexa+’s ability to jump to specific scenes in movies without tedious fast-forwarding.

During the event, Amazon showed someone asking, “What’s that movie where Bradley Cooper sings a duet? Jump to that scene…” Alexa+ identified A Star Is Born and navigated directly to the right moment (which you can then “cast” to your Fire TV stick placed elsewhere).

You’ll apparently be able to find scenes using actor names, character references, or quotes from the film – addressing one of the most frustrating aspects of streaming interfaces today.

Similarly, Alexa+ lets you ask about songs you heard during TV show credits without knowing the title or artist.

These capabilities suggest Amazon has built a deeper understanding of streaming content than we’ve seen before. Current voice controls require precise commands and exact titles – this feels much more intuitive.

Beyond content navigation, Alexa+ promises better music control across your home.

You could start playing something in one room, then say “play the music upstairs” or “play the music everywhere, but don’t wake the baby” and have it automatically adjust which speakers are active.

Amazon has also announced that Alexa+ integrates with numerous streaming services, including Netflix, Disney+ and Max – not just Prime Video.

This broader integration could make Alexa+ a more universal streaming assistant, rather than just another way for Amazon to push its own content.

Echo Show vs. Fire TV: An Awkward Disconnect

Here’s where Amazon’s staggered approach gets particularly frustrating: for now, you’re expected to talk to your Echo Show device to control content on your Fire TV. This creates a bizarre disconnect in actual home use.

My Echo Show 15 is mounted in the kitchen. The Fire TV sticks are in my living room and office. Am I supposed to run to the kitchen every time I want to find a specific scene in a movie I’m watching?

What’s the point of having Alexa built into Fire TV sticks or the Fire TV Cube if you can’t use Alexa+ directly on those devices?

Hopefully this is just an early launch restriction, and Alexa+ will eventually come to Fire TV devices directly. But Amazon’s announcement was conspicuously silent on this point.

Will It Actually Work Well?

Here’s where I’m sceptical. Having used and tested nearly every Echo device Amazon has released, including a full review of the Echo Show 15, I’ve consistently found that Echo Show devices tend to be underpowered.

They often feel sluggish during everyday use, with noticeable lag when navigating menus or loading content.

Adding complex AI processing on top of that existing hardware doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. Unless Amazon significantly improves the processing power in their devices (or is doing most of the heavy lifting in the cloud), I’m concerned Alexa+ might suffer from frustrating delays or hiccups in real-world use.

Also worth noting: the demos at press events always work perfectly. The real test will be how Alexa+ performs in typical homes with background noise, multiple users, and spotty Wi-Fi connections.

Plus, let’s not forget – even regular AI chatbots like ChatGPT make mistakes – but it’s one thing to make a mistake in a chat, and another when you’re connected to various smart devices and services around the house.

Beyond Streaming: Other Notable Features

While our focus here is on streaming, Alexa+ does offer other capabilities worth mentioning:

Document understanding seems particularly useful – you can share emails, manuals, or recipes with Alexa+ and ask questions about them later. Imagine forwarding all those school emails to Alexa+ and then asking, “When is the next parents’ evening?” or “What do I need to bring for the school trip?”

Smart home control gets an upgrade too. You can create complex routines by voice without using the app, and get summaries of Ring camera events with natural questions like “Did someone take out the bins?” or “When was the last time the dog went out?”

The system also connects to third-party services like OpenTable, Uber, and Thumbtack to complete tasks on your behalf – from booking restaurants to arranging rides or scheduling home repairs.

Amazon says Alexa+ integrates with “tens of thousands of services and devices” including GrubHub, OpenTable, Ticketmaster, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Uber, Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, and smart home devices from companies like Philips Hue, Roborock, and Lutron.

If these integrations work as seamlessly as promised, Alexa+ could become a central hub for controlling virtually everything in your digital life.

The Prime Pricing Strategy

Amazon’s pricing strategy makes their intentions crystal clear – Alexa+ is primarily a tool to drive Prime membership. At current UK rates of £8.99 monthly or £95 annually for Prime, getting Alexa+ “for free” seems like good value if you already use Prime for other benefits.

But if history is any guide, I’d be surprised if this arrangement lasts forever. We’ve seen this playbook before with Prime Video, which was originally ad-free for all Prime members until Amazon introduced a £2.99 monthly surcharge to remove adverts.

It’s not hard to imagine a future where basic Alexa+ features remain part of Prime, while more advanced capabilities eventually require an additional fee.