Amazon Employees Report Alexa+ Glitches During Beta Testing

Internal Slack messages from Amazon employees reveal significant frustration during the beta testing phase of Alexa+, the company's revamped voice assistant. Testers reported numerous technical issues, including devices becoming unresponsive, failing to execute commands, and erratic behavior such as playing music at 3 a.m.

One employee reported that a command to turn off a light strip inadvertently cut power to an aquarium filter, resulting in the death of a fish. Despite these reports, Amazon stated that tens of millions of users currently have access to Alexa+ and that the 'overwhelming majority' of feedback has been positive. The company noted that the employee feedback referred to an earlier version of the software that differs from the public release. CEO Andy Jassy remains optimistic, citing longer user interactions and wider topic engagement compared to the classic Alexa experience.

Internal communications highlight severe malfunctions that occurred while employees tested unreleased features. In October, a software engineer reported a disturbing incident involving a smart home setup. 'When I ask Alexa to turn off the light, it should turn off the light, not everything on the strip,' the employee wrote. 'It turned off the power strip that my aquarium filter is on and killed my fish.'

The testing environment, which included over 6,400 Amazon employees in a dedicated Slack channel, served as a forum for candid feedback. Beyond the aquarium incident, testers described the assistant's behavior as 'unbearably erratic.' Other reported issues included:

• Devices ignoring repeated commands to be quiet
• Audio playing at full volume when no one was home
• Complete loss of Wi-Fi connectivity

One tester expressed dismay at the state of the software, writing, 'I just wanted to test the new experiences, but I wasn't expecting to get everything messed up.'

Reports from the beta channel indicate that routine tasks often broke down once unreleased features were linked to existing Alexa setups. Testers noted that the assistant frequently failed to respond to voice commands or became unresponsive even when appearing to be online. Some employees reported delays of up to five minutes for a response, while others stated their devices stopped working entirely.

Music playback emerged as a recurring pain point. 'It's so discouraging that we're in Q4 2025 and Alexa+ still can't play a song I ask for,' one employee wrote. Another tester reported a device began playing music at 3 a.m., forcing them to unplug it. The frustration led several employees to ask how to opt out of the beta testing program. 'None of my devices, including the Alexa app, are responsive anymore,' an employee stated.

Amazon maintains a positive outlook on the assistant's performance despite the internal feedback. An Amazon spokesperson stated that the employee feedback referred to a version of Alexa+ that differs from what is currently available to the public and does not reflect the typical customer experience. The company reported that tens of millions of users now have access to the service.

'As with any other consumer technology company, it's a standard part of the development process to beta-test products and features internally, well before they're distributed to customers,' the spokesperson said. Andy Jassy remains bullish on the product, noting that Alexa+ users tend to have longer interactions and engage across a wider range of topics than with the older version. Amazon has made Alexa+ free for Prime subscribers, while non-Prime users must pay $19.99 a month.

The technical issues have led to skepticism regarding the product's monetization strategy. Within the Slack channel, some employees questioned whether consumers would be willing to pay for the service given the current performance. 'All my experiences thus far with Alexa+, inclusive of this one, haven't convinced me that, other than the improved conversation flow, anything would justify paying a subscription fee,' one staffer wrote.

Despite the rocky beta period, Amazon continues to push forward with the rollout. The company introduced a more conversational speech mode and a new browser-based version of the AI-powered assistant to the public in December. However, the platform remains available only to users who request access or utilize newer devices, suggesting the transition from the 'classic Alexa experience' is still ongoing.