Amazon has launched Alexa+ in India, bringing generative AI capabilities to its voice assistant with more natural conversations, personalisation and the ability to take actions across services and connected devices.

Alexa+ is available under Early Access from September 16 and is free for eligible customers during this period. It works across eligible Echo devices, Fire TV devices and the Alexa mobile app.

In an interview with ET Online, Michele Butti, Vice President, Alexa International, Amazon, and Teena Sidana, Country Manager, Alexa, Amazon India, spoke about the India rollout, the technology behind Alexa+, its localisation and Amazon’s plans for the assistant.

Alexa+ arrived in the US earlier this year, and Amazon says the India rollout followed after several months of refining the product.

Butti said the challenge was not simply making Alexa understand Hindi or Hinglish. The company wanted Alexa+ to feel “authentically Indian”, while retaining the capabilities of the existing Alexa ecosystem.

Alexa+ has been designed to understand mixed-language conversations, Indian expressions, family relationships and cultural references. Amazon says teams in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Chennai have contributed to the technology, including speech recognition and language models designed for Indian homes.

A key change with Alexa+ is its ability to move beyond answering questions and take actions.

Users can control multiple smart home devices through natural language, get personalised recipes, create shopping lists, track Amazon deliveries and discover music, podcasts and films based on descriptions, moods or activities.

Amazon is also working on integrations with EazyDiner, Swiggy, District by Zomato, MakeMyTrip, Home Triangle and TripAdvisor.

Amazon Now will eventually allow customers to order groceries and everyday essentials through voice.

Sidana said Amazon looked at how Indian customers already use Alexa to identify the experiences that mattered most for Alexa+.

The assistant is designed to account for household preferences, including dietary restrictions and entertainment choices. Voice ID and visual ID can also help Alexa+ recognise individual family members and tailor interactions.

Amazon says around 99% of Echo devices currently used in India are compatible with Alexa+, meaning most existing users will not need to buy a new device.

Amazon says privacy and customer control remain central to Alexa+.

Alexa devices remain in standby mode until the wake word is detected, with the initial detection handled locally. Once activated, a blue light indicates that Alexa is listening.

Customers can use the Alexa Privacy Dashboard to review interactions, manage recordings and control their data.

Alexa+ also supports multi-turn conversations, allowing users to continue speaking without repeating the wake word after every sentence. The blue light remains on during the conversation and switches off when the interaction ends.

Alexa+ is free for eligible customers during Early Access.

After Early Access, Amazon says Alexa+ will remain free for Prime members. For Prime Lite, Prime Shopping Edition and non-Prime customers, Alexa+ will be available through a ₹2,000-per-month standalone subscription or through a Prime plan.

Amazon says the Early Access period will be used to refine the experience based on customer feedback.

Amazon says Alexa+ will expand to more Indian languages and services over the coming months.

Butti said the company expects Alexa+ to integrate more deeply with Amazon services, including Prime Video, Amazon Music, Audible, Photos and Amazon Now.

The company is also working towards more end-to-end actions through partners, including restaurant reservations, food ordering and travel bookings.

For Amazon, the larger shift with Alexa+ is from a voice assistant that answers questions to one that can understand context, remember preferences and complete tasks across the services and devices customers already use.