Remember that day in September 2014 when iTunes automatically downloaded that U2 album onto everyone’s accounts, whether they wanted it or not? People were angry, not because it wasn’t easy to ignore the album—it was—but because there was something vaguely violating about having your own account invaded without your consent.
Amazon Echo device owners are finding out the same lesson almost 12 years later. Reddit threads have been cropping up since last week, claiming that their Echos are receiving messages saying Amazon will update Alexa to Alexa+, whether they like it or not. And free or not, just like U2 did more than a decade ago, Amazon is angering all these people.
the latest Alexa+ update…
We covered the slow rollout of Alexa+, a pay-to-say voice assistant subscription that sits above the regular Alexa that we’ve used, cherished, and rued for years. For those who don’t subscribe to Amazon Prime, Alexa+ costs $20 per month. Prime subscribers get Alexa+ for free, though.
So, naturally, Amazon assumed all Prime subscribers wanted to upgrade to it. But it’s finding that not everyone likes it when Amazon grabs the steering wheel from them.
“Alexa is coming to your Echo device,” reads the automated message that pops up on any Echo device before it receives the forced auto-update to Alexa+.
“We have exciting news! As a Prime member, you get Alexa+ for free, and we will update the devices registered to this account to the new, conversational, and more delightful experience.
“The upgrade takes just a few minutes and won’t require any action from you. Once complete, you’ll receive a confirmation email. After your device updates, you can still revert to the original Alexa by saying, ‘Alexa, exit Alexa+.’”
That people can roll back the update isn’t the point. The frustration of being forced into it and then having to undo it is overbearing, but as they say, history doesn’t repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme often enough.
The post Amazon Is Annoying Its User Base With Automatic Alexa+ Updates appeared first on VICE.
