Imagine a world where your voice assistant doesn’t just play music or set timers, but becomes your personal concierge, travel agent, and service scheduler—all in one. That’s exactly what Amazon is betting on with its AI assistant Alexa+, which is now teaming up with Angi, Expedia, Square, and Yelp to make your life a whole lot easier. But here’s where it gets controversial: will this shift how we interact with apps forever, or is it just another tech fad? Let’s dive in.
Starting in 2026, Alexa+ users will be able to book hotels, request quotes for home repairs, schedule salon appointments, and more—all through simple voice commands. For instance, you could ask, ‘Alexa, find me pet-friendly hotels in Chicago this weekend,’ and Expedia’s integration would handle the rest. This builds on Alexa+’s existing partnerships with platforms like Fodor, OpenTable, and Uber, turning the assistant into a one-stop shop for everyday tasks.
And this is the part most people miss: Amazon isn’t just adding features—it’s mirroring a broader industry trend. Just like ChatGPT’s recent app store launch, Alexa+ is positioning itself as a gateway to various online services. Instead of juggling multiple apps, you could ask Alexa to call an Uber, book a dinner reservation via OpenTable, or even refine your requests in a natural, back-and-forth conversation. It’s like having a personal assistant who learns your preferences on the fly.
But will users embrace this? Early data from Alexa+ adopters shows ‘strong’ engagement with home and personal service providers like Thumbtack and Vagaro, which is promising. However, the success of AI assistants as app platforms hinges on one critical factor: ease of use. For this model to work, using Alexa+ must feel as seamless—if not more so—than traditional web or mobile apps. Otherwise, it risks being seen as just another layer of complexity.
Here’s the catch: AI providers need to either match the vast selection of a traditional app store or become masters of suggestion, recommending the right apps at the right time without feeling intrusive. Remember when OpenAI faced backlash for app suggestions that looked like ads? That’s a fine line Alexa+ will have to tread carefully.
So, what do you think? Will Alexa+ revolutionize how we use online services, or is it a solution looking for a problem? Let us know in the comments—we’d love to hear your take on this bold move by Amazon. And if you’re curious about the future of AI and tech, reach out to Sarah Perez, the TechCrunch reporter behind this story, at sarahp@techcrunch.com or via Signal at sarahperez.01. Her insights have been shaping the tech conversation since 2011, and this is just the latest chapter in a rapidly evolving story.
