Alexa users baffled by new voice – ‘it sounds like a teenage girl’

Amazon Alexa users have been left baffled by the smart assistant’s new voice, which some have compared to a teenage girl. 

The new voice is part of Alexa+ – Amazon’s next–generation, AI–powered assistant. 

First launched back in February last year, Amazon claims that conversations will ‘feel expansive and natural’. 

However, what has taken many users by surprise is the assistant’s new voice. 

‘Mine has a really annoying new voice. I can’t take it. Need to figure out how to change it,’ one user vented on Reddit. 

Another said: ‘It is very annoying. A youngish female sounding too humanesque with “personality.”‘

If you use Alexa and are unhappy with the new voice, thankfully there’s a simple way to change it. 

Alexa+ was announced in February 2025 during Amazon’s 2025 Devices & Services Event.

‘Conversations with Alexa+ feel expansive and natural,’ Amazon explained at the time.

‘Whether you’re speaking in half–formed thoughts, using colloquial expressions, or exploring complex ideas.

‘Alexa+ understands what you mean, and responds like a trusted assistant. It feels less like interacting with technology, and more like engaging with an insightful friend.’

Initially, Alexa+ was available as an optional, free update for Prime users. 

Now, Amazon has emailed customers to notify them that Alexa+ is being pushed out to Echo devices – whether they like it or not. 

‘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 Alexa experience,’ the email reads. 

‘The upgrade takes just a few minutes and won’t require any action from you.’ 

The update seems to have taken some users by surprise – with many confused by the new conversational style.

‘I dont mind the new voice but what I don’t like is how it wants to keep chatting when I’m used to just hearing like the weather,’ one user said on Reddit. 

‘It sticks around listening and if you make a comment to someone else in the room it responds to that. Just the facts ma’am.’

Another added: ‘Took me a long time getting use to it. Sometimes the chattiness is a bit too much.’

And one joked: ‘Too much pep, sass, and intrusiveness. I’ll take my robot robotically please.’

Others have found the new voice itself problematic. 

‘It converted to the Alexa plus version (without prompting) and scared the s*** out of me when a peppy voice started talking,’ one Reddit user said. 

Another wrote: ‘It sounds like I’m talking to a teenage girl, wayyyy too peppy for me at 6 o’clock in the morning.’ 

If you’re not a fan of the new voice, thankfully there’s a simple way to change it. 

Open the Alexa app on your smartphone and select ‘Devices’, then ‘Device settings’. 

Tap ‘Alexa’s voice’, and select your preferred voice, with options including ‘Feminine 3, inviting’, ‘Masculine 2, warm’, and ‘Feminine 4, grounded.’

Alternatively, just say ‘Alexa, choose a new voice’, and the smart assistant will provide you with the new options. 

• A previous version of this article said that Alexa+ had been rolled out in the UK. Currently it is only available in the US and Canada