Alexa Plus Arrives in Canada: The Future of Canadian Homes?

The arrival of Amazon’s next generation Alexa in Canada marks a major shift in how people interact with technology, blending natural conversation with powerful generative AI to create a household assistant that feels more intuitive than ever. 

Alexa Plus, launched on November 20, introduces Canadians to a system that understands context, nuance, and casual speech in a way the previous version could not, making everyday tasks like planning meals, coordinating schedules, or booking reservations feel effortless (View the Vibe). Canada is the first country outside the United States to receive the upgraded assistant, and Amazon designed it carefully for local users, training it to recognize Canadian expressions, follow national sports teams, and work smoothly across Echo devices already in Canadian homes (Amazon).

What sets Alexa Plus apart is how fluid the experience feels. Instead of rigid commands, users can speak naturally, even half formed thoughts, and the assistant understands the intent. A simple comment like “it is dark” adjusts the lights automatically, while “I am cold” nudges the thermostat. It adapts quickly to personal habits, remembering everything from family allergies to morning routines, and offers tailored suggestions for meal planning, vacations, or even quick household decisions based on Ring camera activity (View the Vibe). Amazon says its Toronto and Vancouver tech hubs were instrumental in building the architecture behind these new capabilities, enabling the system to seamlessly coordinate devices, services, and third party apps through advanced AI models (Amazon).

Alexa Plus also brings a new depth of personalization. It learns voices and preferences across different members of a household, adjusts its tone and responses, and keeps track of individual tastes in music, books, and food. It can dim lights when it senses someone winding down, suggest meditation after a stressful day, or remember that someone refuses to eat broccoli when recommending dinner options (Amazon). This level of personalization extends beyond convenience; Alexa Plus can analyze shared documents or email-based schedules, then proactively plan around them. A child’s sports calendar, for example, can help Alexa notify parents about practice day parking options or holiday related scheduling conflicts (View the Vibe).

Beyond assisting with organization, Alexa Plus expands Amazon’s broader ecosystem of services. It can buy household essentials, compare products, monitor price changes, and manage deliveries through natural conversation. It integrates with OpenTable for reservations, Fodors for travel planning, and soon with services like Yelp, Uber Eats, and TripAdvisor to further enhance its range of actions (Amazon). The system is designed to operate quietly and efficiently in the background, anticipating needs without demanding attention, creating what Amazon describes as an ambient AI environment that subtly enhances daily life.

Privacy remains a central feature of the redesign. Alexa Plus offers clear controls, voice and camera indicators, a privacy dashboard, and the ability to review and manage recordings and shared documents. The assistant is currently free during the Early Access phase and will remain free for Prime members afterward, while non Prime users can subscribe for a monthly fee of 27.99 CAD. New Echo devices built specifically for Alexa Plus offer better sensors, processing power, and edge based computing to support these experiences, though existing supported Echo devices can also join Early Access (View the Vibe; Amazon).

While Amazon is refining its AI assistant, Apple appears to be taking a different but complementary path in its upcoming iOS 27 release. Rather than introducing flashy innovations, Apple is reportedly prioritizing performance improvements, system wide clean up, and stronger AI integration. Following design and feature heavy updates in previous years, Apple engineers are now focusing on eliminating bugs, reducing software bloat, and boosting operating system efficiency. Alongside these refinements, Apple continues working on new AI tools, including an upgraded Apple Intelligence framework, deeper app integrations, and the long awaited rollout of a more advanced Siri, expected to arrive before iOS 27 launches (Engadget). Both Apple and Amazon seem committed to shaping the future of personal technology through smarter, more capable, and more seamless AI experiences.

This article was written by the Covertly.AI team. Covertly.AI is a secure, anonymous AI chat that protects your privacy. Connect to advanced AI models without tracking, logging, or exposure of your data. Whether you’re an individual who values privacy or a business seeking enterprise-grade data protection, Covertly.AI helps you stay secure and anonymous when using AI. With Covertly.AI, you get seamless access to all popular large language models - without compromising your identity or data privacy.

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Works Cited

“Introducing Alexa Plus in Canada: The Next Generation of Alexa.” About Amazon Canada, www.aboutamazon.ca/news/devices/introducing-alexa-in-canada-the-next-generation-of-alexa.

“iOS 27 Will Reportedly Focus on Performance Improvements and AI Upgrades.” Engadget, www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/ios-27-will-reportedly-focus-on-performance-improvements-and-ai-upgrades-175700261.html.

“Smarter Than Ever: Amazon’s Generative AI Powered Alexa Plus Hits Canada.” View the Vibe, www.viewthevibe.com/smarter-than-ever-amazons-generative-ai-powered-alexa-hits-canada/.

Quintet, John. “Alexa+ Early Access Debuts, But Key Features Missing for Now.” iPhone in Canada, 31 Mar. 2025, www.iphoneincanada.ca/2025/03/31/alexa-early-access-debuts-but-key-features-missing-for-now/.

“Alexa AI Upgrade Brings Smarter Conversations and Faster Responses.” AI CERTs News, 3 months ago, www.aicerts.ai/news/alexa-ai-upgrade-brings-smarter-conversations-and-faster-responses/.