※Featured image is an AI-generated illustration.
On September 16, 2026, Amazon announced the launch of Alexa+, its generative AI-powered voice assistant, in India. The service supports English and Hindi, along with “Hinglish,” which lets users switch between the two languages mid-sentence. The launch brings Alexa+ to 11 markets in total, and India is the first of them to support Hindi.
Alexa+ is Amazon’s next-generation version of Alexa, built on a large language model and rolled out since 2025. Compared with the classic Alexa, it can hold more natural conversations and handle complex, multi-step tasks. In the US, Alexa+ has been available to Prime members at no extra cost since earlier in 2026, and Amazon has since brought it to Canada, the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Brazil, Mexico, and Australia. India is the eleventh market.
Rolling Out as Early Access
Alexa+ is currently available in India through an invitation-only Early Access program. Users can either wait for an invitation or sign up directly through Amazon’s official site. During the Early Access period, the service is free for all users. Afterward, it is expected to remain free for Prime members, while Prime Lite, Prime Shopping Edition, and non-Prime users will pay 2,000 INR (about 3,260 yen) per month. Alexa+ works across Echo smart speakers, Fire TV, and the Alexa app, with browser access coming to India later. Some older Echo generations are not supported.
Key Features and Local Service Integrations
Alexa+ can handle complex, multi-step tasks, place grocery orders online, and control smart home devices, with more natural and expressive voice responses than before. At launch in India, it works with music services Amazon Music, JioSaavn, Spotify, and Apple Music, video services Prime Video and Netflix, and smart home brands including Atomberg, Qubo, Dreame, and Wipro. Amazon says integrations with popular local services will follow, including delivery platform Swiggy, Zomato’s booking app District, travel booking services MakeMyTrip and TripAdvisor, restaurant reservation service EazyDiner, and quick-commerce service Amazon Now. The goal is to let users handle everything from shopping to dining reservations by voice alone.
A Market with Over 600 Million Hindi Speakers
Amazon first launched the English-language version of Alexa in India in 2017, adding Hindi support in 2019, and the Alexa+ rollout builds on that foundation. India is home to more than 600 million Hindi speakers, and adoption of smart home devices in the country has grown roughly 20 percent year over year. Amazon plans to add support for additional Indian languages in 2027, and aims to expand Alexa+ to more than 10 additional countries within that year as well.
Japan’s Launch Timing Remains Unclear
Before India joined the list, Alexa+ was available in the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Brazil, Mexico, and Australia. As of February 2026, Amazon Japan said it “could not disclose” a timeline for a Japanese launch, while noting that Japan’s priority ranks just after the US and Canada. With India becoming the first Asian market to get Alexa+, renewed attention is likely to turn to when the assistant might arrive in Japan.
Summary
On September 16, 2026, Amazon announced the launch of its generative AI voice assistant Alexa+ in India, supporting English, Hindi, and Hinglish. The service is free during Early Access, and is expected to remain free for Prime members afterward, with non-Prime users paying 2,000 INR (about 3,260 yen) per month. Amazon plans to add more language support and expand to over 10 additional countries in 2027. With Alexa+ now in 11 markets, attention turns to when it will reach Japan.
※Exchange rate: 1 INR = 1.63 JPY
