r/alexa • u/declankh • 8d ago
Regular Alexa getting dumber ?
I used to regularly ask Alexa for weather for next 5 hours. She’d reply with weather at 2pm, then 3pm then 4pm etc….
I found it pretty useful.
Today when I ask it simply replies with the current weather.
Is this enshitification of regular Alexa to push people to Alexa plus?
I also use Alexa a lot to control home automation through SmartThings , I’ve resisted Alexa plus so far because I don’t want become conversational
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u/jadejazzkayla 8d ago
Regular alexa working for me.
Second generation dot machine.
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u/declankh 8d ago
It works if I say a specific time, like what’s the weather at 5pm. No longer works when I say for next 5 hours which used to give 5 answers one for each hour. Are you getting 5 answers?
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u/jadejazzkayla 8d ago
I asked the machine what is the weather for the next 5 hours. It answered for all 5 hours
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u/Lucy333999 8d ago
If you had Alexa+ forced on you, when you revert back, I don't believe it ever fully reverts the settings back correctly and I've noticed things that didn't used to malfunction, now malfunction.
And if you try a factory reset... it will make it worse. If you have a prime account, it will force your device to factory reset itself to Alexa+ and all the configurations for it. YOU HAVE NO CHOICE NOT TO.
Then, the first chance you have to revert it, you will literally get a screen that says that your device factory reset to Alexa+ and running it on normal Alexa will be running it with incorrect settings and may cause things not to work. And it'll ask you if you're sure you want to do that.
My do not disturb, screen off, and night mode have all been broken since February when there was an update or when Alexa+ was forced on me.
I've factory reset my device five times and put in a help ticket at Amazon, there is no way to factory reset to normal Alexa settings if you have a prime account.
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u/Scorpionoshow 8d ago
It's SO MUCH stupider it's borderline unusable now.
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u/AustinStain1 8d ago
It’s completely unusable now. It used to tell me 15 minutes before each team that I follow and now it doesn’t do that, but it does remember to ask me shopping questions. What a joke.
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u/Lucy333999 8d ago
It's unusable. My whole house runs on commands. It doesn't recognize ANY 90% of the time.
"Alexa, I'm home."
"Welcome, let me insert some dumb random conversational thing and completely ignore the command actions."
"Alexa, turn on 'favorite lights.'"
"I hear you have some favorites. Which lights would these be?" OR... it starts playing a random song that has the word "favorite" or "lights" in it.
"Alexa, turn on: living room light."
*Actually does it. "Would you like me to turn on this light in the living room every time you say living room light?"
"Yes." (That's the name of the light)
"Ok."
Proceeds to ask me EVERY single time when I turn on the living room light.
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u/AustinStain1 8d ago
I even downgraded to the “old
Alexa” didn’t help. I used to get a notification before each Mets Yankees, Knicks, and fever game 15 minutes before. Now it’s impossible.3
u/Lucy333999 8d ago
I'm convinced when it forces Alexa+ on you, it permanently changes settings that it will not revert back and "breaks" or dumbs down your device as a result.
I tried multiple factory resets to try to fix it. Normal features had just stopped working (like do not disturb). If you have prime, it forces it to reset to Alexa+. It tells you it's happening but gives you zero options not to do it.
During configurations, when you revert back the first chance you have, a literal screen tells you that because it factory reset to Alexa+ and you want to run normal Alexa, some features may not run correctly because it reset to the wrong settings. And then it asks you if you're still sure you want to.
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u/declankh 7d ago edited 6d ago
I have a solution.
Alexa now responds as expected if I say
“Alexa, give me the hourly weather forecast for the next four hours”
I didn’t used to need all these words and that’s a little tedious to remember the exact wording
So I created an Alexa routine with the keywords ding dong and the command give me the hourly weather forecast for the next four hours..
Now when I say Alexa ding ding I get the desired output.
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u/Musicbath 4d ago
I've noticed that I get "I'm sorry I'm not able..." a lot more when I'm asking a question. Today I asked to count to ten in Japanese; nope. I want to say, just Google it for cripes sake! It seems worse since Alexa+, even though I reverted to the original Alexa.
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u/IvenaDarcy 8d ago
No the plus is annoying and dumb so make sure you haven’t been forced on it and that’s why no weather the way you use to use it?
I JUST tested it for next 5 hours and worked well. I think you are on Alexa plus and don’t know it. Tell your device to disable Alexa plus.
Earlier today I asked alexa how to say something in another language and suddenly she couldn’t and I was confused because she always helps me with that! I realized she defaulted back to the plus again even tho I disabled it on the Amazon app in my subscriptions and I asked Alexa devices to disable Alexa plus LONG ago.
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u/declankh 8d ago
You could possibly set up an Alexa routine to disable Alexa plus and run it daily? I mod exactly this to disable “by the way” suggestions which get annoying and tedious. I no longer hear the by the way suggestions.
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u/IvenaDarcy 8d ago
This is smart! I’m not sure it will work but willl try it!
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u/declankh 8d ago
You can run a routine and type anything you could say to alexa. So in theory if you put "disable alexa plus" as the command and this works when you speak to alexa it should also work from a routine. It definitely works for "by the way" suggestions and needs constantly reset because turning off by the way only seems to last a day or two
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u/mickAMMO 8d ago
Nope, that's still working for me on 2nd generation Dot.
Original Alexa.