Amazon kills Alexa’s ability to control Echo speakers' AUX input

Amazon hasn't made an Echo with a 3.5mm port in six years.

Ars Technica Scharon Harding · News & blogs · 4 hr ago

Key takeaways

Amazon has removed Alexa's ability to control Echo's AUX input, affecting some older models.

The change affects Echo Plus 2nd Gen, Echo 3rd Gen, Echo Studio 1st Gen, and Echo 4th Gen.
Physical AUX ports still work, and users can use the Alexa app to manage them.
Amazon says few users use voice commands for AUX, but some are frustrated by the removal.

Summarised automatically by AI from the original article by Ars Technica. AI can make mistakes, so check the original for details.

Amazon has disabled Alexa control of devices plugged into the company's Echo smart speaker’s AUX port.

Users have reported receiving an email from Amazon this week informing them of the change. “This is a reminder that as of today, voice commands to control your Echo device’s Aux input are no longer available. Requests like 'Alexa, play from line in” or “Alexa, set aux input' will no longer work,” an email that Amazon sent reads, according to a screenshot a Reddit user shared this week.

An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the news to Ars Technica today.

Read full article

Comments

Read the full story on Ars Technica That's the opening of the story. The full piece is published by Ars Technica.

Continue reading ↗

Story details

Published: October 6, 2026 at 5:03 PM UTC
By: Scharon Harding
Format: Article
Original: arstechnica.com ↗

Related reporting

3 stories on this topic from 2 sources, oldest first.

Oct 6, 10:53 AM UTC
The Verge Amazon Alexa Plus keeps creepily singing ‘lalala’ for minutes on end
Oct 6, 5:03 PM UTC
Ars Technica Amazon kills Alexa’s ability to control Echo speakers' AUX input (this story)
Oct 6, 7:03 PM UTC
The Verge Alexa can’t control the aux input on Amazon Echo speakers anymore

Amazon kills Alexa’s ability to control Echo speakers' AUX input

Key takeaways

Story details

Related reporting

More from Ars Technica

Paramount completes $111B Warner merger, creating “Skydance” behemoth

Support Ars and get a better reading experience in return

Neutrino physicist wins 2026 Nobel Physics Prize

Googlebook "Better Together" phone features don't work with Samsung at launch

Why is NASA bringing 7,500 contractors back to work as civil servants?

All-electric camping gets a solar upgrade: The 2027 Pebble Flow

More in Tech News

Google’s power-hungry data centers crave nuclear energy

System-level ad-blocking in Android

AI computing startup Lambda to raise $4B ahead of planned IPO