A post on the Amazon Echo subreddit indicates that an Alexa Plus subscription can make unintended changes to Echo devices.
User Setati said that their Echo Show 5 had stopped persistently showing the time on its home screen, instead surfacing news and other content.
Setati says that canceling Alexa Plus removed the unwanted additional content from their Show 5’s screen.
Alexa Plus is Amazon’s new paid digital assistant. Available for $20 per month (or included for free, if you’re a Prime subscriber), Alexa Plus injects extra AI functionality into your Amazon devices, like the ability to engage in more natural conversation-style interactions with Alexa through an Echo device. Turns out, it can also make some unhelpful changes to your Echo Show’s home screen.
In a post on the Amazon Echo subreddit, user Setati complains that their Echo Show 5 has recently become less fit for one of their primary use cases: telling the time. Setati writes that “about the same time as Alexa+,” their Show 5 started showing content that it didn’t before, replacing the full-screen clock with “news briefs and things it thinks I want to see.”
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The problem does indeed seem directly related to Alexa Plus, which adds an assortment of new functions to Echo devices logged into accounts that are subscribed to the paid service. Comments on the post echo Setati’s complaint. One user says that cycling power to their own Show temporarily restores the clock face they’re used to, but that the home screen eventually changes to again hide the clock.
The solution for Setati was simple: They say that once they canceled Alexa Plus, their Echo Show 5 went back to prominently displaying the time on its home screen again.
If you’ve got an Echo device that’s recently started behaving differently — specifically, an Echo Show device whose home screen has gotten unusually crowded — Alexa Plus could be to blame. You can cancel Alexa Plus in the My Memberships and Subscriptions section of your Amazon account settings.
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That’s a tough one because I love all of them. I would say a New Jersey sub from this institution called Sorrento’s around Freehold. A Number 14, which is a combination, I believe, of like Number 7 and Number 12. [Eds. note: Sorrento’s menu says the Number 14 is a combo of a Number 5 and a Number 12 called the Pig Special.] So an Italian sub from a real New Jersey institution, and if not that, then a Wawa Club sandwich.
I really appreciate how specific that was. Thank you. First video game you ever bought?
I pirated a lot because I was in Turkey growing up, so it was virtually impossible for us to get like a lot of video games. As far as purchase, it could be Metal Gear Solid 2 for the PlayStation 2, or I guess a Pokémon game.
So let’s rewind 34 years. You were born in New Jersey. You spent the majority of your childhood in Turkey.
Yeah.
You’ve talked before about that upbringing. You’ve characterized it as a very privileged one. How did that experience, now that you’re able to look back and reflect, affect your worldview? How does that turn you into the person that you are today?
There’s massive income inequality in Turkey that almost resembles America now, but that’s still far worse in Turkey. For that reason, if you’re above board, if you’re relatively affluent, you come across as very wealthy in comparison to the average person.
I’ve never sheltered people from that truth, but I did grow up fairly affluent. It was very positive in the sense that I didn’t have to worry about making ends meet or having to take on a job or anything like that. My parents’ main concern was to make sure that I wasn’t spoiled, so I didn’t get everything I wanted.
Outside of that, I would say that as a young boy I was sent to public school in Turkey. I think it was a good thing that my parents did that because it made me understand that there were very different income brackets with people living in very different conditions.
You moved to the United States for college, right? What was surprising to you about that transition?
When I came to college, this is literally what I wanted. Other people were like, “I want to be an astronaut,” “I want to be a teacher,” “I want to be a race car driver.” I was like, “I want to go to college in America.”
So I loved it. I was so stoked to be here, and I had all of these beliefs. You know, this is a land of freedom, land of prosperity, right?
Right.
This is where I’m gonna make a name for myself, make a career for myself.
Slowly but surely, experiences growing up or going to college and then onwards living in America, slowly chipped away at that dream. Piece by piece.
Yeah.
It’s interesting because in comparison to other fresh-off-the-boat immigrant stories, I did it. I am living the American dream, but I just realized that it’s not something that is readily accessible for all.
Amazon’s Blade Runner limited series finally has a release window. reports that the upcoming sequel show, Blade Runner 2099, is slated for a 2026 release on Prime Video. The story at this point remains a mystery, though the title suggests it’ll take place 50 years after the events of Blade Runner 2049. Ridley Scott is said to be involved in the production.
It was revealed last year that , and according to Deadline, she’ll be joined by Hunter Schafer, Dimitri Abold, Lewis Gribben, Katelyn Rose Downey and Daniel Rigby. We first heard about the possibility of Blade Runner 2099 back in 2022, when it was reported that Amazon Studios was developing a live-action series set in that universe, but there have been few updates since. The release window was noted in an internal memo obtained by Deadline, which reports that the series is now in post-production.
Noise-cancelling headphones are a must-have for anyone who travels often and wants to drown out airplane noise, commuters who want some peace and quiet amongst the crowds and anyone else looking to dull the daily chaos of life. Sony’s 1000X line has had our favorite noise-cancelling headphones for a long time, and it remains the same now with the latest edition to that family. Sony released the WH-1000XM6 edition of its wireless noise canceling headphones in May, and really the only downside about them is their new, higher price tag.
But if you’re on the market for a new pair of cans right now, Amazon will throw you a bone if you opt for the XM6. Right now, you can get the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones plus a free $30 Amazon gift card for $448. While you’re not saving much on the price of the headphones (a whopping $2), you’re getting a $30 gift card for free on top of it, which you can use towards anything else you want to buy on Amazon.
Sony
The gift card is basically for free with your headphone purchase.
Sony released the WH-1000XM6 headphones three years after their predecessor, but the new model quickly proved to be worth the wait. We gave the M6s a 94 in our review thanks to features like improved sound and better active noise cancelation. One of the best things about this model compared to the M5s is the return to a folding design — I love my M5s but it’s very annoying that they don’t shrink at all. The M6s are also very comfy and have a wider headband for easy wear.
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OK, who placed their bet on General Motors being the landing spot for Aurora co-founder and chief product officer Sterling Anderson? Not me. But here we are. A few days after Anderson announced his resignation from his position and the board at Aurora, he spoke to me about his next gig as chief product officer at GM. In short, he will oversee the entire product line of GM’s gas-powered and electric vehicles — a position that will cover the entire life cycle of GM’s portfolio and include hardware, software, services, and user experience.
Anderson couldn’t say too much; plus, he hasn’t started the job yet. Anderson did say he wouldn’t have taken the new job if Aurora had yet to launch its commercial self-driving truck service in Texas.
Let’s jump into the rest of the news.
A little bird
Image Credits:Bryce Durbin
In an absolutely wild turn of events, Luminar’s founder Austin Russell appears to have been pushed out as CEO and board chair. You can read my coverage here, which provides a bit of an overview of how this unfolded, but I know there is so much more to this story. TL;DR: If you were to only read Luminar’s Q1 earnings report, you would assume Russell was still at the helm. A separate press release, released as the company’s earnings went out, announced a leadership change and that Russell had resigned following an ethics inquiry from the board’s audit committee.
Here’s what I’m hearing from a few little birds. The word “blindsided” came up more than once, and the chaos isn’t over. Luminar board member Jun Hong Heng, who is founder and chief investment officer at Crescent Cove Advisors and a mentor of Russell’s, resigned a day later. Heng was also on the audit committee.
Aurora has had an odd couple of weeks filled with highs — driverless commercial service woohoo! — and twists — whoops, there goes a co-founder. To cap things off, Uber announced plans to offer $1 billion in exchangeable senior notes due in 2028 in private placement. As you might expect, stocks dropped after investors got spooked about potential dilution and what this might mean for the value of Aurora’s stock.
Other deals that got my attention …
AutoUnify, the latest startup that has launched out of the Up.Labs-Porsche partnership, raised $5 million in seed money. The Santa Monica, California-based startup, which built an API to allow dealerships and service shops to communicate in real time with the manufacturers and software vendors that power their operations, has been operating quietly for about nine months.
Chinese battery manufacturer CATL is far from a startup. But it’s worth noting this bananas IPO plan. The company wants to raise at least HK$31.01 billion — that’s just shy of $4 billion — in its Hong Kong listing. This is the largest listing globally in 2025.
Here’s a potential deal that has raised some eyebrows. Federal railroad regulators are in talks with Elon Musk’stunneling firm, The Boring Company, over a multibillion-dollar Amtrak project.
Flock Freight, the shared truckload freight brokerage based in California, raised $60 million in a Series E funding round led by O’Neil Strategic Capital. Susquehanna Private Equity Investments, SignalFire, GLP Capital Partners, and Bracket Capital also participated.
Notable reads and other tidbits
Image Credits:Bryce Durbin
Autonomous vehicles
Tesla’s plan to launch a robotaxi service in Austin next month has caught the attention of federal safety investigators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigation sent the company a detailed list of questions on its upcoming robotaxi service as part of an investigation into how the company’s “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” software operates in low-visibility conditions.
Recalls are starting to pop up more in the AV sector. Last week it was Zoox. Now Waymo has issued a software recall on 1,200 self-driving vehicles after some of its robotaxis were involved in minor collisions with gates, chains, and other gate-like roadway objects.
WeRide seems to be trying to ramp in Guangzhou. The Chinese company said it has introduced eight autonomous robotaxi pilot operation routes in the central part of the city. The company has also started trialing fully driverless robotaxis in Abu Dhabi.
Electric vehicles, charging, & batteries
General Motors has been working on a new battery chemistry called lithium manganese-rich, which it says should slash costs while delivering driving range. Notably, these LMR batteries dramatically reduce the amount of nickel and cobalt compared with GM’s most advanced cells, two critical minerals that aren’t readily available from domestic sources in the United States.
A footnote in Lucid’s recent Q1 regulatory filing gives a bit more insight into its sales numbers. The EV maker’s record quarter got a lift from rental sales and company leases.
Everyone, let’s give a slow clap to Toyota for redesigning — and more importantly, renaming — its sole all-electric vehicle for the U.S. market. The EV, once called the bZ4X, will now simply be bZ. The original bZ4X was not well received. I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel to see what improvements Toyota has made. Meanwhile, Toyota has brought back the C-HR nameplate, but this time as an EV. Hopefully this time it’s more successful. It arrives in the U.S. in 2026.
Gig economy
Three years ago, reporter Rebecca Bellan noted that Uber was going through an Amazonification. Her pitch was that the company, like Amazon, had created a closed business loop to feed customers back into other Uber channels. The second part of that evolution has started, she reported this week. Uber appears to be moving beyond its focus on transportation and working to become a convenient super app, an aggregator of services, a daily-use lifestyle platform with its best offerings tucked behind a paywall.
Future of flight
U.S. lawmakers introduced the Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act in a bid to revise the FAA’s 52-year ban on supersonic flight over U.S. soil. The timing could be crucial for startup Boom Supersonic, which has made progress in developing next-generation supersonic aircraft
Vertical Aerospace announced a plan to develop a hybrid-electric variant of its VX4, suggesting the company is pursuing opportunities in defense and logistics.
In-car tech
Apple’s next generation of its popular CarPlay infotainment software is finally launching. Reminder: It was first announced three years ago. The new version, called CarPlay Ultra, will make its debut on new Aston Martin vehicles in the U.S. and Canada.
Google is bringing Gemini, its generative AI, to all cars that support Android Auto in the next few months. Patrick Brady, VP of Android for Cars, said Gemini will surface in the Android Auto experience in two main ways.
Amazon is about to end Kindle content download support in old versions of its Android app.
The move would close a loophole used to retrieve files vulnerable to DRM removal.
This follows Amazon ending “Download & transfer via USB” support.
Getting new books for your Kindle is just about the easiest thing in the world. Amazon’s got a stupid number of books available for you to buy à la carte, Kindle Unlimited offers a convenient subscription option, and you can borrow books from participating libraries. But even with so many curated paths towards growing your Kindle library, some users are always going to want to do things their own way, and for that we’ve still got Kindle sideloading. Earlier this year we heard about Amazon closing one loophole that let users convert their legitimately purchased Kindle titles into easily sideloadable content, and now it looks like another is on borrowed time.
Basically, these Kindle libertarians have been interested in getting their hands on e-book downloads from Amazon, then running those files through tools that strip the DRM and remove the limitations on how that book can be shared and read. For this to work, though, they need to have access to those files in the first place.
Back in February, Amazon deprecated its “Download & transfer via USB” functionality, which had previously been a source for these files. But it turns out that wasn’t the only way to retrieve these downloads from Amazon’s servers, and some clever users have instead been turning to older versions of the company’s Android app, which still supported a similar download mode.
Unfortunately, that window is about to close, as well. It’s unclear if Amazon is actively trying to eliminate the workaround, or is just doing some housekeeping, but the company has sent out notice that old Android builds will no longer support Kindle downloads, as shared by MobileRead forum user trishau (via Android Police):
We are reaching out to ask you to update the Kindle app on your Android device to the latest available version (Android OS v9.0+). Starting May 26, 2025 Kindle for Android app versions released prior to March 2022 (v8.51 or earlier) will no longer support Kindle content downloads. This update will ensure you get the most out of the Kindle experience and that the app operates as intended.
As you can see, we were talking about some seriously ancient app versions being used to pull off this trick, so even this loophole business notwithstanding, it wouldn’t have been crazy to see Amazon ending support for users who haven’t updated in years.
If you’ve been running an old version for precisely that reason, though, at least Amazon’s giving you a few weeks’ notice before pulling the plug — again.
Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at news@androidauthority.com. You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it’s your choice.
Amazon’s upgraded digital assistant powered by generative AI, Alexa+, has rolled out to over 100,000 users, CEO Andy Jassy said on the company’s earnings call Thursday.
While that’s a far cry from the 600 million Alexa devices out there, the company is making some progress on the rollout of Alexa+, which was first unveiled in February. At the time, Amazon said that Alexa+ would roll out in waves over the coming months.
Amazon’s new digital assistant aims to let users talk with it in a more natural style, and eventually have agentic abilities that allow it to use third-party apps on a user’s behalf. Alexa+ should be able to generate original responses on the fly, much like the voice modes in OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, rather than the predetermined responses of the old Alexa and Siri systems.
However, as The Washington Post reported at launch, the Alexa+ that’s rolling out today lacks some of the key features the company demoed in February. The report notes that, at launch, Alexa+ did not have the ability to use third party apps like GrubHub, generate a bedtime story for children, or brainstorm a gift idea. It’s unclear when those features will make it into Alexa+.
“We have a lot more functionality that we plan to add in coming months,” Jassy said on the call.
During his opening comments, Jassy claimed that Alexa+ is one of the first action-oriented AI agents for consumers. But he noted that this technology is still rather “primitive” and “inaccurate.” Currently, most multi-step AI agents have a low accuracy rate, between 30% and 60%, the Amazon CEO said. Jassy set a goal for the company’s web-browsing agent that powers Alexa+, Nova Act, to achieve 90% accuracy in this domain.
Amazon’s rollout of Alexa+ seems to be progressing faster than Apple’s rollout of its new, LLM-powered Siri. When asked about the new Siri delays on Apple’s Thursday earnings call, which occurred simultaneously wiith Amazon’s, CEO Tim Cook said the company needed “more time to complete the work.”
Along the road to supercharge legacy digital assistants with generative AI, both Apple and Amazon have reportedly run into snags and delays. Some of the biggest hiccups are around getting LLMs to use tools and integrate with other systems. Doing so allows Alexa and Siri to complete practical tasks such as setting timers and reading texts, but implementing it has proven harder than expected.
Amazon is suing the Consumer Product Safety Commission over its decision to hold the company legally responsible for faulty products on its platform, The Associated Pressreports. Amazon’s suit demands that the shipping giant be considered a “third-party logistics provider” instead of a distributor and also calls the CPSC “unconstitutionally constructed.”
The origins of the legal fight can be traced back to 2021, when the CPSC sued Amazon to force it to recall faulty carbon monoxide detectors, unsafe hair dryers and flammable children’s sleepwear. At the time, Amazon had already taken some steps to address the issue, like informing customers who purchased the products that they were hazardous and offering store credit, but the CPSC wanted the company to go further.
The CPSC move to classify Amazon as a distributor in 2024 made the company responsible for issuing recalls and refunds for products sold through its Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) program. FBA lets sellers send their products to Amazon warehouses, where Amazon then handles picking, packing and shipping those products to customers, along with things like customer service and returns. Amazon takes issue with its classification as a distributor because it doesn’t own or make the faulty products the CPSC is concerned with — it sees itself as more of a hands-on FedEx.
Besides wanting to be reclassified and not held responsible for issuing more refunds, Amazon also has problems with the CPSC itself. The CPSC’s commissioners are appointed by the President, approved by the Senate and serve for seven years, unless they’re removed for “neglect of duty or malfeasance in office.” Amazon feels the commission’s relative invulnerability is unconstitutional and makes them “judge, jury, and prosecutor” in proceedings.
Amazon’s made similar claims about the National Labor Review Board, the organization in charge of protecting workers’ right to unionize. The timing of these complaints is key. The Trump administration is not particularly interested in maintaining any government organization empowered to regulate business, and it seems likely it will side with Amazon in disempowering the CPSC, one way or another.
Amazon will discontinue its app store for Android on August 20 this year. The company sent a notice to developers indicating that they will no longer be able to submit new apps to the store.
The company said on a support page that it will also discontinue its Coins digital currency, which could be used to purchase games and apps on the app store.
“Starting August 20, 2025, you will no longer have access to the Amazon Appstore on your Android device. We will also be discontinuing the Amazon Coins program on August 20, 2025,” the company said on a support page.
Amazon said that it will refund any coins that users hold as of August 20.
The company added that the app store will still be functional on its own devices, such as Fire TV and Fire Tablet.
The company didn’t immediately respond to questions about the decision to discontinue the store.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has reached a settlement with Amazon about alleged hazardous workplace conditions at ten of the tech giant’s facilities. Under the terms of the settlement, Amazon will pay a penalty of $145,000 and must implement “corporate-wide ergonomic measures” to reduce the risk of worker injuries. OSHA will also continue inspecting the facilities for the next two years. On the government side of the agreement, OSHA is withdrawing nine of its ten ergonomic citations against the company.
Ergonomic injuries are also known as musculoskeletal disorders. These can include sprains and strains experienced on the job.
A rep from the Department of Labor told ABC News that this settlement is the “largest of its kind” and “will resolve all outstanding ergonomic litigation” against Amazon. However, it will not impact a separate investigation into Amazon allegedly concealing workplace injuries that is currently underway at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Amazon has denied those charges.
Amazon’s workforce also made news this week as strikes began at multiple facilities in California, Georgia, Illinois and New York. Members of the Teamsters union organized the effort, with several union chapters voting to take action against the company. The Teamsters had called on Amazon to negotiate around working conditions, wages and benefits, asking the company to agree to bargaining dates for a contract by December 15. Local journalists from Hell Gate captured footage of the first day of strikes in Queens, NY, showing a peaceful picket line being broken by local police, who reportedly erected barricades to allow contractors to enter and leave the Amazon distribution center.
“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a from the organization. “We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it.”
