Amazon helped popularise the smart speaker with its Echo products and Alexa voice assistant, and now the tech giant is giving these devices a huge upgrade for UK owners.

From March 19, Amazon is offering Alexa+ in the UK, an enhanced version of its popular voice assistant that the firm says has been tuned to understand your Britishisms and keep up as you natter away to it like an old friend.

That’s thanks to generative AI, which Amazon says makes Alexa+ “smarter, more conversational” and “more capable” than the older version.

According to Director of Alexa UK Meryem Tom, Alexa+ will understand “half-thoughts, colloquialisms and complex ideas”, as well as “regional expressions, British sports teams” and “homegrown music”.

“Building Alexa+ for the UK requires more than just changing a few words, it requires understanding how British people actually communicate,” Tom said.

“Take “cheers”, it can mean thank you, goodbye, or a toast. That’s the cultural nuance that makes technology feel like it belongs in your life. It’s the regional expressions, the football teams we support, and the humour that defines us.”

So, if you want to chat to your smart speaker as though it’s your best mate down the pub, now’s your chance.

“Beyond intelligence, Alexa+ brings consideration, empathy, and humour when appropriate. The more you interact with her, the more useful she becomes,” said Tom.

Now, it’s not just “Alexa”, it’s your Alexa. She learns your preferences, routines, music, books, and foods you avoid. Her tone adjusts across conversations, so if your team wins, she speaks more cheerfully when you ask about the game. Through visual and voice ID, she recognises household members and tailors responses accordingly.”

Alexa+ is also said to be able to help you book restaurants, shop, find music, manage your calendar, keep on top of home security, and adjust in real time when you let it know you’d rather get the bus than the train to work.

If this sounds like an upgrade you’d like to explore, the best news is that right now, you can try Alexa+ completely free. All you need to do is sign up to Amazon’s Early Access programme, which starts today.

When this Early Access ends, Alexa+ will then cost you £19.99 per month – but it’s also included at no extra cost to Amazon Prime subscribers. Given a Prime subscription is currently just £8.99 per month, this pricing disparity is likely designed to get more people who want Alexa+ to sign up to Amazon Prime – and therefore have access to next day Amazon delivery, Prime Video, Prime Music and other services.

Alexa+ is smarter thanks to its use of an advanced large language model (LLM), the same AI tech that powers services such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini. Think of the old Alexa as a chatbot that answers single queries like a search engine.

Amazon says Alexa+ can do things for you, such as music depending on your mood or turn the heating off when you comment that it’s too hot.

Alexa+ also connects to music services to let you stream your tunes, but it should also be able to help you book restaurants through OpenTable, listen to headlines via partners such as the Guardian, PA, the Independent, Future and Express owner Reach, as well as local radio stations and the BBC.

An Amazon spokesperson told Express.co.uk that Alexa+ is available “on the overwhelming majority of Echo devices”, but provided a list of the devices it will not work on.

Alexa+ will not work on: Echo Dot 1st Gen, Echo 1st Gen, Echo Plus 1st Gen, Echo Show 1st Gen, Echo Show 2nd Gen, and Echo Spot 1st Gen. You also won’t be able to use it on Echo Buds, Echo Auto, and Alexa Built-in devices.

If you want to use Alexa+ on your Fire TV device, it’ll work with Fire TV stick 4K Select, Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen), Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Gen) and Fire TV Stick 4K Plus (2nd Gen). It will also work on a browser “later this year”.

The spokesperson declined to confirm when Alexa+’s Early Access period will end.