Amazon’s revamped Alexa app has me switching back to Siri.

I’ve relied on Alexa for managing my shopping list for years. While there are numerous list apps available, the ability to add items by voice from anywhere in my home, view the list on an Echo Show in the kitchen, and access it on my phone through the Alexa app has been incredibly convenient. That is, until it became frustrating.

With the introduction of Alexa Plus and a redesign of the Alexa app that emphasizes the generative AI assistant, the whole experience has turned irritating, prompting me to switch to Apple’s Reminders app and Siri. This wasn’t my intention. I have Echo devices scattered throughout my home, but only a couple of HomePods, and Siri insists on addressing me by name every time I ask it to add something: “Okay, Jennifer, apples are on your list.”

However, when I check my list on my iPhone, it’s just a straightforward list—no ads for unwanted Whole Foods products or prompts to engage with Alexa Plus. Siri may be annoying, but at least it sticks to the task at hand.

The Alexa app’s list functionality has been evolving in frustrating ways. Initially, I noticed an increase in ads for Whole Foods products. Then, I had to navigate through two screens just to add an item. Now, a new chatbot text box appears at the bottom of my list, urging me to “Ask Alexa.”

This placement is counterintuitive, as it tempts users to input their desired items there. In the Reminders app, there’s a clear plus sign for adding items. But when I typed “butter” into Alexa Plus, I was met with a guide to butter instead of adding it to my list. To actually add an item, I have to go to the top of the screen, tap to add an item, which leads to a second screen filled with ads for Whole Foods, and finally, a tiny text box at the top where I can type what I want.

This entire process takes five taps, and that’s with the shopping list marked as a Favorite for easy access. Now, I have to swipe past a new Alexa Plus chatbot card to reach my Favorites, making it six taps in total.

Using the Alexa app’s iPhone widget does speed things up a bit, but it still bombards me with Whole Foods images and Alexa Plus prompts when all I want is to add butter to my list. In contrast, Apple’s Reminders allows me to add an item with just one tap after opening the app.

I reached out to Amazon regarding the new Whole Foods product images, and a spokesperson mentioned it was part of a short-term test. When I opened the list today, I still had to click through to the second screen, but instead of large images of Whole Foods products, it displayed a longer, more varied list of suggested products with smaller thumbnails.

The spokesperson also indicated that the app should remember the last card I used and default to Favorites, as it used to. However, none of this changes the fact that the experience has become overly complicated, especially compared to the simplicity of adding an item in Reminders.

Of course, the easiest way to add something is by voice (no ads there), but Alexa Plus complicates that too. Asking the new, smarter assistant to add an item often leads to lengthy responses, almost as if it’s trying to showcase its intelligence:

Me: “Alexa, add sour cream to my shopping list.”
Alexa Plus: “Looks like you’re already stocked up on that creamy goodness! Sour cream is already chilling in your cart.”
No, thank you.

Maybe I’m just becoming a curmudgeon set in my ways, but the extra commentary really annoys me. I’ve repeatedly asked Alexa to be less verbose, but it hasn’t listened, and the sour cream monologue was the last straw. While my relationship with Siri is uneasy—no, I don’t want to ask again from my iPhone to see web results—at least my shopping list is now clean, uncluttered, and free of ads.

The app’s redesign is clearly focused on promoting Alexa Plus.

This redesign is part of a broader effort to position the generative AI assistant as a more versatile tool, akin to ChatGPT and Gemini, rather than just a home assistant. When Alexa Plus launched last February, it was announced that a new Alexa app would follow. While this redesign isn’t that (and a complete overhaul of the app is definitely needed), it does bring Alexa Plus to the forefront.

Recently, it was announced that Alexa Plus has moved out of its Early Access phase and is now available to everyone in the US for free through the app and the new Alexa.com website (where you can also access your shopping list). Prime members and those who pay a monthly fee can also use it on their Echo devices.

Amazon aims to facilitate easy interaction with Alexa wherever you are, and the app’s new design reflects this. The chatbot is prominently featured when you launch the app, with the home page now displaying an Alexa Plus card filled with prompts based on what it thinks you might need. The smaller chatbot interface follows you throughout the app.

When Amazon announced the Alexa Plus updates, I asked a company representative about the reasoning behind the app changes. “It’s to bring Alexa to the front, allowing direct access to her more easily through voice and typed chat,” they explained, adding that it can handle most tasks you might want to accomplish in the app.

“You can just directly tell Alexa what you want to do, like changing a setting, and she’ll either change it for you or guide you to where to find it,” they said. But it seems she can’t add butter to my shopping list when I type “butter” into the chatbot on the shopping list page.

It remains to be seen whether Alexa Plus can compete with the current leaders in this space. However, as Amazon pushes to make Alexa Plus a reality, it feels like some of the practical features of Alexa are being sacrificed. If it can’t manage something as simple as adding butter to my list without turning it into a lengthy response—or an ad—something has definitely gone awry.